The Essex Ways | a 400km walking adventure

In 2025, James Lawrence – known as Man About Country – embarked on an epic 400km walk over 21 days around his home county of Essex.

The goal was to discover the places, people and stories of Essex and prove that it is one of the most fascinating counties in England. The more of these stories we discover, the closer we get to the true soul of Essex: the myths at the heart of this great county.

Along the way James recorded the stories of local people to preserve in the Essex Sound and Video archive. This feature-length documentary follows his journey.

This project would not have been possible without the generous support of Essex Arts and Cultural Fund.

Contains mild language.

What’ you say? What you have to say? Okay. Thank you. That’s a nice tree. I’m James, and I’m on a mission to get 
to know the real Essex. So, I’m going on   a journey. For 21 days, I’ll see as much as I 
can of my home county to discover the stories, meet the people, and preserve their voices for 
future generations and prove that this is one of the most fascinating counties in England. Oh, and 
I’m doing it all on foot. For the next 3 weeks, I’ll be traveling 400 km through Essex, first 
through the countryside and then down the coast. My journey begins just outside the city of 
London in Epping. Here it begins. From this spot, I am walking into Essex in all of its 
forms. The mythical, the imaginal, the real, the dream time, the showtime. It 
begins here. Let’s see what we find. Let’s go. Actually, it’s this way. And just like that, I was on my way. Someone write to Windows. Tell 
them I got them a new screen saver. For me, Essex is a misunderstood county. Everybody 
thinks there’s only one way in Essex, but I know that there’s like 100 different counties just 
in our boundary. I grew up in Kelvedon, which was quite a it was a rural village, which meant that 
I got to go and play down the fields after school,   for which I’m eternally grateful. As far as 
growing up goes, I feel like I had the best of both worlds because I really grew up valuing 
this green Essex and the stuff beneath our feet, but I always had access to the town if I 
wanted it. I certainly never appreciated   it while I was here. It took leaving Essex to 
carry on my journey to find out just how lucky I was to grow up there and all of the magic and 
the amazing stuff that was there the whole time. [Music] So this is our first – I’m going to call it 
a village green – of the walk. And I totally commend when on village greens they decide 
to leave some of it to be rewilded. And not   only have you got like the little like beautiful 
glamour boys like daffodils but you’ve also got what people would call weeds which is incredibly 
important for wildlife, but then they still kind of own goal it and they just kind of cut the 
rest of it down. And what else are they doing   on this little triangle? I would like to see this 
look like that. Let’s make it more wild, please. Is that a deer? You see that? I think it’s still there. Which we shouldn’t be surprised 
about because I mean this used to be a deer park and also there’s so 
many deer. It’s that literally   there’s barely any room for anything else. 
But still, it’s exciting. I’ll take it. I headed into Epping Forest, the largest 
collection of ancient trees in Europe,   with some believed to be over 
a thousand years old. This is Epping Forest. There is some ancient 
stuff going on here, that’s for sure. There’s a little bit of magic in this forest. 
It’s got quite a got quite a Scandi vibe to it. Lots of orange lichen. That’s got to be 
good for the old lungs. You love to see it. We’re in Epping Forest, famously the haunt of Dick 
Turpin, the highwayman robber of the 1700s. And he very famously used to hide in the trees here 
and he would stick people up with his flintlock pistols and commit robberies. It actually 
wasn’t until a hundred years later that somebody kind of novelized him and really romanticized him. 
And it’s from him a lot of these ideas about like the dandy highwayman comes from and like the 
gentleman rogue. Stand and deliver – your money or your life. I don’t think that’s 
going to work on anyone, but we got a few beeps. [Music] Fields like this really just remind me of home 
for some reason. I don’t know why. Maybe I’m just making it up because I’m here, but I feel like 
you just I feel like this is an Essex field. I don’t feel like this is a Somerset field. There 
is just something about Maybe it’s something to   do with the soil. Or maybe there’s something 
to do with the fact it’s a little bit more dry or I can’t see any hills in the background 
other than these gentle slopes. But yeah, this it kind of feels like home 
to me. It’s, yeah, it’s good to be here. So this must be the river Roding. Oh, 
it’s the first river we’ve crossed. It looks like it is full of [ __ ] Yeah, that is –
rivers are not meant to be that colour. I made it through the first day, but there’s 
still a long way ahead of me. [Music] Morning. I’m currently camped in 
a bramble patch on the outskirts of Ongar. This was about the best accommodation I 
could find. Did find that I was camped   next to this badger skull the whole night. 
Oh there’s a lovely looking dawn over there. But yeah, other than that it was a good 
night. Just like that, back on the road again. I wanted to do this project because I have 
lived in other places around the country and I realized that the stereotype about Essex 
is real and a lot of it’s meant as banter but sometimes it goes a bit too far. And so I 
wanted to show people in Essex just how many brilliant things we have on our doorstep. And 
so far in this journey, it’s been really good to see the goodness of the people in Essex. 
