Why this ride
Out of South Benfleet, one way: 164 km, roughly 2 h 34 in the saddle. On the way it passes in Mayland and Wembley.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Essex Saltmarsh and Suffolk Villages · part 3
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 164 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 34
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Scenic stretch in South Benfleet
Vikings once had a fortified camp at Benfleet. In 893, the forces of Alfred the Great's kingdom stormed it while most of the Danish army was away raiding, capturing ships, women and children, and archaeologists later found charred remains of ships in the creek. Today, South Benfleet is a quiet residential town on the Thames estuary, but the creek is still there, lined with boats and mudflats, and the history adds depth to an otherwise suburban place.
Read the complete Scenic stretch in South Benfleet write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Scenic stretch in South Benfleet is where the day begins. Next is Photo stop in Mayland.
2. Photo stop in Mayland
Mayland lies on the Dengie peninsula in Essex, on the southern shore of the Blackwater estuary, a flat, quiet landscape of farmland, saltmarsh and wide skies. The village and its neighbour, Maylandsea, have a marina where small boats lie on the mud at low tide, and the estuary stretches away to the north, glittering in the sunlight.
Read the complete Photo stop in Mayland write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Photo stop in Mayland comes up about 29 km into the recorded legs. Next is Essex Saltmarsh checkpoint 8.
3. Wembley
The arch is what you see first, a white steel hoop rising over north-west London, visible from the North Circular, from Harrow, from the planes coming in to Heathrow. Wembley Stadium was rebuilt and reopened in 2007, replacing the old twin-towered stadium where England won the 1966 World Cup. The new one is bigger, slicker and less romantic, but on match nights the whole district still hums.
Read the complete Wembley write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 164 km. Next is Back to Essex Saltmarsh.
4. Back to Essex Saltmarsh
Amersham is two towns in one. The old town, on the hill, has a broad high street of timbered inns and Georgian houses, while the newer town, down by the railway, grew up around the Metropolitan line, which ends here.
Read the complete Essex Saltmarsh write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back to Essex Saltmarsh closes the day.
Leg by leg
Scenic stretch in South Benfleet to Photo stop in Mayland
Scenic stretch in South Benfleet → Photo stop in Mayland is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Photo stop in Mayland to Wembley
Photo stop in Mayland → Wembley is 99 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.