Walking Walton-on-the-Naze | Visit Essex | Dallaswear
Posted by Callum McCrimmon on 1st Jan 1970
Walton-on-the-Naze is a small seaside town in Essex. It has beautiful sandy beaches and the second longest pier in England. The town is made up of quaint narrow streets and glorious well-maintained seafront gardens. The pier offers the usual facilities of a seaside resort, fairground rides, slot machines and ice cream. Sea fishing is also available at the end of the pier.
Just north of the pier is the Naze itself. It is an area of unspoilt heath, saltmarshes and sandy beaches. Designated a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) due to the geology of the area, it’s Pleistocene fossils and local bird life. Other fossils found on a regular basis include sharks’ teeth, wood and shells. Managed by Essex Wildlife Trust, it is part of the Naze Nature Reserve.
The 21m tall, 50 million year old cliffs are made up of London clay, Red Crag, Thames sands and gravels. This geological material is weak and has been eroding away at a rate of 2 meters per year, for many years. In order to save this site of scientific interest sea defences have been put in place. At a cost of £1.2m the coastal erosion project was completed in 2011. After 25 years of campaigning worried local residents have new defences which also provide a 110m walkway and allow good views of the cliffs. These defences consisting of 16,000 tonnes of granite rock are expected to slow erosion to 20m over the next 70 to 100 years.
Back on top of the cliffs, there is a new visitor centre where refreshments are available. The visitor centre is also the starting point for a number of guided walks. It should be remembered that suitable footwear should be worn because of the uneven terrain. It would be advisable to take a drink on the longer of the guided walks as there are no refreshments available along the way. There is very little shade in the area so dressing accordingly and applying sun protection in the summer months is a good idea.
There is plenty of wildlife to be seen. I remember the call of the skylarks on previous summer visits and finding a beautiful five spot burnet moth. Kite flying was always popular as being high up there always seemed to be ample breeze for it.
A good way to see the wildlife is to take a boat trip. The trip takes 2 hours and meanders along the beautiful backwaters of Walton-on-The-Naze. Your host is a knowledgeable local wildlife expert. You will no doubt see a variety of coastal birds and if you are very lucky you will see the seals.
For culture vultures out there the 26m tall, octagonal Naze Tower is now home to an art gallery. The gallery is spread over 6 floors and houses three exhibitions each year.
Of course, in addition to all of this, the beaches are sandy and enticing. With such an array of things to see and do Walton-on-The-Naze really does have something for everybody.
Check out what others think of Walton On The Naze at Tripadvisor:
Learn more about the The Naze Centre and facilities as well as the Essex Wildlife Trust and their work to protect The Naze.
