I had a shoorter walk today to Southend. I had just got my tent paacked up when I met a lovely lady called Lisa who was walking her dog. he knew someone else who was walking the coast and we had a chat about walking. Unfortunately her labrador was less interested and by the time we noticed he was quarter of a mile away making the best of his way to Shoeburyness. Despite whistling and calling he was steadily disappearing. Lisa set off in pursuit and I made my way to Great Wakering .
In the cafe there I met a local who like me had a rural background.
“Here have a look at this” he said , producing his birth certificate from his wallet. ”see what my father did”
His father was a drum feeder. Know what that is?
It was the chap who fed the drum of the threshing machine in the days where a threshing machine and gang went farm to farm.
From then it was a steady walk through Shoeburyness where I got my first view of the Thames and Kent.
Southend was busy as to be expected with a surprising number of private security guards strolling about.
The pier stretched out before me. I steered my way to my bed at a Wetherspoons. I needed the rest.