Sep 8: The battlefield of Maldon

A return to some old haunts today. Starting from Fambridge on the Crouch estuary turned out to be a bad idea, as I had to walk along the road most of the time.

Things didn’t get interesting until I reached Mundon, revisiting the superb field of dead oaks and the superb wooden church I had discovered on my earliest walks in happier times back in 2005.



Instead of heading east along St Peter’s Way, I followed the footpath north to the Blackwater Estuary. This was the site of the Battle of Maldon in 991, when Vikings defeated a local force led by Earl Byrhtnoth.


The Vikings had landed at Northey Island, linked to the mainland by a narrow causeway. Unable to fight their way off the causeway, the Vikings hit upon the cunning ruse of asking Byrhtnoth if they could come ashore. In one of his less inspired moments, Byrhtnoth agreed and his force was soon overwhelmed. Appropriately, his body was found afterwards with his sword by his side but without his head.

Northey Island is now a nature reserve managed by the National Trust. Humbled by the thought of Byrhtnoth's monumental stupidity, I then headed west along the sea wall to finish the walk in the attractive town of Maldon.

Today: 10 miles
2007 total: 20 miles