Wivenhoe on the River Colne once functioned as a centre for shipbuilding and commercial fishing for the port of Colchester — especially of oysters and scallops. Smuggling was another important activity, set in the folklore of the Essex marshes.

Now the village has undergone a transformation that some love and others hate. This walk looks at how the area has adapted to the end of industry. Bohemian and gay history figure, the poet Martin Newell, boatbuilding’s laureate James Dodds and four legendary beasts: wyvern, serpent, black dog and whale. You’ll see the village of Rowhedge on the other side of the river, the Colne flood barrier, many boats and the streets of old Wivenhoe.

Paths are hard-packed, but mud is always possible in the marshes. At 5.3 km, the walk takes about 4 hours beginning and ending at Wivenhoe Station, with a rest stop halfway. Journeys between Wivenhoe and London Liverpool Street take 1¼ hours or less.

It’s a two-guide walk, with me and Rob Smith. Below after a recce in Maldon.

The Naked Anthropologist is Laura’s longtime blog, now dedicated to historical walks that highlight issues of Gender, Sex and Class.