Walks you can reach from Leigh-on-Sea by train

Hilly woodland, narrow grassy paths, open estuary waterscape, wide flat creek-side track and gentrifying seaside town.

Warnings: Can be muddy.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Hilly Essex countryside, ancient and modern woods, flower-rich meadows, farmland, panoramic Thames Estuary views and conservation village.

Time: 5h

Warnings: Can be muddy.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Flat Thames Estuary coast path, riverside sea wall, wild flower meadows, salt marsh views, former landfill landscape and brief inland section.

Warnings: Check tide timings.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Reverse direction: Railwalks.

Flat riverside path, marshland, industrial scenery, flood defences, graffiti art walls, former wharves and Thames views throughout.

Warnings: Flood risk eastern half.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Entirely flat, urban city-centre streets, royal parks, riverside Thames path, canal towpath and historic financial district.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Recommended: A flat and easy walk, entirely tarmacked.

Coastal: almost all along the coast.

Time: 2h–4h

Warnings: Follows a busy road for a sixth of the walk.

Walk details: Railwalks.

Uses a foot and cycle path along the A127 to the Rayleigh Weir roundabout to cross safely.

Time: 3h30–7h30

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Time: 2h30–5h

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Panoramic views of the Thames Estuary and towards London. A quiet route through the pretty village of Horndon on the Hill, then across gradually rising farmland to Langdon Hills Country Park and up One Tree Hill, with panoramic views of the Thames Estuary. The rest is through more country park and a nature reserve on substantial woodland paths, with the biggest climb to wildflower meadows. Plenty of stiles, kissing gates, narrow gaps, footbridges and steps and potentially muddy paths and ploughed fields. The country park is part of the Langdon Ridge SSSI. The only mid-route facility is the Garage Corner bus stop (about 500m off-route). Horndon-on-the-Hill has a breakfast café, a small shop, a gallery and two pubs.

Time: 3h–5h30

Lunch: Horndon-on-the-Hill (not very near the middle) has a breakfast café, a small shop and two pubs.

Warnings: Wrens Park Farm stables have put an electric fence (taped wires, no gate or stile) across one field and let the eastern stile become very unsafe; walk around the railed-off edge instead, climbing the sturdy wooden railings. Some arable-field paths are poorly re-established; white posts help you navigate. Plenty of stiles, narrow gaps and potentially muddy ploughed fields.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Time: 3h–6h

Walk details: Slow Ways.

The path along the estuary was gorgeous, beautiful views. A largely estuary-side route on a temporary alignment, with a lower-traffic exit from Tilbury Station using a new footbridge, a road section with HGV traffic near Tilbury Fort, a gorgeous path along the estuary with shorebirds and wildflowers and old wharves. A field path replaces part of the original near Stanford-le-Hope. Passes Coalhouse Fort (with a café and park) and Tilbury Fort (with grazing ponies and a star-shaped moat); inside the forts you must pay. Salt-marsh wildflowers and shorebirds along the estuary. The route is part of the Thames Estuary Path; East Tilbury has a station, pubs and shops for breaking the walk.

Time: 4h30–8h30

Lunch: There is a café at Coalhouse Fort park, roughly mid-route.

1 end-of-walk reward: the World's End

Warnings: A road section near Tilbury Fort carries HGV traffic. The first part out of East Tilbury along the road is a drag and may be quieter outside school pickup time.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Time: 4h30–8h30

Walk details: Slow Ways.