Text contributed by Christina; pics by Christina and A. Non
Glen’s latest Essex exploration proved yet another crowd puller, aided by good weather. 21 joined us at the designated starting point near the Lido in Brightlingsea. Bruce aged 8 was by far the youngest walker. He and his mum did the first 6 or so miles of this varied and very scenic walk with a further 5 to go after the lunch stop. We had stunning views onto the Essex coastline, Mersey Island, and towards Point Clear as we watched sailing boats go by on the River Colne. Walking by the river and along a row of colourful beach huts and a bright blue sky above us felt like being on holiday . Some of us spotted a couple of egrets, and we watched a couple of buzzards circling looking for a prey.
When heading into the Brightlingsea town centre area I noticed that along the whole side of a house were colourful bird boxes of different styles, some of which bore a “To Let” sign. The house owner explained that each box was occupied by a family of sparrows.
We stopped for lunch in Brightlingsea at Waterside Marina by the river. Some went to a nearby pub called The Yachtsmans Arms. Here, a visibly proud David T-F drew people’s attention to the fine-looking pub sign which he had designed himself. We found ourselves joined by a very sociable labrador upon the post-lunch stroll, but we were not so popular with its owner as the dog celebrated its joy by trampling in the deep creekside mud!