Just how lovely and welcoming Essex people can be. [Music] I made it to Pleshey. I got 
talking to some people at the bar when they heard I was going to be camping nearby. Two of 
them decided to offer to put me up instead nearby. I’m now going to be spending the night in a 
converted grain silo… and there’s a hot tub. Shout out to Simon and Amanda. Shout out to their 
converted grain silos. Shout out to random people you meet in the pub and the stories they tell 
you. Shout out to Stella Artois. Shout out to the lovely people and landscapes of Essex. And 
shout out to bubbles, man. Day two complete. Here’s one of the 
most classic medicinal herbs growing right under our noses in 
the English countryside. Yarrow. Oh, yaro. This is good for just about 
everything under the sun. So, I’ve just been inside Little Lee’s church and 
there was a 13th century wooden effigy of priest and it’s the only one of its kind in England that 
survives. And it was so simple, so moving. I just had a bit of a moment with it. I guess you could 
call it a religious experience because come on,   let’s normalize having religious experiences. I 
just really felt like I connected with the spirit of the priest. There’s nothing recorded about 
him. Nobody knows his name, although he is buried   there. But I really felt like he represented the 
spirit of the land and of Essex around here. And just as he tried to spread the word of spirit. 
I guess that’s what I’m doing as well. Except my church is out here. [Music] Just leaving 
Great Le. There was a fish munger in town, so I got myself some nice crab salad. So, uh, 
yeah. How’s that? How’s that for a walking snack? Something’s wrong. [Laughter] I think I Oh, like 
if I let my guard down, I’m going to bomb. And I’m worried about playing Russian rel my bum as 
well. This crab salad is really doing me over. This has been day three of the Essex ways, 
a 400 km walking adventure through Essex to discover the stories, best places, 
and stories. Is that right? [ __ ] I am absolutely amazed that I woke 
up feeling as good as I did today.   It’s a sign that the show must go 
on. So, who am I to doubt the gods? [Music] I was feeling pretty ropey, but despite 
my affliction, I’ve pushed onwards. By now, it was day four and I was approaching 
Cresing, where I’ve got deep family   roots. It’s good to be back. But first, a 
stop at one of Essex’s most historic sites. Cressing Temple Barns over the world’s 
oldest timber framed barn. [Music] Some of these timbers here are nearly 800 
years old and they’re still standing. I mean, you can see that they’re totally pockmarked. 
They’re splitting in places. They’ve had things burying in them. But how incredible that some of 
the timbers have changed, but the main supports are still standing and supporting the weight 
of this massive barn. And what strikes me is that obviously a lot of craftsmanship has gone 
into building these. But when they built them   back in the 1200s, did they think that these 
buildings were going to be standing 800 years later? Were they just designing it to 
stand up for a couple of generations,   or did they know that their craftsmanship 
would mean this barn would still be here today? So what’s interesting about Crescent Temple Barns 
is that it’s seen so much history over thousands of years. They’ve found prehistoric remains of 
people farming here and there has been a working farm continuously from at least before the Roman 
times 2,000 years ago right the way up till today. To find a place which is so intact but really 
represents a continuation of Essex life over thousands of years is a rare and special thing. 
Then it was on to meet my local guide for the day. My dad Steve who grew up in Cresing. My mom’s side 
of the family have lived in Essex for hundreds and hundreds of years and they’ve been farmers. So 
I guess half of my Essex heritage is very much in the land. It’s the agricultural side of Essex. 
It’s the old Essex. But then my dad’s side moved here in the 60s and they’re Londoners through and 
through. So I kind of grew up with that old Essex   and that new Essex and I see it from both sides. 
And while Essex has hundreds of different corners and characters and stories, it ultimately it comes 
down to that dichotomy between old Essex and new Essex, the country and the town. I still dream 
about cycling around here. Yeah. Yeah. Now here’s a funny story for you. So we lived in the house 
there and Nana who uh thought she was a bit mystic said I’ve seen the ghost of a Roman soldier across 
the road here and we all laughed at her and said like you’re completely mad how can there possibly 
be a Roman soldier in C in cresing. So if we fast forward 40 or 50 years, new housing estate on the 
field behind the houses here and when I was doing excavations, they found a historically important 
iron age assessment with uh round houses which has been had been obviously raised to the ground and 
they believe it was the Romans in retribution for Budick’s raids on Colchester cuz she burned 
Colchester down. So, it turns out mom could have been absolutely right that she saw a Roman 
centurion or a Roman soldier there because there probably would have been one burning the locals. 
Wow. So, there you go. She always fancies she had a touch for stuff like that though, right? 
She thought she was a bit of a mystic. Yep. [Music] I really find myself attracted to oak 
trees and I know I’m not the only one. Like to find such a magnificent specimen 
like this is always just an or inspiring sight. And you remember that the the old 
Essex beneath all of this manufactured surroundings of ours. The old Essex is still right 
here. Trees like this have outlived it all. And you can tell from all of the different holes, this 
is like a hub for so much wildlife. And so much wildlife is drawn to this. And I guess I’m part 
of that wildlife that’s also drawn to this. They come here for shelter or they come here for food. 
