Paddleboarding spots in Essex
47 launch spots across Essex
Every mapped spot in Essex
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Launch spots
Showing 24 of 47
RiverWivenhoe put-in (Colchester)
Essex, EnglandThis slipway sits on the River Colne at Wivenhoe, which is tidal at this point and was historically the limit of navigation for larger vessels serving Colchester. Wivenhoe Sailing Club operates just downstream of the town's river barrier, and a seasonal foot ferry crosses the river on weekends and bank holidays from April to mid-October.
SeaPeldon put-in (Colchester)
Essex, EnglandThis slipway lies on the Blackwater Estuary shoreline near Peldon, roughly 2.5 km west of West Mersea village. OS mapping tags it as a small-craft slipway on saltmarsh and mudflat that forms part of the Blackwater Estuary SSSI.
SeaWest Mersea put-in (Colchester)
Essex, EnglandThis slipway sits at West Mersea, the main village on Mersea Island, on the Blackwater Estuary. West Mersea has long been a sailing and oystering centre with an active hard used by small craft. The estuary is a large SSSI and Ramsar wetland important for wintering wildfowl.
LakeHolyfield Lake slipway (Fishers Green Sailing Club)
Essex, EnglandHolyfield Lake is a gravel-pit lake of about 180 acres in the Lee Valley, roughly two miles north of Waltham Abbey, and is home to Fishers Green Sailing Club. The club describes the water as scenic sailing water with islands, used for both club sailing and racing. This OSM node marks the club's slipway on the lake.
SeaVange Creek put-in, Wat Tyler Country Park
Essex, EnglandThis put-in lies within Wat Tyler Country Park, on Vange Creek, a tidal Thames Estuary creek that meets Pitsea Creek near the park's former marina south of Basildon. The creek runs through the saltmarsh and mudflat of the South Essex marshes and exposes extensive mud at low water. The Port of London Authority's Tideway Code covers paddlers on this stretch of tidal water.
SeaTolleshunt D'Arcy put-in (Maldon)
Essex, EnglandThis point sits on the Blackwater Estuary shoreline near Tolleshunt D'Arcy, close to the RSPB's Old Hall Marshes reserve. No named creek or hard could be confirmed here, and no public boat or water access is documented at Old Hall Marshes itself, so treat the exact launch point with caution.
SeaTollesbury put-in (Maldon)
Essex, EnglandThis slipway serves Woodrolfe Creek, the tidal creek running past Tollesbury Marina into the Blackwater Estuary. Tollesbury sits at the mouth of the Blackwater, a village with a long oystering and sailing history, and Woodrolfe Creek remains a working sailing hub today.
SeaSouthend seafront slipway, Thorpe Bay approach
Essex, EnglandThis slipway lies on the seafront path between central Southend and Thorpe Bay, launching onto the Thames Estuary. Local paddlers describe the Thorpe Bay stretch of the estuary as flattest around mid-tide, with the ebb pulling a stronger current out towards Shoeburyness.
SeaThorpe Bay Yacht Club slipway
Essex, EnglandOn Thorpe Esplanade opposite Thorpe Bay Yacht Club, this is the launch point paddlers favour for Thorpe Bay, a stretch of the Thames Estuary that runs flat and shallow for long distances around two to three hours from high tide. Southerly, westerly and easterly winds make the water choppier here, while a northerly tends to keep it flat.
SeaMarine Parade slipway, Southend seafront
Essex, EnglandThis slipway is on Marine Parade on Southend-on-Sea's seafront, close to Adventure Island and just east of Southend Pier, and launches onto the Thames Estuary. It falls within the stretch of foreshore covered by the city council's 2022 Public Space Protection Order.
RiverSouth Woodham Ferrers put-in (Chelmsford)
Essex, EnglandThis slipway belongs to South Woodham Ferrers Yacht Club, on the tidal River Crouch near where Fenn Creek meets the river, opposite Hullbridge. It sits close to the site of a former passenger ferry that crossed between the two settlements.
SeaWestern Esplanade slipway, Southend seafront
Essex, EnglandThis slipway sits on Western Esplanade, part of Southend-on-Sea's seafront promenade a short walk west of Southend Pier, and launches directly onto the Thames Estuary. A wide expanse of sand and mud is exposed here at low tide, typical of this stretch of the estuary shoreline.
