Walton-on-the-Naze

Our visit

This was our first visit to Walton in years and, as with other places we’ve revisited after decades away, we were amazed at just how much we’d missed in terms of the positive changes that had taken place! In many cases, the National Heritage Lottery Fund has played a significant role in restoring and maintaining these wonderful historic assets. Graham has been supporting the Lottery since it started and always looks out for where its valuable funds have been invested!

Firstly, a little bit about Walton-on-the-Naze. With its pier, beach and famous beach huts, Walton, along with its neighbours Frinton, Clacton and Holland-on-Sea, is a popular holiday destination. Together with Mistley, Manningtree and the pretty villages in between, these places make up the Sunshine Coast, the name given to this 36-mile stretch of North Sea coastline in Essex, running from the River Stour and Harwich to the Colne Estuary. The Sunshine Coast Line is also the name of the regular train service from Liverpool Street.

The Naze is the name given to the promontory north of the town. Standing at its highest point, the Tower is Grade II* listed by Historic England for its special architectural and historic interest, and is unique of its kind. Built by Trinity House in 1720 as a navigational landmark for ships sailing in and out of the busy port of Harwich, it has served a variety of purposes over the years, particularly during wartime.

The Tower was purchased privately in 2004 and is now open to the public. When we visited, the landings featured information boards as well as an interesting exhibition of local art and craftwork, much of it available to buy. The view from the top is breathtaking. We were delighted to spot container ships making their way towards the Port of Felixstowe. Initially, we could see only large objects out at sea; it was only as they drew closer that we recognised them as container ships. There always seemed to be about five making their way in from the horizon towards the port, which operates 24/7.

On our recent adventure aboard the PS Waverley, the Tower was a prominent feature on the skyline as we sailed past Walton-on-the-Naze, so it was very satisfying to see it close up!

Another very welcome development since our last visit was the Essex Wildlife Trust’s (EWT) Naze Discovery Centre. The Naze is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is regarded as Essex’s premier geological site. The centre is a mine of information about the area, covering its wildlife, geology, fossils and much more. It also has a very pleasant café and welcoming staff. For more information, visit the Essex Wildlife Trust’s Naze page.

One of Walton’s most striking features is its cliffs, which erode easily because of the nature of the soil and the energy of the waves coming in from the North Sea. We highly recommend EWT’s Naze Geowalk, a very pleasant route from the Tower down to the beach, along the coastline and back through a wooded area. For visitors planning to climb the Tower, see the Naze Tower accessibility guide.

The area is renowned for fossil hunting, and we encountered several groups of fossil hunters, as well as an A-level geography group who interviewed us for a survey they were conducting. We’re not sure whether we were chosen for our geological expertise or simply because we happened to be there!

In summary, it was a brilliant day out, with history, art, wildlife, geology and beautiful coastal scenery all thrown in. We’ll certainly be back to explore further!