I guess I come here to remember where I came from. It was day six. I arrived in Denim on the North 
Essex border with Suffukk. Often described as one of Essex’s most beautiful places. It was time for 
me to investigate the hype. Favorite thing about living in this area as well? The countryside. The 
countryside. Absolutely. The countryside. [Music] We’re in Constable country and this whole 
area, it doesn’t really matter which side   of the border you’re on because it has a very 
same feel. And it and it’s called Constable Country because a painter called John Constable 
painted it um and immortalized the beautiful countryside charm around here in a series of 
really lovely oil paintings. John Constable painted to preserve this idea of the idilic 
English countryside in the face of industrial revolution which was changing everything ma 
massively including agriculture. In many ways, Constable’s paintings are symbolic of this 
beautiful Essex rural paradise, but they’re also symbolic of Essex today that is trying to come to 
terms with a very quickly changing world once more and trying to hold on to a fixed idea of what 
Essex was in the face of what Essex really is. [Music] see why you need an oil painting 
to capture this one. [Music] Another underrated thing about this very 
particular part of the world is how lovely and flat this grass is. Means I can give my feet 
a much deserved rest. Look at the state of those on the back. This luca tape is holding up very 
well. Um, so it’s good to get them out, let them breathe, but also to properly connect with this 
land under my feet. Cuz how are you going to know the shape of the land when you got an inch of 
rubber in between that and your footsies? [Music] Oo. [Music] Oh. [Music] hear that? That’s a night in jail. It was with me 
all last night and it’s still here this morning as I’m packing up where 
I’ve been sleeping in Rabb Ness. It really does have a hauntingly beautiful 
song and I listen and it’s bittersweet because they say that in 50 years there will be 
no more nighting girls in this country. They will have all gone due to our 
claim changing climate and ecosystem. And so my enjoyment is bittersweet. Not only 
because I enjoy the music for what it is, but because I enjoy it because 
I know that this is finite. And so in many ways, the nighting gale to me is 
representative of Essex because in 50 years time the essics that many know will have vanished. The 
nighting girl represents one more bit of Essex that is that is lost when that part of Essex is 
gone. When those memories are gone, when our link to the past is gone, when the old boys propping up 
the bar are gone and all those country accents are   gone. Um, it’s sad that Essex is changing, but 
it’s sad that it doesn’t have to be this way. It’s not it’s not inevitable that we have to lose 
these old ways of life. There is still a chance to say that. And like with the climate crisis, it 
seems we’re sleepwalking into a place where we lose all the things that we take for granted. 
The things that really tell us who we are. Well, today it’s St. George’s Day. Actually, 
happy St. George’s Day. Today I am in Essex in 2025. I have woken up to the sound of the 
night and gale and I have woken up in the old country that I know. And today this is 
true. And so today I will enjoy it. [Music] Wow. Can the views get more different? Hang 
on. Can the views get more different than this? Ancient bluebell wood this way 
and then salt marsh. [Music] [Music] So, there’s a quote from Dylan Thomas 
that I really like that goes something like, “I think England is a great place for a fluent 
and fiery writer. The highest hymns of the sun are written in the dark. I like the gray 
country. A bucket of Greek sun would drown in one color. the crowd of colors I like trying 
to mix for myself out of gray flat insular mud. Don’t you think there’s truth in that? The 
beauty of this place is in its subtlety. And the more time you spend here, the more you 
began to pick out all of these different shades. Eventually, I made it to another historic 
Essex institution, Old Nobly. They say this old oak is 800 years old and used as a 
hiding place for women accused of witchcraft   400 years ago during the terrifying time 
of witchfinder general Matthew Hopkins in nearby Manning Tree and Miss Lee. But 
what did Old Nobly have to say to me? I hope old knobbybly won’t mind you sharing what 
we spoke about just now, but I feel I received some wisdom and it’s wisdom too important not 
to share. So, I hope that’s okay with you. Um, life can be rough and life’s probably going 
to get rougher in many ways. And that’s where the wisdom 
of oak and endurance comes in. When things get rough, we need to be tough to 
protect the ones we love, protect our communities, and protect the world that we enjoy and are so 
thankful for. And while change is inevitable and Essex is certainly changing, the ways 
of life that have been held for hundreds, if not thousands of years are eroding before 
our very eyes. And we need to be accepting of people and we need to show love. But we need to 
be tough and we need to fight for what is right. We need We need the endurance of oak. We need to be as solid as this. [Music] We 
may get burnt and we may get hollowed out, but it’s only by being tough and looking after 
each other that we’ll make it through. [Music] Oh, look. A high lighthouse 
and a sign. What does it say? Here ends the Essex way. Oh, 
can’t even bloody touch it. Okay, that’ll do. Essex Way complete done. Bosch stage one 
of my walk done. Eight days out of 21. Cool. And I managed to do it with food. The way of the countryside was over, 
but the way of the coast was about to   begin. It was time for stage two of my 
journey from Haritch to Tilbury docks. There was something I forgot to do 
at the lighthouse when I left the   Essex way. I will cross a threshold into 
the next 13 days by the power of stone, sea and sky of flatsom and jetum. I draw this line and over this lies 265 km. I 
leave the world behind and I step into the world in front of me. 
And so begins the adventure. [Music] [Music] at here on Hermford water in the bit of Essex 
coast between Haritch and Walton on the Naz. Uh we’ve not only got all of these creeks and 
inlets, but we’ve also got quite a few islands. There’s Horsey Island over there, the eastern 
most inhabited island in England. But between the islands and the creeks, it gives Essex 
claim to having the longest coastline of any county in England, depending on how 
you measure it. So don’t at me, Cornwall. [Music] This whole area has been put forward by the UK 
government as a UNESCO World Heritage site because of the role it plays in the migration of millions 
of birds flying around the world every year. 155 different species of bird depend on places 
like this to stop and rest and feed on their annual migration. Looks can be deceiving because 
whereas we just see an area of unusable land claimed by the salt of the sea and the mud of 
the land, we think it’s no good for anything. and because it’s not got any trees on it and 
because it smells a little bit cuz it’s crusty um we think it doesn’t look very nice. Um but 
that’s the attitude that has led to 90% of   our wetlands in the UK being degraded over the 
last 100 years and which gives us the highest percentage of degraded wetland environments of 
any country in the world. [ __ ] If we do not look after our wetlands, bad things will happen. 