SeaShoebury Common slipway, Ness Road
Essex, EnglandThis slipway serves Shoebury Common Beach on Ness Road, at the eastern end of Southend's seafront. Southend-on-Sea City Council's 2022 Public Space Protection Order makes it the only slipway on the Southend foreshore where personal watercraft may launch, and paddleboarders also use it as a downwind alternative to the Thorpe Bay launch.
SeaThorpe Bay slipway, east
Essex, EnglandThis slipway sits a short distance east of Thorpe Bay Yacht Club on Thorpe Esplanade, launching onto the same flat stretch of the Thames Estuary that paddlers use around mid-tide.
RiverNorth Fambridge put-in (Maldon)
Essex, EnglandThis is a second slipway roughly 700 metres upstream of North Fambridge's village slipway, on the same tidal reach of the River Crouch near Fambridge Yacht Haven marina. The same Crouch Harbour Authority byelaws that govern the wider river apply here.
RiverNorth Fambridge put-in (Maldon)
Essex, EnglandThis slipway sits on the tidal River Crouch at North Fambridge, a Dengie peninsula village with its own station on the Crouch Valley line. North Fambridge Yacht Club and the nearby Fambridge Yacht Haven marina both operate from the village. The Crouch Harbour Authority is the statutory navigation authority for the river and sets its byelaws.
SeaTwo Tree Island slipway
Essex, EnglandThis concrete slipway at the southern end of Two Tree Island is operated by the Port of London Authority and launches onto the Thames Estuary south of Leigh-on-Sea, opposite Canvey Island. Southend-on-Sea City Council charges a launch fee for canoes and paddleboards here, and the spot is reported to work best around slack water.
LakeNorth Lagoon slipway (Nazeing Meads)
Essex, EnglandNorth Lagoon is a 68-acre flooded gravel pit at Nazeing Meads in the Lee Valley, with depths ranging from a few feet to about 20 feet and a mix of open water, bays and channels. The lagoon is managed as a fishery by Aquamaintain Ltd for Lee Valley Fisheries, and a sailing club also operates on the water. Three further OSM-mapped points sit within about 100 metres of this one on the same lagoon shore.
SeaHythe Quay put-in (Maldon)
Essex, EnglandThis slipway sits at Hythe Quay, Maldon's historic waterfront at the confluence of the River Chelmer and the Blackwater Estuary. The quay is home port to some of the surviving Thames sailing barges, and Cooks Yard still works as a boatbuilder at its end, so expect a working harbour with barge traffic and quayside activity.
RiverChandlers Quay put-in (Fullbridge, Maldon)
Essex, EnglandThis slipway sits at Fullbridge, Maldon, on the tidal River Chelmer near Chandlers Quay Marina, upstream of where the Chelmer joins the Blackwater Estuary. The Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation continues from here towards Beeleigh Lock and on to Chelmsford, so expect tidal rise and fall rather than the still water of the canal further upstream.
SeaBell Wharf slipway, Leigh-on-Sea
Essex, EnglandThis slipway is at Bell Wharf in Leigh-on-Sea's old town, on the northern side of the Thames Estuary next to the working cockle boats and Old Leigh marina. At low tide the foreshore here opens out into a wide expanse of mudflats and creeks reaching towards the Thames's deep-water Yantlet Channel.
SeaJaywick put-in (Clacton-on-Sea)
Essex, EnglandThis slipway sits on Kings Promenade in Jaywick, a seaside village on the Tendring coast immediately southwest of Clacton-on-Sea, and opens directly onto the North Sea beach. Sea defence work has added dredged sand to the frontage as part of coastal protection for the village.
RiverHullbridge put-in (Rochford)
Essex, EnglandThis slipway is on Ferry Road in Hullbridge, on the tidal River Crouch opposite South Woodham Ferrers, close to where a passenger ferry once crossed the river between the two settlements. The parish's northern boundary is formed by the river itself.
SeaHeybridge put-in (Maldon)
Essex, EnglandThis slipway sits at Heybridge Basin, where the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation meets the tidal Blackwater Estuary through a sea lock. Essex Waterways Ltd, which operates the navigation, requires canoes, kayaks and paddleboards to hold a licence to use the canal side; the lock marks the boundary with the open, tidal estuary. Seasonal rowing boat hire and a seawall path are available in the basin.
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Some launch spots in this directory are seeded from open data. © OpenStreetMap contributors · Open Database Licence (ODbL)