July 30: St Peters Way (II)

Another stage of St Peters Way, carrying on eastwards from my last walk. I took the train to Althorne, and walked through Latchingdon to join the trail at Mundon Creek. I managed to get lost when the trail seemed to disappear halfway into a wheat field. With harvesters working adjacent fields, I felt a bit like Cary Grant in Hitchcock’s North by Northwest.

Happily, I found my way out and rejoined the trail. Maylandsea seems a blight on the coastline, but just to the east is the fascinating Mayland Creek. Before long, I arrived in the charming village of Steeple, with its weatherboarded houses and the parish church with its unusual masonry.

I decided to stop at Tillingham rather than press on to Bradwell. A Scotch and a black coffee fortified me enough to make my back to Southminster. For part of the way, enjoyed an interesting conversation with a local man, who told me many things of the recent history of the area. On the journey home, I worked out I had walked more miles off the trail than on it.

Today: 17 miles (7 on the trail)
Overall total: 51 miles