carbon gets released into the air and the birds won’t have anywhere to stop and feed anymore. And 
trust me, if the birds go, you will miss them. After a few tricky patches, I made it to Walton 
at the northern tip of Essex’s Sunshine Coast. But before I hit the famous Golden Beaches, 
first I had to get the lay of the land. Here I am at the top of the Naze Tower about 150 
ft above sea level. You can see Haritch and Felix over there. So yesterday I started there and 
I walked all the way round into the creeks to Kirby Loken which is where I stayed last night 
and then I come up through Walton backwater and up to the Naz here. This is now going to be 
my view for the next 11 days or so basically. There’s so much coastal erosion of the cliffs 
that’s happened at Walton. This tower is now only about 50 mters from the cliffs and they only 
put those sea defenses in relatively recently. Um, this used to be a lot further inland. You 
can see there’s two black pill boxes down there. They used to be in land and then you 
can so then you can see how much the cliffs have eroded. And there is in fact an entire 
village an entire village under the sea over there the the old village of Walton. There’s an 
entire church the All Saints church which was uh this was a thriving port in the 1300s and 
then completely lost to coastal erosion and the waves. So um the area has been eroding 
even before attention’s come to it because of   climate change. But that just makes it all the 
more pressing. You can see the precariousness of this entire town is totally subject to the 
waves and the sea and to the powers of nature. So, I got 52ps to spend. I mean, I literally 
don’t want any of this stuff. Don’t know what this animal is. a Hot Wheels truck. I mean, 
this is literally the best I can do. Like, I’ve literally got to carry everything on my 
back. Why would I want to carry any of this stuff? Oh, I got two pee back 
though. I still got the knack. Well, that has not aged well. I’ve never tried 
to spend 52p coins so quickly in my entire life. [Music] It’s day 10 of the Essex ways. 
Here I am on Finton seafront. I only meant to stay in Finton for like an hour and I ended up 
spending the entire night here. So basically here’s what happened. I walked through the town, 
got talking to loads of people. They shared loads   of good stories with me. I ended up sitting down 
on this table of all of these retired guys who are literally the definition of golden oldies. 
There was eight fingers, Dennis, Big Bad, John, Crazy, Carol, Mike, Ian, Valerie, Visalo, oh, and 
Porno Pete. Don’t forget Porno Pete. I’m honestly starruck. They were so lovely. Fortunately, 
my hangover was soon blown away as I walked along the seaw wall to Holland on Sea. [Music] I 
used to go out with a girl from Holland on Sea, Georgia back when I was 15. Did feel a little 
bit like coming to the edge of the world when my mom used to drop me off here. And I think even 
then at the time I wondered why if you lived and had all of this beach right next to you, why you 
wouldn’t appreciate it more. Um, yeah. I don’t I guess when you have something on your 
doorstep, you just don’t appreciate it. [Music] I made it to Captain Pier. I can’t remember 
the last time I was here, but oh my god, this place has changed quite a lot since 
my granddad used to bring me here as a kid. The old roller coaster was dismantled 
because it was too unsafe and they’ve   just built a brand new one. This entire facade 
is completely transformed. It’s such a success story. And now here on a sunny back holiday 
Monday, the place is absolutely thriving.   So this is still a great place for people to 
come on holiday. That’s off Clton. Nice one. So Russ, what’s your favorite thing 
about living in Clton? Air, sun, sea, and sand. Good answer. The more I think about 
it, the more memories I do have in Clton being here as a kid connected to doing acting and of 
course driving around on roads like this and shouting out the car window at people. And 
yeah, it does make me think of my granddad and it makes me proud that I have that heritage 
really, especially just hearing all of the great stuff in Clton and and people say that Essex is 
like the punchline of England and it’s got this bad rap. And I know they’re talking about Tawi 
and I know they’re talking about South Essex,   but this town was voted the worst seaside town 
in Britain. So really, Clactton is emblematic of even being the punching bag of Essex where Essex 
is the punching bag of England. So the stories here in Clactton and the misconceptions are so 
representative of the misconceptions that people see in Essex. And that’s why it’s really so good 
to meet people and for them to share their time   and get under the skin of it. From here it was on 
to Jaywick at one of England’s finest beaches. So now it’s about half 8 and I’ve only just gotten 
to the Martell Tower at Jwick. Um let’s start with the good news. Look at the beach. Look at the sea. 
Look at the drizz of that sunset. You can almost fool yourself into thinking you’re in France. Like 
this is a holiday destination for sure. And it all things equal. It really is gorgeous. But this is 
a typical place of the plotlanders where people came out from London and built their own homes of 
little plots of land with whatever they had. Um the part of Jaywick essentially did turn into like 
a shanty town despite being right on the beach front and having absolutely beautiful houses. Um 
no proper tarmac roads. A lot of them burnt out and there’s a lot of drug addiction cuz there’s 
not a lot of money in the area. There’s no jobs.   So it acquired a reputation for being very very 
seedy and a very bad place to go. And so again, a bit like Clactton, I’ve been really interested 
to come to Jwick and I went to the Never Say Die   Pub again really cool old boozer and I spoke 
to Mick who has lived in J for 22 years having moved from London and knows a lot about a lot. And 
yeah, he told me that about how the area has had more investment and actually Jaywick is actually 
a very it’s a nice place to live all in all and   that that it’s come on a long way in the last 22 
years. I think images of Jaywick were used in a Trump administration attack advert and so it was 
very unfairly portrayed as like a place of extreme um deprivation and there’s been a real backlash 
against that ever since. By the time I arrived in St. Ozith, it was well past dark. I ventured past 
the priaryy, once the largest in Western Europe, to the haunted Nuns Wood, where I settled down 
for the night, ready for another day on the trail. It’s now day 12 of the Essex ways. 
