We were eighteen in number when we arrived at Chelmsford Station, along with many others heading for the Radio 2 in the Park music event. Fortunately, they had their own buses to take them to the venue so we all managed to get seats on our bus to Maldon.

This estuary town has a thriving centre, as well as pretty surroundings of saltmarshes and waterways. With the sun shining brightly, we headed down a steep hill to the River Chelmer. We then followed it through woodland to the town bypass, built on the route of a disused railway. Crossing underneath, we continued to Beeleigh Abbey. This used to be the site of a monastery but is now a private residence once owned by William Foyle, co-founder of Foyles Bookshop.

Further on, we reached the Beeleigh ‘Falls’, a collection of roaring weirs, and then the towpath of the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation, built in 1796 to provide reliable access to Chelmsford. This took us back to the river which we crossed back into Maldon. Skirting the quaysides, we got to the busy Queen’s Head pub where we stopped for lunch.

Suitably refreshed, we passed a number of magnificent Thames sailing barges as we headed along the promenade to a statue of Byrhtnoth, the hero of the Battle of Maldon in 991AD. We retraced our steps back to the Queen’s Head and then up to the High Street from where we got our bus back to Chelmsford and onward to London by train.  

Danny

Photos courtesy of Joyanna and Gillian