Walks

The walk is along the shore at Riverside Country Park and takes approximately 50 minutes. This map shows how to get to the Park.

Route

On leaving the Visitor Centre, turn left towards the driveway and then right through the gate beside the small picnic area.

Once through the gate, taken the left hand fork and continue to Sharp's Green Bay. Make your way across the car park and through the gates into Eastcourt Meadows.

Turn right and take the path around the sea wall. The path veers left around the edge of the meadows. Continue until you reach a low wall and fence. At this point the path turns left, inland. The Saxon Shore Way continues along the coast towards the Strand.

Turning inland, continue to follow the path around the meadows. This will eventually bring you back to Sharp's Green Bay.

If you wish to explore the meadows further, there are several paths that cross the middle. Please do not walk on the horse riding track.

Points of interest along the way

1 - Sharp's Green pond. Viewed from the boardwalk over the pond in summer, there is a lot of life in and around the water, including dragonflies, water beetles and the white flowers of water crowfoot.

2 - Sharp's Green Bay. Few boats use the bay, as even at high tide it is very shallow. Several small salt marsh islands trap silt and provide homes for many coastal plant species.

3 - Copperhouse Marsh. This salt marsh is just offshore from the meadows. It provides a high tide refuge for birds in winter. The channel between the marsh and Eastcourt Meadows is a good place to see ducks such as teal and wigeon feeding.

4 - Eastcourt Meadows. Once used for grazing, in 1928 the council reclaimed the area to use as a municipal rubbish tip and tipping continued until the 1950s.

5 - Nature study area. This fenced area provides an excellent place for school studies. The council wants to provide a clean environment for the children, so please do not take dogs inside this area.

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