So you’ve been in London for a few days and you’ve done all the touristy things. You’ve heard Big Ben bong, seen the guards being changed at Buck House and walked around the Tower of London devising a cunning plan to steal the crown jewels. Now it’s time to get out of the congested city to sample what else this country has to offer.
Situated about 40 miles to the east of London on the Thames estuary, Leigh-on-Sea (the ‘Sea’ is in fact a river) has been a favourite day-trip destination for east-Londoners since the Victorian days. While the more well-to-do Londoners would head to the south coast, the east-end dock workers and their families would hop on the old steam trains for the short trip to the seaside.
Sadly the golden age of steam is no more, but the fancy new trains running from Fenchurch Street station near the Tower of London will whisk you to Leigh in about 40 minutes. You will know you are getting close when you smell the salty sea air and the fishing boats pop into view. Naturally, the river has featured heavily in the history of this little town, ever since the ‘small fishing hamlet’ was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086.
Stepping off the train, you’ll find yourself only a few hundred yards from the quaint village of Old Leigh. Hopefully the boats will be bobbing on the sparkling sea, but there’s every chance the tide will be out and the boats will be stuck in the mud. No matter. Along the cobbled-stone High Street you will come across cottages, craft shops, galleries, and the Leigh Heritage Centre where you can learn all about the history of this small town (including tales of smuggling and pirates, and the role the fishing boats played during World War II).
Old Leigh is a great place to go for freshly caught shellfish. Pick up a plate of cockles, winkles and whelks from the food stands or from the cockle sheds themselves, and then wander over and sit on the sea wall with a pint from one of three pubs overlooking the estuary. If the cockles and winkles don’t whet your appetite then there is always the ubiquitous fish’n’chip shop or the Creek End Tea Rooms.
Don’t forget to bring walking shoes if you want more than strange seafood and beer. Just a few minutes from the station, on Two Tree Island, is a national nature reserve where you can see the estuary ecosystem in all its marshy glory. However, if you’d rather take in a four-mile roundtrip hike to see 14th century ruins, then head back along the railway and up the hill to see what’s left of Hadleigh Castle.
Places to stay are limited in such a small town, but there are guesthouses and a hotel if you overdo it and miss the last train home. Don’t worry there won’t be winkles for breakfast.
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