Malbur three

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

A well planned and executed route between the two largest towns on the Dengie Hundred. Bypassing the major roads (with one exception on the day that we navigated its route) the journey takes in amongst the most pleasing aspects of the river Crouch and the fields as the reach down to the waterside. From Althorne the journey is punctuated by a visit to the Huntsman where quality refreshments may be enjoyed before moving on to the second leg of the journey. Following which if travelling south to north in approaching Mundon you come across the remains of the petrified wood, a surviving relic of Tudor times. Swiftly encountering the ‘adopted’ church of the parish. With Maldon rising on its hill and visible at some distance encouragement if needed to continue one’s journey. Overall a safe journey if maintaining the intended route. On two occasions encounting ploughed up pathways and styles it may present challenges to those with mobility issues.

A good route that is largely on public footpaths with some pavements. As well as joining Maldon district's two largest settlements it also connects the villages of Mundon, Maylandsea and Althorne and the long-distant path St Peter's Way. There are a couple of sections of coastal walking on either side of the Dengie Peninsula but it's mainly field walking and takes travellers over the low ridge between the Blackwater and Crouch estuaries. As previous reviewers mentioned, the field walking quality is seasonally variable. When the land has recently been ploughed and the weather is wet, the Essex clay can cleg around the feet. Judicious re-routing around field edges can avoid most of this. The short section on Steeple Road where there is no pavement connecting the two public footpaths, nor a formal crossing point should be taken with care. A verge provides an opportunity to avoid walking on the road (when the foliage has recently been cut). If the local authorities could improve this connection with paved footways joining the footpaths exiting onto Steeple Road, designated crossing points and some traffic control they would enhance this valuable route. The way passes, or goes near, bus routes in Althorne, Maylandsea and Mundon. The way also goes close to Althorne railway station.

This route was developed for the 2024 Saltmarsh Coast Walking Festival in support of the Slow Ways initiative. We modified the originally proposed route between Maldon and Burnham-on-Crouch to significantly reduce the amount of verge walking alongside busy rural roads.

This revised route works very well; it is a varied and scenic route. Much of the route is on well-defined public rights of way, although there are a few cross-field paths (particularly between Maldon and Mundon) which can be be very muddy.

I would have given the route 5 stars, but there is a 190-metre (210-yard) stretch of roadside verge to navigate between Maylandsea and Althorne. The road needs to be crossed with care, as it is a busy road, with fast traffic.

There is also a country pub directly on the route of the walk, which is 11.59 km (7.2 miles) south of Maldon and 8.69 km (5.4 miles) north of Burnham-on-Crouch - the "Huntsman and Hounds", which serves good food and refreshments.

In terms of accessibility, the muddy footpaths and several stiles (three?) along the route means it is not suitable for people with mobility issues or in wheelchairs. The route cannot be used by bikes, as the majority of the route is on footpaths, not bridleways.

In terms of accuracy, it is 100% accurate as it was plotted using the Ordnance Survey app. There are a couple of small deviations from the official public right of way routes, where paths use field edges rather than cross-field routes shown, but these are fairly well signposted.

I would definitely walk this route again. The route takes in an historic church in a remote setting (Mundon) and the nearby "petrified" oak trees which have stood for nearly 1000 years, and there are attractive views of Mundon Creek as you near Maylandsea. The route across the Dengie is straightforward, and there are lovely views of the Crouch valley as you descend the high ground at Althorne. The stretch of riverside walking from Althorne to Creeksea is superb, with far-reaching views on top of Butts Cliff of the river Crouch.

A total of eight people completed this route on 30/09/2024 for the Festival. It is hoped that there will be enough reviews submitted to verify the route.

A good route but we had to walk across three plowed fields which after rain were very muddy. I believe the fields were recently plowed and the farmer hadn’t yet reinstated the footpath. I would give this 4 stars apart from the field issue but this probably won’t be an issue for most of the year. Lots of interest along the route.

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