Gosh, this is going fast, isn’t it? I’m officially halfway through. Well, I made it to Point Clear. I absolutely 
stormed it from St. Oz. I huzged it. I gunned it. I double hotund it. Um, so now I’m waiting 
for the ferry to arrive in about 10 minutes. There’s absolutely no signs. Point Clear is 
actually over there and I’m just like out on this spit of sand just sticking out into the 
kind of like creek here, Brightland Sea over there. And that’s where I’m going next. So I guess 
I’m just like sitting on this bit of sand waiting for a boat which is pretty cool. something quite 
Victorian about it. Or maybe even earlier. Maybe that’s my ferry over there. Yeah, a little 
dingy like that. That would make sense. So, um yeah, I’m going to have a little sit down, 
rest my legs cuz I am shuttered. [Music] I think there is something so cool about catching 
a ferry. like the ancient art of ferrying. Like I only I only I only came from over there. But 
yeah, to especially in a little boat like that what Sam was just driving there. Oh, I got 
the tingles. Anyway, here I am in Brighton Sea. What’s your favorite thing about living in 
Brighton Sea? Um the coast to see using the boats   around here. It’s absolutely lovely, you know, 
and there’s a lot of history as well with the fisherman. There’s still a working There’s 
still working people here with the fish as   well. That’s quite nice. If you get here some 
days, just here by the the boy you see there, the old bomb. Yeah. Um is that an old bomb? Yeah, 
it’s an old bomb. Yeah. Um cool. Yeah. Obviously not alive, but um yeah, the the fish market sits 
up there and he he sells all the fresh fish. How gorgeous is this? I mean, look at the look at 
the size of this church. It’s absolutely huge. And the outside made up of these flint stones. 
Flintstonones. This is a Flintstone church. After gathering some amazing 
stories in Brightland Sea,   a town with a proud sailing tradition 
going back thousands of years, I was fed across the water once more 
to the eastern tip of Murzy Island. So, here I am walking along the beach on Murzy 
Island. Famed, enchanted, fabled, wild Murzy Island. I’m on East Mury. I’m heading to West 
Murzy where civilization is and I’m going to   go into one of the places and have some of those 
oysters cuz Murzy oysters are world famous. They export that stuff to Japan and Paris and New York 
and Milan. I don’t know all the other ones here. You can get them for a quid a pop, but you’re 
getting worldass seafood. Just one of the reasons   that Essex is secretly a very foodie county. We’ve 
got world famous oysters on Murzy, world famous jam tip tree, world famous salt, molden. Hey, we 
invented English rum for God’s sake as well. Now on the other side over here, cliffs in Essex. 
one or two places other than Walton where I’ve already been where you can see the archaeology 
of the area and you can see in that clay. It’s the kind of place you get all kinds of sorts 
of fossils come out of the cliff. Oh my god,   looking at this bit, you can certainly see why 
they say it’s a spooky place. I mean, yeah, look at all this. Oh, can’t you just love it? 
After reaching West Murzy and spending a memorable night at the Victory Inn, it was once again time 
to dust off the cobwebs. One Murzy oyster with lemon juice, shallots, and chili sauce. Want to have a tea? [Music] Fortified by the 
fruits of the Essex coast, I journeyed onward into the wildest place I’d encountered so far. So I’m 
out here in the coastal marsh between Murzy and Tolsbury and this is a wild corner of Essex. This 
is it looks like an alien landscape around here. Like there’s I honestly feel like an alien 
or some unknown forgotten creature could just burst out of the ground at any time. There’s just 
everything covered in green slime. It’s black. It’s brown. Everything’s oozing. There’s dead 
crabs everywhere. Um you can see why this place has given rise to so much folklore. Um there’s 
all of the spirits and the fairies that are said to haunt these marshes. the black Shuck, the 
great devil dog. There’s plenty of legends about   him around here, especially in Tolsbury where 
I’m going next. I don’t know what it is about places like this that draw me to them. There’s 
something about the other worldliness of it, the loneliness of it, the fact that it could 
kill you and you have to respect it. It always draws me back. But the deeper I ventured, the 
more difficult it became to navigate a way out. Oh, whoopy-doo. Look at that. The map was 
wrong again. Why do I keep trusting the map? I’m so close to getting back to civilization, 
but I seem to be so close and yet so far cuz there’s no paths and this ground is very 
uneven or it’s very muddy and marshy. Oh, great. Now I’m going to talk to some guy farm. 
I just want to be back on like a path again cuz this has been a long slog. Baby, come 
my friends. It is not too late to seek a better world. Push off. And all being in 
good order, smite the sounding furrows. And my purpose holds to sail beyond the sunset 
and all the bars of the western stars until I die. Tolsbury 8.5 miles. That’s not true. Bradwell 
on sea 50.5 miles. That’s probably true. Burnham crouch 64 miles. That’s probably true. That’s 
my road. Salt Marsh Coast Trail. Let’s get it. [Music] What’s up, MTV? I’m James and welcome to 
my crib. Let me show you. Unusually, um, the main room is actually the bedroom right 
here. Also doubles up as the lounge. It’s a   studio flat. It’s beu, it’s cozy, 
it’s boutique, uh, and it’s home. From Tolsbury, I walked along the Blackwater 
estate, gathering more stories along the way.   What’s your favorite thing about living in 
the coast bar? Just look at it. Look at it. and even met up again with my dad, Steve, for 
the final push to Molden. You know who made it? [Music] Just just just give me away. Just give me. All right. It’s uh 12:40. I’m still in Molden. 
