The River Crouch

Flowing through a landscape full of character, the waters of the Crouch are some of the busiest on the East Coast. A playground for yacht crews, dinghy sailors, paddle boarders, rowers and water-skiers, the river is also a thriving habitat for wildlife and the location of the biggest man-made wetland in Europe.
The river forms the southern boundary of the Dengie Peninsula – an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with the North Sea to its east and the River Blackwater to its north. It might not be a conventionally pretty place – the miles of saltmarsh and milky sky here provided inspiration for works by both HG Wells and Hitchcock – but the peninsula has a beguiling beauty that extends across the Crouch and its creeks.
Widely known as the ‘Cowes of the East’, the main riverside town of Burnham-on- Crouch is synonymous with white sails and yachts racing through its tidal waters. Burnham’s relationship with the water has not always been quite so respectable: three centuries ago many of the boats on the Crouch would have been loaded with contraband, as smuggling activities supplemented the local community’s earnings from its famed oyster beds.
Today, the river’s reputation as a centre of sporting action attracts a different type of traffic, while its quieter parts provide an alluring contrast for those who simply want to switch off awhile. Whatever your reason to visit, you’ll get a warm welcome from the clubs, locations and companies featured here…

With a waterfront lined by historic buildings, boatbuilding yards and sailing clubs, Burnham-on-Crouch has long been associated with crews and their craft, ranging from single-handed dinghies to ocean-going racing yachts.
The first Burnham Regatta took place in 1893 and the event grew in popularity as – in the days before marinas offered year-round access – racing fleets from further south enjoyed a final fling at Burnham before their boats were laid-up for winter in the mud-berths of the East Coast rivers. Challenging
yet friendly, Burnham Week comprises eight days of river racing ending with a prizegiving ceremony and firework display. This year’s regatta takes place from 24-31 August, see www.burnhamweek.com for details.
There’s much more to this yachting hotspot, however. Built on cash from fertile farmland, oysters, boatbuilders and the aforementioned smuggling, Burnham has more than 100 listed buildings. Look out for the 1877 red-brick octagonal Clock Tower (right) and white-washed Victorian weatherboard cottages while you explore the town’s restaurants, pubs, cafés and shops – there really is something to suit every appetite, plus a faux Art Deco cinema, The Rio (right), which was the last in the country to change from gas emergency lighting to electric. For more history and current screenings, see www.rioburnham.co.uk.
Along the waterfront, the Grade II*-listed Royal Corinthian Yacht Club (www.royalcorinthian.co.uk) was built in 1931 by Joseph Emberton, who was also responsible for Olympia in West London. Credited with instigating the start of Burnham Week in 1893, the Royal Corinthian (above) hosts the Squib East Coast Championships in May 2024, and its own One Design Regatta in July – of the 16 wooden Royal Corinthian One Design boats that are still around, 11 compete regularly at the club – a reminder of the beauty of traditional racing before the advent of fibreglass.
Just a short stroll upstream, Royal Burnham Yacht Club (www.rbyc.uk) was founded in 1895 and has a busy calendar of class racing and cruising events. En-suite rooms and self-contained apartments within its modern clubhouse can be booked for overnight stays; on the water, visiting yachts can, by arrangement, be accommodated on the club’s hammerhead. 
Follow the riverside path and The Quay (top right) is home to some stunning homes and The Anchor and Ye Olde White Harte hotels, both of which date back to the 1600s; for further thirst-quenchers, follow Doctors Lane inland just past the latter and you’ll be on the High Street where you’ll find 17th-century coaching inn The Star (right). Back on The Quay, the weatherboarded HQ (below right) of the Crouch Harbour Authority (www.crouchharbour.uk) sits just above the river’s edge. CHA’s jurisdiction extends into the Thames Estuary from the Whitaker Channel inwards, some 13.5nm seaward from Burnham and includes the numerous creeks around Foulness Island. The authority operates river patrols using its 9m launch Watchful and a 5.45m RIB for the enforcement of speed limits and byelaws and frequently for assisting other small craft in difficulty, while the Pilot Cutter Crouch Trident is used to escort commercial ships.
Upstream, Priors Boatyard is another of the waterfront’s iconic landmarks – in the 19th century this was the heart of the town’s flourishing boatbuilding industry, and today it’s surrounded by a photogenic cluster of houseboats (centre right). The Pier here is embarkation point for cruises with Seal Trips Essex (www.sealtripsessex.co.uk) and the nearby Cabin Dairy tearoom makes for a pleasant pit-stop before the path leads further along the sea wall towards Burnham Sailing Club (www.burnhamsc.co.uk), which was established in 1930 and attracts a wide range of boats with its mid-week evening racing programme. Close by, Burnham on Crouch & District Museum (www.burnhammuseum.co.uk) tells the story of the town and the Dengie Hundred area. Local finds and exhibits from the Stone Age to the present day cover fishing, the oyster fishery, farming, boat building and the local iron foundry – all displayed over two floors in a former boatbuilder’s premises.
A line of houseboats, sports centre and the Riverside Park mark the western edge of the old town, while at low water a small beach is revealed close to the entrance to Burnham Yacht Harbour.

