Monday, September 25, 2017


Saturday 23rd September

                                                               Northey Island

 

Today despite the good weather forecast it was raining. After checking out at Southend we travelled 40 minutes to Maldon where you could take a causeway to Northey Island. Belonging to the National Trust you need to have permission before crossing and I had phoned several days previously from home. Becky the warden said that we should not cross to the island after 12.30- it is safe 2 and a half hours each side of low tide. She told us to say that we were members and that she had given us permission if anyone should ask.

We arrived as directed at Promenade Park where we parked the car for 4 hours (2 might not be enough) at £5.50. We did notice another 3 spaces near the recycling centre that were free though. There are toilets here besides lots of well used facilities like crazy golf, circuit running, football and BMX track. A park attendant told us he was running across the mud flats here in a 65 miles charity race across 2 days. Some feat!

We came out of the car park and turned left to go past the entrance to the “tip” where we came to a black iron gate signposted as private- Yacht club only! Despite of this you need to sidle down past this to the signposted footpath across the sea wall towards Northey island causeway.
 
 Under the ridge are mud flats and puddles left by the receding tide. I made Bob take an umbrella which was much better than the plastic bag he was putting on his head. We expected to walk in sunshine!

 
 
After about 15 minutes from the car park we could see yellow poles( indicating underground cables) sticking up from the sand near the shore and then we could see the causeway. We had seen a few dog walkers but not one came over to the island with us. The trees ahead appeared to make a tunnel as we walked past the sign telling us this was the site of a famous battle between Vikings, who had taken over Northey, and the Essex people led by Earl Bryhtnoth. When the tide receded enough the Vikings tried to break through the narrow defences of the English but it was impenetrable. They cheekily demanded to be let through to fight fairly on open ground. With a truly British sense of fair play Brytnoth agreed, only to later lose the battle and his head!

The causeway was muddy and puddled leading to a stony track on the island culminating in Northey House. This is now a holiday rental and there were several cars outside but no sign of people. We passed meadows with black and white cows on our right and we visited the bird hide to look out at an empty expanse of mud except for an egret taking off. There was a poster on the floor, old but useful, depicting birds we might have seen. Pity there were no binoculars!

After the hide on our right was a duck pond and old wall with towers that is part of the grounds to the big house. In front of us was a gate marked private. The path goes to the left of the property which has a water tower like structure above it made of wood. This is part of the accommodation but it doesn’t look as if it should be.

 
 
Footpath signs take you onto a ridge, the inner sea wall, beside the caretakers house. We hadn’t seen much colour only the odd wild geranium, so perhaps it would have been more beautiful earlier in the year as there was foliage of plants like sea lavender. Marsh samphire looked almost primeval sticking out of the muddy salt marsh.

Rose bushes had lost their flowers to hips, jolly red, and suspended from many looked like snow balls from a distance- cobwebby cocoons probably full of tiny caterpillars. Although looking like gossamer they were very strong. Telegraph wires were covered in chattering starlings. They would suddenly launch off and land in trees in the meadow (80 acres of it on Northey) and then regroup in a small murmuration. As we came back to the causeway we passed a bit of boggy ground landwards from which we heard croaks though there was nothing to see. A bullfrog maybe? This side of the island smelt of stagnant weed- the marsh was very green. 

 
Crossing back to mainland several formations of geese flew overhead making their communal noise. For me it heralds Autumn.

We reached the car after the 2 hours but before 3 so we were right to opt for the 4 hour ticket. We were left feeling a little flat after this island. There had been no one to ask about anything and we didn’t have a leaflet to follow so we probably missed a lot.

We decided to go to Wallasea RSPB which is an island later in the day.

 

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