This is not good. I feel like I just have to vent for a minute. My social battery is gone. 
I’m the kind of person where I’ve either got 100% or 0%. When it comes to people and maybe 
it’s just because I’ve had 5 and 1 half hours sleep and I’m like chronically sleepd deprived 
and my body’s really tired and then I’ve got to   keep going and I got to socialize with everybody. 
Every single car that goes past me is like nails in my ears. Here we go. That wasn’t too bad 
to be fair. I’ve only gone on the main road.   I’m sick of the wind. I’m just Yeah, I think 
I just need to eat some food if I’m honest. Oh my god, I hate it. I hate it. I’ve left Molden behind. Hopefully you can hear 
this cuz it’s pretty windy as you can see. I’ve left Molden behind. Now I’m making a stop at Nory 
Island. I’m on the causeway, which only reveals itself when the tide is low. And it’s this is 
the island that they say was instrumental to that great battle of Molden in 991 AD. They say the 
Viking raiders landed on that island while Burton and his men stood firm on that ground. The Vikings 
demanded payment. Britnoth gave him Shaken spear. As I pushed on through ancient fields of battle,   it was good to get back 
out into the country again. By the time I reached Mland Creek, it was almost 
dark, but the atmosphere was truly incredible. It was day 16 and I had reached the Denji 
Peninsula. But I wasn’t out of the mud yet. I still had a long way to go. I am camped in a 
lovely patch of wooden. Check it out. This is a hawthornne tree. It’s absolutely massive. 
I’m just camped underneath a May bush on the outside. This is totally covered in white 
hawthornne blossom and yet here I am. I Yeah, I couldn’t ask for more right now. This 
is a really special time in my life and I’m really glad to all of the people that have 
helped to make this happen and all of the fates and spirits in the universe that have conspired to 
make this happen. And I’m also glad that I’ve made this happen cuz I’ve come a long way. And yet, 
in many ways, this feels like the beginning. I plowed along the Blackwater Beach on a glorious 
sunny morning, despite nearly losing my maps,   camera, and communication due to a broken phone 
cable. And that wasn’t the end of my troubles. We’ve encountered a bit of a problem. I 
think I’ve got about 30 kilometers to go all the way down the Denji Peninsula until I 
get to Bernamon Crouch, which is probably the wildest part of Essex and maybe one of the 
wildest parts of England. I’m certainly not going to see another shop and I was really 
hoping to be able to go into the shop here   and get some supplies, but unfortunately 
it’s closed today. Um, and I’ve missed it because I didn’t realize it’d be closed at 
half 12 and I was sitting in the pub. So,   um I guess I will just have to make do 
with what supplies I’ve got in my pack. Um um maybe I’ll just I’m just going to do a little 
bit of an inventory and see how much food I’ve got and work out how much of a problem this is. I have 
two eggs, a chicken salad sandwich, one cookie, one bag of cashews, two like chocolate bars my 
mom gave me, and one emergency baby bell that’s been with me since day one. Um, doesn’t look like 
much to hold me for 24 hours and 30 km, does it? But I had faith that Essex would provide. And 
soon enough, help came from a familiar face. The kind of like the legend of the green man 
kind of transmuted into Robin Hood a little bit. And you know like Robin Hood, king of 
Sherwood forest and you know lived amongst   the trees and all of his men were very close to 
nature. No one could ever find them because they like hid in the trees. So yeah, usually the 
green man is that the whole like the man with the leaf beard and it coming out of his mouth 
motif. It’s interesting to see this dude. Yeah, that’s cool. He’s that’s a that’s that’s 
a vibe. I wonder if they’re doing chips. I’m well aware that this is the beigest 
meal of all time. We got yellow, brown, and white. But you know what? 
And I know it’s a kids meal, but this is a pit stop. And all of this and 
out there is more important than this. So, I’m just going to gun it and run. But the story 
gods had other plans. I got chatting to two friends whose ancestors were stationed together 
at the nearby Bradwell Air Base during the Second   World War. We believe we dropped the first bomb 
the first bomb on D-Day. We were very proud of this honor. Together they dropped the first 
bomb on D-Day in 1944. I’ve got Oh my god, I’ve got goosebumps. Wow. Their names were even still 
carved into the pub’s table. Hearing these local stories from Lori and Graham was even better than 
the chippy lunch, but I had to keep pushing on. Oh man, my legs are stiff. 
They’re never usually this   stiff early in the day. This 
is all catching up with me. All right, I’m going to I’m going to bust 
out the big move. Sort these quads out. Okay. Oh, I don’t I think they’re 
even too stiff to do this. [Music] This is a place I’ve been very excited to come 
to. This is the Chapel of St. Peter on the wall. This is almost certainly Essex’s most sacred 
spot, and it might be a contender for one of the most sacred spots anywhere in the country, as 
far as I’m concerned. This building has been here since 654 AD. It’s one of the oldest churches 
in the country. It was established by St. K who was a Christian missionary who traveled 
by sea down from Lindesvan off the coast of   Northland and set this up here. Um it’s built on 
the site of a Roman fort. So the other name for this place is Oona and that was the name the 
Romans gave it. Rumor has it that St. K was although he was a Christian missionary he was 
of that Celtic Christian flavor where he still had a really deep connection to nature. 
