Malsou three

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Malsou here.

Starting by All Saints church on the High Street this route takes a short trip north on Market Hill and Fullbridge to then follow the coastal path east around past the saltworks, Downs Boatyard and the Hythe and into Promenade Park. It then keeps on the coastal path as far as the causeway to Northey Island, the site of the Battle of Maldon before turning inland on South House Chase.

Just after South Chase Farm the route turns south on a footpath over fields, joining the route of Malsou One. There are a couple of tempting well-worn tracks that go off-PROW but stick to the signed footpath route and you’ll cross ditches and brooks by footbridges.

As you approach Wash Wood there’s a permissive path providing an alternative way along the field edge to the PROW and Slow Ways route straight into the field ahead - this is worth taking and soon delivers you back on track. Through soon new woods, over Mundon Wash and onto New Hall Lane. It’s straight over, into fields again and onto Mundon Hall Farm where we begin to share course with the pilgrim path St Peter’s Way.

A highlight of the walk is close at hand: St Mary’s, a redundant church with some remnant wall painting. This is a fine place to rest for a while. Carrying on east from here and around the moat are the sulking trunks of Mundon’s petrified oaks. Back into the fields again following St Peter’s Way to the sea wall at Mundon Creek and on to the Marina at Maylandsea. There’s an opportunity for refreshments here at the Blackwater Quay bar. The Slow Way parts company with St Peter’s Way here and turns into the suburban streets. Imperial Avenue has a convenience store and some fast food outlets.

Carrying on eastwards Imperial Avenue becomes The Drive, the route briefly rejoins St Peter’s Way and takes an easy-to-miss turn off The Drive onto a walker’s back lane behind houses to Nipsells Chase. Here the route continues east across a field past Nipsells Farm. It goes through a small woodland to emerge on Mill Road which you take a short distance south before taking an eastbound footpath. This track goes through more trees to emerge at the Pigeon Dock sluice on Mayland Creek. Here we part company with St Peter’s Way and head east across a field to Bramble farm on the Maldon Road.

A grass verge provides safe walking along the north side of Maldon Road until you need to cross to the drive providing access to Steeple Garden Market. Carry on east to the houses further up the drive and look out for the southbound footpath which is a narrow track between fences. The route carries on south to meet Highlands Hill. After a short stretch of eastwards road walking there’s a public footpath going south along the field edge by Sunfield Farm. At Mayland Court, the Slow Way and PROW have a confusing set of angles. The property owner informed me that the correct route was to follow the path through the trees until the metal barn, then to turn into the field taking a south-west course to the corner fence post a short distance away. Just south of this corner, there’s a stepover point in the barbed wire fence. The route is then a diagonal south-east across the sward, crossing the drive to Mayland Court and then taking a sharper slant to exit onto Southminster Road at the drive entrance to Hemmells.

A short road walk is necessary to reach Ewenny Farm on the south side of Southminster Road. Ignore the private signs, phoney cameras and alarms to take the PROW south to Old Heath Road. It’s eastward road walking on Old Heath Road until the next northbound footpath you find (shortly before Filey Road), this turns east around the settlement of Old Heath and continues on a footpath across an agricultural field. After exiting onto Southfield Way and crossing the road it’s all pavemented streets through Southminster to the railway station.

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