If you walk towards the sea (to your left as you look at the river from the quay) you will first encounter an old gun emplacement about 250 metres from the Rice & Coles crane. This has a couple of benches atop of it, and is a nice place for a little picnic.

After that benches are notable by their absence.

Pile House

The next stop is Pile House, about 1k (0.6 miles) from Burnham.

This is the site of the Race Starting Box for some Burnham Week races. Little of that remains except some posts.

Pile House is on the eastern edge of a small bay of saltings, which is a nice place to sit and watch the river, It’s about a kilometre from the Rice & Coles Crane – just under three quarters of a mile.

Winkle Bay

The next landmark is Winkle Bay, about 4.3 kilometres (2.5 miles) from Burnham and beyond the mouth to the River Roach, which features, up to a point, a sandy beach.

Minefield control tower

6.5k from Burnham, (about 4 miles) you will see a three-storey octagonal fort in the adjacent field. A fascinating structure, it was a World War II submarine minefield control tower and the only one of its kind in England. You can read more about it here.

Holliwell Point

If you carry on walking another kilometre or so, you will come to Holliwell Point, which marks where the North Sea, or, more specifically, the Thames Estuary, begins. Holliwell Point is around 7.8k (getting on for 5 miles) from Burnham and the bay there features a sandy beach. It makes a good picnic spot.

Dengie Flats

Carry on for another 3K (1.85 miles) and you will come to a large tract of saltmarsh. You are now looking out over the Dengie Flats, towards the Raysand Channel (pronounced race-un) and the North Sea beyond. The Raysand Channel provides a short-cut for shallow-drafted vessels up to Maldon’s River Blackwater.

St Peter’s-on-the-Wall

If you want to walk the whole hog – i.e. to the chapel of St Peter’s on the Wall in Bradwell, you will have completed a 13 mile hike – 21.4k. Do make sure you have good footwear, or you will blister and be ending the walk with your shoes full of blood…