The style of his Christianity would have   been entirely keeping with these beautiful 
surroundings in this wild place. [Music] We belong to you. Sometimes we 
sorrow. [Music] Embrace. Sometimes we face our times will prove us. Never remove 
us. We belong to God. We belong to God. So right now I’m back in St. K’s Chapel. 
Some Peter on the wall. It’s dark outside, although the moon’s out. So, I don’t know 
if you can even see on the camera without   this candle. It’s like there’s a little bit of 
white light coming from the windows. Otherwise, the candles are lit. And I’ve just 
spent a very nice time in here. I for one feel a deep sense of peace in here. Morning. Day 17 of the Essex ways. I am currently 
on the longest uninhabited stretch of coastline in southern Britain. About halfway down the Denji 
Peninsula. I’ve got another 16 km to go until I get to Burnham, next place we’ll be able to get 
any food. Um, I’m already pretty hungry. I have eaten my two eggs. I have only a handful of cashew 
nuts left. Um, I’ve got my chicken salad sandwich. That’s my showstopper. So, other than that, yeah, 
I got a chicken salad sandwich, a handful of nuts,   one baby bell, and half a Snickers bar. 
And that’s got to do me for 16 km of this. Here are some facts. It is Sunday. It 
is sunny. I’m hungry. My feet hurt. My back hurts. I’m hungry. I’m hungry. Eventually, I made it to Burnham on Crouch where I was able 
to rest and refuel in the company of some new friends. I’m with the I actually have no idea 
what the Nordens and Dawson. The Nordens and Dorsons. Um, and I’ve just been given the most 
gracious hospitality. Had a lovely lasagna and kebabs and what’s that? Fruit. A gallette. 
A gallette. A gallette. Very poached. Very poached. Um I will just ask this aloud and 
who at the can answer can answer. What’s your favorite thing about living in Berlin? The 
river. The river. I think the river. Yeah. You know you’re having one of those moments where 
you actually think you’re in paradise. I’ve just been rode across the river by the Bernamon Crouch 
coastal rowing club. Out of the goodness of their heart, they all came out on a Sunday evening just 
to roam me across the river and they even took me   on a little boat tour down to the Bernamon Crouch 
as well. Lovely people. I just been dropped off at the marina policy and that was surely one of the 
best sunsets I’ve ever seen. It was day 18. I’d crossed the river Crouch and had finally landed in 
S Essex. What adventures lay in store for me here. Easy. There we go. Cool. What a day to be alive. I was 
lucky to meet Andy [ __ ] a history teacher turned walking guide who shared loads of local stories 
with me, including the Battle of Ashington in   1016 and the Whispering Court at Roford. I 
was on a roll. Things were going great until [Music] I don’t know what else to say. I’m very, very sad. I know she’s a bit of wood. She’s a stick. She’s 
literally a stick. I can make more sticks. There’s plenty more sticks in the wood, but she’s been a 
very special stick to me. And so I must uh make my peace with it. [Music] Would you look at all these 
lovely blue bells and the dappled sun through the canopy? Absolutely gorgeous. Now, blue bells 
are said to be an ancient woodland indicator, which means if there’s blue bells here, it 
means that the woodland must have been here   for hundreds and hundreds of years. But 
is everything as it seems? Because if we look closely at some of these blue bells, I 
would say, judging from the very tall stems, the way that the blue bells are poking off in so 
many different directions, and the fact they’ve got these very curly bits on the end, to me, this 
would suggest that these are Spanish blue bells. Now, I personally, I’m a bit funny. I get a 
bit snobby about Spanish blue bells because   the English blue bells to me are one of the great 
natural wonders of the world. English blue bells are on a par with the cherry blossoms of Japan 
in terms of their beauty and wonder. So I would not want to see those be scrubbed out because of 
a another species out competing them. So yeah, that’s my thoughts on that. Makes it sound 
legit, doesn’t it? We’ll go with that. Everyone around the country gives Essex this bad 
stereotype. They say we’re all the same. They say we’re all fake tanw wearing, white stiletto 
wearing, love a bit of bling, love a bit of flash. Basically not essics but with cocknney. And that 
is class snobbery. And that is class hierarchy. But what I’ve noticed is that actually people in 
Essex, from any other part of Essex, will say, “Oh yeah, I’m not from that part of Essex.” And 
say, “I’m from North Essex. I’m from East Essex.   I’m from West Essex. I’m from a different part 
of South Essex.” And people in Essex internalize this narrative told about us for the rest of the 
country so much that they are very quick to say they will denigrate other parts of Essex that 
are like lower in the pecking order than them. And that’s the trap we’ve got to get out of. We’ve 
got to start realizing that we’re all we’re all in   the same boat here and the only war is the class 
war. So stop punching down on people from canvi and start punching up. It’s not because people 
are being proflegate with their money on canvi.   And it’s not because people are coming over on 
boats and taking it all despite what Niger would have you think. That’s all a distraction. Just 
as class hierarchy is a distraction. And just   as people laughing at essences is a distraction. 
Let’s celebrate our differences and celebrate our similarities. But by day 20, I’d made it to Cami. 
