Sun, Sea, and Gale-Force Winds: Conquering Southend-on-Sea in 17.5 km!

☀️ What’s the best way to spend a stunning, sun-drenched Saturday? If your answer was “walk 17.5 kilometres until your legs threaten to unionize and strike,” then you and I are on the exact same wavelength! Today, we decided to tackle Southend-on-Sea. We abandoned our trusty vehicle on the North-West side of town and casually ambled our way down the road toward the seaside promenade. Historically, Southend actually started as the “south end” of the nearby village of Prittlewell before blooming into a booming seaside resort during the Georgian era. I like to think we channeled that historic Georgian nobility today, except instead of parasols and top hats, we had Fitbits and an urgent need for snacks.

🍦 Once we hit the promenade, we made a highly strategic, athletically necessary stop at Rossi Ice Cream. Let me make a bold declaration: this was, without a shadow of a doubt, the absolute best ice cream we’ve had all year. Rossi isn’t just a shop; it’s a local institution. Massimiliano Agostino (Gus) Rossi and his wife Anna started whipping up this legendary gelato way back in 1932, bringing a taste of Italy to the Essex coast. It’s been curing seaside sadness and silencing screaming toddlers ever since. The only tragedy was that my cone didn’t come with a seatbelt to protect it from my own immediate gluttony.

💨 Fuelled by premium dairy, we marched onto the legendary Southend Pier. For the history buffs out there, this is the longest iron pleasure pier in the world, stretching an absurd 1.33 miles into the Thames Estuary. It was originally built in 1830 because the tide goes out so far that 19th-century tourists were getting stranded in the mud trying to reach the boats. Today, the only thing stranding us was the weather. Despite the sunshine, it was terribly, fiercely, comically windy. If you plan to visit, please do yourself a massive favor and bring some heavy-duty ear covers. Or a helmet. Or perhaps an anchor. I’m pretty sure the wind restructured my facial features, and I spent half the walk looking like a dog sticking its head out of a car window on the motorway.

🍔 Having survived the pier’s wind tunnel, we blew (literally) back into town and headed up the High Street. Our maritime survival efforts had worked up quite an appetite, which led us to a lovely, quirky little oasis called the Molo Lounge. If you are ever in the area, you absolutely need to try their food. With its eccentric decor featuring vintage portraits and gloriously mismatched lampshades, it felt like eating in the dining room of a wonderfully eccentric, time-traveling aunt. The food was so good I almost forgot my ears were still ringing from the pier’s gale-force winds. We happily ate back every single calorie we had burned, plus a few extra just for good measure.

🚶‍♂️ With bellies full and legs turning to jelly, the final leg of our expedition began. We trudged along Pritlewell Chase, Kenilworth gardens and Blenheim Chase a historic route that has connected this coastal haven to the outskirts of the town for centuries, slowly making our way back to our waiting vehicle. Clocking in at 17.5 km, today was a brilliant mix of gorgeous sunshine, top-tier ice cream, mild wind trauma, and fantastic food. My feet are currently drafting a formal letter of complaint, but my stomach is giving Southend-on-Sea a standing ovation. Until next time, Southend—we’ll bring earmuffs!