Linda's Walk: Rainham (Essex), Circular 9 or 11 Mile Walk options & Country Park Visit

Please meet outside the front of Rainham (Essex) railway station (NOT Rainham Kent!) at 09:50, ready to depart on the walk at 10:00.  

We will walk through Hornchurch Country Park, stopping at various places of interest from when the park was used as an airfield by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) during WW1 and by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during WW2. We'll walk to the visitor centre where you will have time to have a morning coffee, observe wildlife from the veranda or visit the shop. 

We will walk on through the Country Park and then to an Ember Inns pub for lunch (at your own expense) at about 12:00. I have booked us indoor tables for lunch but they have both indoor and outdoor tables so if you would prefer to sit outside and they have table space available, you can move.  

After lunch we'll walk via farmers fields and woodlands before entering a different area of Hornchurch Country Park, past pillboxes and tett turrets which were the last line of defence for in case the Germans invaded England during WW2. 

If 9 miles is enough for you, you can go home from Rainham railway station when we get back there. Or you may like to treat yourself to tea and cake in a local café before you go home. 

For those of you who are completing the full 11 mile walk, we will then walk out to the Thames, and back round to Rainham via the Marshes to get our trains home. 

Please bring drinking water (plenty if it is a hot day), a Covid-19 protective mask, money for lunch and any other drinks or snacks you may want. Plus an umbrella if it is due to rain!