But I wasn’t done with this infamous island just yet. This was another place with a bad rap from 
the rest of Essex. But here on the Temp’s Riviera, there were plenty of surprises in store, 
including a brownfield rainforest with the   highest biodiversity of insects anywhere in the 
UK. I was guided around the island by CVI legend Chris Fenick. It was an absolute privilege to 
have Chris show me around. He’s Canvi through   and through. He is like Mr. Canvi. I lucked 
out with him and he gave so much of my time. Even put me up and he bought me breakfast. But 
he gave me loads of time, loads of stories and   he really helped me to understand the essence of 
the island both 500 years of history and also the soul of what is going on today right now. And 
he’s a proper storyteller and he linked it all   together. What a legend. Thanks Chris. All 
right, we’ve just had a lovely sunset and a lovely drink at the Oyster Fleet on Cami Island. 
I’m here with my new friends Jason and Eka. Um, what Let me ask you one question. What’s 
your favorite thing about Cami Island? It must be the people. Yeah, the people, the 
friendliness, and always the seafront. Yes, there uh yeah, that’s what I love about Camp Island. 
You know, everyone’s friendly, everyone talk to everyone, and I feel safe as well. Yeah, good 
answers. Lovely. Thanks, guys. I am very pleased to have just met Sha here at what Tyler Country 
Park. Sean, what’s your favorite thing about this area? Oh, well, it’s got to be the Robert Kunig 
after the uprising sculpture. Just cuz we walk   past them. That’s in my brain. Check this out. 
To commemorate the villages of Fobbing, who in the year 1381 stood for the freedom of English 
people against oppression. Oh, what a veil. the plow and sail or life or land if freedom fail. 
Wise words that stand the test of time, I say. How you doing? Yeah, I’m all right. The final day. Final 
day. You see, you too, man. Testing, testing. It’s my last day. Uh, it’s day 
21 of the Essex Ways. And what a place to spend it out here on the marshes of Stanford 
Le Hope. Going to go through mucking. Going   to go through Tilbury. This is the This is the 
mud that the people of Essex rose out of around here. I’m sad that this is the last day, which 
tells you how much of a good walk it’s been. Um, I’m going to miss the daily walking. I’m 
going to miss the adventures that I’ve been   on. And I’m going to miss intimately 
spending time in landscapes like this. But I think what I’m going to miss most are the 
people that I’ve met and being able to go into all the corners of Essex and pubs and churches 
and cafes and random people I meet on the street and out in the wild and just chatting to them 
and hearing their stories and having them so generously share with me what they love about 
Essex and local tips. And that’s that’s really warmed my heart and that’s the bit I’m going to 
miss the most. So that’s where my heart’s at. I am a firm believer that the simple pleasures are   often the best and there is no pleasure 
as simple as chucking a nice stick or a big rock into the mud and hearing that. 
What’s life without cheap thrills, eh? Morning Haron. Doesn’t this sum up the contrast of this part of 
the world? You’ve got the vast mud flats and the land surrounding it punctuated with these 
huge ships. I mean, you can just see how many containers there are and even that huge 
pile of like earth and spoil over there. Um, just totally dominates the area here. This 
would have been a completely flat landscape. So, anytime you see hills here, it’s hiding literal 
piles of rubbish. And so, this land bears the marks of not only living industry today, but 
also the remains of industry from times past. What we are on top of right now is what was once 
the second largest landfill in Europe. This is the landfill mucking Marsh and this is where they 
bought over a million tons a year of solid waste down from London just downstream of the city on 
the temps and they just dumped it here. Look, you can put as much earth on top as you like, 
but you can’t fool the fact that we are on an   enormous rubbish dump. These mountains of waste, 
the bit that nobody ever sees. The land itself is made of the rubbish that other people didn’t want, 
a dumping ground. And do people not see Essex as a dumping ground of poor lowass people from East 
London? But this shows that even when you’ve got long-standing piles of rubbish in people’s 
eyes, you can do stuff that repairs it and   brings it back into harmony with nature and the 
rest of the land once more. So I think this place demonstrates that there is hope for Essex yet, 
even in this maligned little corner of the world. [Music] So, we’re surely only 20 minutes away from 
the end of this 400 kometer adventure. And here we find ourselves on the bit of the seaw 
wall on the temp’s eststery between East Tilbury   and West Tilbury. And look at this environment, 
the mud flats, quicksand, the brown tidal river, salt bush strewn with rubbish, and then this like 
razor wire brick buildings with smashed windows. this cold, cold, grimy stone. This I 
honestly feel like this is one of the most moving places of the entire walk that 
I have been. And I cannot for why tell you. And then I found something I really didn’t expect. Where are you? I felt that night and gale tell me 
that although some parts of Essex   had been entirely concreted over, 
they were still Essex and worthy of our respect. [Music] Right, let’s 
find out what’s at the world’s end. Hey, [Laughter] welcome to the the World’s End. 
All right. Oh, sorry to keep you. [Music] One of the reasons I wanted to finish here 
in Tilbury at the World’s End Pub is because   right opposite the water is the flat I used 
to live in in Graves End about 10 years ago. That was a time in my life when I really 
felt that I lacked direction and I didn’t   know what I wanted to do or how I wanted to 
give back. And I would stand on that pier and I would look out across this water and 
I would wonder what I would do with my life. And the end of this journey represents to me the 
end of a 10-year journey since that point. Because now I stand here and I look across that water 
at the shadow of who I used to be and I can say, “Hang in there, son. You just stick it out 
and it’s all going to come good in the end.” And this is the end of this adventure, but 
also this is this is the end of my life in Essex as I know it because very soon my parents 
will be moving away. And while a bit of my soul will always be in this county, I can’t think 
of a better way to give a fond farewell to the county that’s made me the man I am today. So, 
Essex, it’s been beautiful. Until next time, [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music]