Constructed in 1989, Burnham Yacht Harbour (www.burnhamyachtharbour.co.uk) has 350 finger berths catering for vessels from 7-14m, and substantial lateral berthing for larger vessels and visitors. All have access to water and electricity and there’s a fuel berth and full service boatyard, with a travel hoist for vessels up to 35 tons. Off the water there’s an ablutions block, the Swallowtail restaurant and bar (www. swallowtailrestaurant.co.uk), and a Clarke and Carter brokerage (www.clarkeandcarter.co.uk). 
You’ll find plenty of interest within a short stroll of the pontoons here. Founded in 1966, Burnham-on-Crouch Lifeboat Station (below) has a two-storey storage facility and shop ashore, but is one of only a few RNLI stations to house its inshore vessels in a floating boathouse. On the last Saturday of each month, the station opens its doors to the public, offering visitors a chance to see its two vessels up-close, shop and chat to crew and supporters. For more details search for Burnham-on-Crouch Lifeboat Station on Facebook, or see www.rnli.org. 
Also seen within the Yacht Harbour are Alert IV and Sentinel, the vessels of the Essex Police Marine Unit (below) which polices 562 miles of waterways and coastlines from the Thames at Crayford Ness to the River Stour in Manningtree, working closely with partners such as the RNLI, the National Crime Agency, Port of London Authority, Border Force and the Coastguard Agency. You can learn more about the unit’s work at www.essex.police.uk/marine.
Head upriver away from Burnham’s mass moorings and Yacht Harbour, and to starboard you’ll spot the race hut of Creeksea Sailing Club (www.creaksea.org.uk), founded in 1957 and originally using a slipway that had been built to service RAF fast rescue boats and the Navy’s Motor Torpedo flotilla which used the Crouch in wartime. This low-profile club attracts a keen band of members, with racing for all classes of dinghies and an active cruising membership.
A little further on, the river bends to pass south of Bridgemarsh Island, where the remains of a former brickworks stand within a haven for wildlife and saltmarsh flowers. Follow Althorne Creek around the top of the island and you’ll find Bridgemarsh Marina – once one of the Crouch’s best-kept secrets, this family-owned marina has a new on-site manager and recently unveiled a £1m-plus programme of updates that include state-of-the-art pontoons plus a new toilet and shower block. With a licence for 195 pontoon berths, Bridgemarsh Marina (www.bridgemarshmarina.co.uk) is suitable for boats with a maximum draft of 1.4m and is just a short walk from Althorne Station, giving great access to other parts of Essex and London.
Back on the Crouch, North Fambridge Yacht Club (www.northfambridgeyachtclub.co.uk) has regular events including club racing, cruises and social gatherings,, and is based at Fambridge Yacht Haven Yacht Station, 6nm upriver from Burnham and just a short walk from the historic Ferry Boat Inn (www.ferryboatinnessex.com). With sheltered marina berthing, scenic river moorings and plenty of space ashore, Fambridge Yacht Haven (www.yachthavens.com/fambridge-yacht-haven) offers flexible berthing packages, fully-serviced pontoons, boatyard services, an adventure playground and an on-site cafe which is also home to West Wick yacht Club (www.ww-yc.co.uk). Adjacent, Blue House Farm Nature Reserve (www.essexwt.org.uk) is a migration hot-spot for a variety of birds. A seven-acre lake within the Yacht Haven provides the perfect place to learn how to paddle board – see www.wot-sup.co.uk for info on lessons and equipment hire.
The Crouch becomes narrow and more shallow once past North Fambridge, but sailing and watersports still feature large, with South Woodham Ferrers Yacht Club (www.swfyc.com) (above left) sitting close to the 300-acre Marsh Farm Country Park and offering a busy sailing programme as well as groups for kayaks, paddle boards and Gigs. Woodham Ferrers Water Ski Club (www.wfwsc.co.uk) is also based here, and offers two pontoons, a slalom course and beach area plus a ski area of around one mile long and quarter of a mile wide.
Beyond, the north bank of Fenn Creek is home to the friendly Eyott Sailing Club (above, see www.eyottsailingclub.org.uk). The creek’s twists and turns combined with the tidal flow challenge all levels of sailing ability and also provide a safe learning environment for members with dinghies, canoes, kayaks and paddle boards. A key event in the club’s calendar, Eyott Week is open to visitors with dinghies of 13ft or less and takes place on 21-25 August this year.
At Hullbridge on the southern side of the River Crouch, Upriver Yacht Club (www.upriver.org.uk) was established in 1936 and has facilities for all types and age of sailors. The club offers a visitors’ buoy and additional visiting yacht moorings by arrangement, and hosts its own four-day regatta at the start of August. Downstream, Brandy Hole is a large area of saltmarsh and saltings, once used for the production of marine salt and for the cultivation of oysters. Its name is said to come from the days when it was known for the smuggling of contraband goods – mainly tea, wine and brandy.
Downriver and opposite Burnham Yacht Harbour is Essex Marina (www.essexmarina.co.uk), with 500 deep water moorings, including 50 swinging moorings, all with access to the sea at all states of the tide. Located on Wallasea Island, the marina also has a boat brokerage (www.boats.co.uk) and is home to Essex Park & Launch (www.essexparkandlaunch.co.uk), which offers a vessel launch and retrieval service alongside boat servicing and winter storage.