Thameside Nature Discovery Park to East Tilbury
In Other People’s Shoes
27th July 2021
Starts: Thameside Nature Discovery Park
Ends: East Tilbury
Booking for this walk is now closed, but you can follow the route on your own.
This walk started in Thameside Nature Discovery Park, a popular bird watching site with wonderful views of the lake. There was lots of wildlife to enjoy here as we made our way over to East Tilbury.
On arrival in East Tilbury we explored the residential, industrial and social legacy of Thomas Bata’s utopian vision from the 1930s, visiting the old Bata factory, hotel and Heritage Centre.
The walk ended at the Bata Memorial Gardens for artist-led activities to inspire us to share our dreams for the future with artist Sadie Hasler.
At the end there was an optional return to the starting point (2-3pm).
This walk started alongside Beach of Dreams walk 30 and then these walkers continued on their longer route.
SCHEDULE
- 11:00: Suggested meeting point, Thameside Nature Discovery Park Visitor Centre, Mucking Wharf Rd, Stanford-le-Hope SS17 ORN
- 11:00 – 12:00 : Walk to East Tilbury, arriving at the Thomas Bata statue in East Tilbury
- 12:00 -13:00: Walk around East Tilbury with talks and artist-led activities
- 13:00 – 14:00: Return walk to Thurrock Nature Reserve SS17 ORN
WALK INFO
- Duration: 2 hours including talks (1 hour lunch and activities / *1 hour return walk)
- Distance: 3.5miles / *2.5miles
- Grading: Easy
- Terrain: For the first hour of this walk the ground underfoot is mainly gravel, there will be a small amount of grassland and some pavements.
- Access: The walk is pushchair accessible, there are however a number of turn stiles (these are wide enough to fit a double pushchair through) and some cattle grids at the nature reserve. Some of the grassland is uneven and quite bumpy. The rest of the walk in East Tilbury is on pavements, a mixture of paved and unpaved paths.
TRAVEL
Nearest station at the start: C2C Stanford-le-Hope Train Station, London Road, Stanford le Hope, Essex, SS17 0JX, although this is a 3 mile walk to the reserve.
Nearest station at the end: C2C East Tilbury Train Station
East Tilbury station is a 10 minute walk from the Bata Memorial Gardens via Princess Margaret Road.
BUS
East Tilbury: 374
PARKING
Parking spaces are available at the Thameside Nature Discovery Park.
There are free parking spaces available at the memorial park in East Tilbury or at nearby shops.
ACCESSIBILITY
This walk is accessible for most wheelchairs and pushchairs. However please note that there are many turnstiles during the first hour of the route which would not be accessible for larger wheelchairs. The rest of the walk takes place on paved streets in East Tilbury Town.
Toilet facilities are available at the discovery park.
WALK SAFE
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Please ensure that you are properly equipped for all walks. The weather can be unpredictable so bring waterproof clothing and/or sun hats and sun cream – it’s best to be prepared for everything!
Walking boots/shoes are recommended, but otherwise please wear suitable and comfortable footwear- best to leave open-toe sandals or high heels at home. Make sure you bring a packed lunch if necessary, and plenty to drink.
You need to choose walks within your capabilities and ensure that you are sufficiently fit for the grade of walk you have chosen. T100 walks are of different lengths and on different terrain. Some are mainly on footpaths, and others mainly on footpaths where ground may be uneven. If one walk doesn’t suit you, there is probably another one that will.
Due care has been exercised in organising the walks, however Kinetika, the funders and associated partners of the project cannot accept liability for loss, accident or injury caused to any person following the routes, especially unsupervised. Participants under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
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PHOTOS/ FILMING
If you take any of your own photos whilst taking part in the walk, we would love to see them. Share your photos on social media with #T100Dreaming.
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