Benfleet to Leigh on Sea via Hadleigh Castle Country Park

Ever since I saw the below Constable painting of Hadleigh Castle, I wanted to take a trip and see the ruins first hand.... I finally got the chance to this weekend, when on a whim, I decided to go up with my sister. 

It was quite magical. We walked from Benfleet to Leigh on Sea via the country park on top of which stood the crumbling remains of a grand and beautiful castle. We climbed hills and crossed railway tracks, enjoying the views out onto the sea and thames estuary as we went. It was a great walk, though it was a bit of a mission finding the right path up to the castle, we kept trying to find shortcuts but were met with a myriad of dead ends and fences and loop holes that weren't and so when we finally made it up, we felt a great sense of achievement. We then followed the track up to Leigh on Sea where we sat by the waters edge. The water reminded me of the mystic and hunting tales of the Broomway I love this Isle of Wonder.