About Islandeering
Hi and welcome to Islandeering Islandeering is for people who want adventure in Britain’s wild blue spaces – our rivers, coast, lakes, canals and islands. You will find amazing walks, paddles and swims in the UK’s most special places, those recognised for outstanding natural beauty, incredible geology or special and abundant wildlife.
More About UsWe continuously find new islands, rivers, lochs, canals and coast to walk, SUP and swim in and meet plenty of great folks along the way. Join our community to get new routes and adventures, latest blogs and news by using the email box below. Tune in also to our Facebook and Instagram pages to see where we are going next.
Foulness Island, Essex’s best kept secret and just up the coast from Southend-on-Sea, is accessed via The Broomway, a treacherous path through the tidal sands that has also been named The Doomway. Foulness, the largest island in Essex and the fourth largest in England, is owned by the Ministry of Defence and inhabited by civilians who live in its quaint weatherboard and brick houses. The island has a high point of less than five metres. The landscape is dotted with the watchtowers, launch towers, domes and fenced compounds of the military munitions-testing facilities, which adds a surrealness to the otherwise bucolic farmland and traditional buildings. The island is accessed through the security gate at Great Wakering and open to the public the first Sunday of the month (April to September); home-baked cakes in the Heritage Centre await those that venture onto the island. A flat, four-kilometre road, perfect for cycling, leads through the firing range to a car park in the village.
Highlights of Foulness Island
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- Epic tidal walk on the ‘UK’s deadliest highway’
- Meeting locals at the heritage centre
- Fantastic home-made cakes
How to get to Foulness Island
Bus, line 41, from Southend-on-Sea to Foulness, Monday to Saturdays. By car, leave Great Wakering along New Road to Stairs Road. Report to the Qinetiq reception (01702 383388) and ask for access to Wakering Stairs.
Visit the Heritage Centre
Housed in the former school in Churchend, its eclectic displays range from wedding gowns to gas masks and tell the island’s story with poignant images of the North Sea flood of 1953. This is a great place to meet the friendly islanders whose local dialect, an Australian-like twang, is peppered with native Foulness terms such as stringies, cadgers and doggies. The islanders make great home-made cakes to be enjoyed in the garden and, from here, it is possible to explore the paths around the village. During the summer this centre is open once a month.
Walk The Doomway
Stepping out onto Maplin Sands to follow the legendary 9.7-kilometre-long Broomway, where the incoming tide moves faster than most people can run, requires some planning and nerve. Those that attempt it will be rewarded with a fabulous wilderness experience. Start from Wakering Stairs and track along the sands to Fisherman’s Head on Foulness Island. Once on the island there are public footpaths to the village at Churchend and the Heritage Centre. This isn’t for the faint-hearted and the largely featureless landscape requires good map and compass skills, with GPS back-up, and good knowledge of walking speed and tides. Check out our Walk the Broomway route information under the Islandeering tab.
About Islandeering
Hi and welcome to Islandeering Islandeering is for people who want adventure in Britain’s wild blue spaces – our rivers, coast, lakes, canals and islands. You will find amazing walks, paddles and swims in the UK’s most special places, those recognised for outstanding natural beauty, incredible geology or special and abundant wildlife.
More About UsWe continuously find new islands, rivers, lochs, canals and coast to walk, SUP and swim in and meet plenty of great folks along the way. Join our community to get new routes and adventures, latest blogs and news by using the email box below. Tune in also to our Facebook and Instagram pages to see where we are going next.
Key Facts
- Location: Essex
- Size: 2430 hectares
- Terrain: Foreshore walking; easy tracks and paths on the island
- Access: Tidal walk along The Broomway
- Height gain: 123 metres
- Map: OS Explorer 176 Blackwater Estuary
- Starting point: Wakering Stairs. GR TQ 96983 87112
The Broomway walk summary
You can visit Foulness Island by car but walking the Broomway is by far the most adventurous approach and the ultimate in coastal walking. Start from Wakering Stairs along the sands of the Broomway to Fisherman’s Head on Foulness. Once on the island the paths and minor roads are easy to walk, with one long stretch along the seawall bordering the Rivers Crouch and Roach with great views across to Burnham-on-Crouch and Wallasea Island. Paths through crops and farms lead back to the seawall at Asplins Head for the return across the sands. The route may be shortened using the various well-marked rights of way on the island. Full route in our Islandeering book.
The Broomway walk description
Walk down the causeway at Wakering Stairs, continuing for approx. 400m to reach a small metal stake. Turn L here onto the Broomway, and follow a compass bearing of 61o. Continue towards two distant poles, the course veers to the L of the L-hand pole, the ‘maypole’, which marks the entrance to the creek. On drawing parallel with this telegraph pole with reflectors and numerous cross pieces, re-set the compass bearing to 50o. After 3.7 km pass the first route inland to Shelford Head, then 800m later pass the second to Asplins Head, marked by two low metal posts. After 300m reach the low-rise concrete circle with dilapidated metal pipes. After 5.9km, there is access to Rugwood Head and then at 7.42km, to Eastwick Head. Churchend can be reached via all these inland routes if you need to cut the Broomway section short.
To follow the described route, turn off the Broomway after 9.8km via the slipway at Fisherman’s Head. Pass the rusting bombs at the side of the slipway and continue over the sea wall past the watchtower onto the tarmac road. After 460m, at a L-hand bend in the road, continue straight ahead on the grass track to the side of a drainage channel. After 200m follow the footpath signs to the R for 500m then cross the concrete road into The Chase and pass houses on R. After 240m take the L fork in the road and then at the T- junction turn R along the tarmac road past clapboard houses. Cross the concrete road and head towards the sea wall at Crouch Corner. Walk E on the gravel track at the base of the sea wall for 3.7km to arrive at the Quay.
Turn L and follow the minor road signed to the church and village, passing the ruins of Monkton Barn. After 1km turn R at the T-junction with the main road. Pass the Heritage Centre and church and after 170m, opposite the disused pub and shop, turn R onto the main road heading S off the island. After passing the village houses of Churchend, take the clearly marked footpath on the L, just before the bus stop. Continue along the marked path but if crops are in the field it may be necessary to walk round the edge. Continue towards the buildings of Rugwood Farm, turning L at the farm lane and carry on to a L-hand bend in the lane. Go straight ahead through the blue metal gates, pass a military area on L, and head directly towards the sea wall. At the sea wall, climb the steps, turn R and walk along past Rugwood Head to Aspins Head, next to the munitions store. Return to the Broomway via the slipway, following the N rim of the concrete circle you passed on the route in, and return to the slipway at Wakering Stairs.
NOTE: walking the Broomway can be dangerous. Make sure you only attempt it on a clear day as it is easy to get disorientated. The Broomway is inaccessible and dangerous 3 hours either side of high tide. For route detail and timings please check out ‘Islandeering: adventures around the edge of Britain’s hidden islands’.
