The Broomway, a footpath off the Essex coast between the River Crouch and the River Thames, is considered the deadliest path in Britain, with over 100 recorded deaths. Writer Robert Macfarlane describes it as 'the unearthliest path I have ever walked' in an adaptation from his book The Old Ways.
The path leaves the land at Wakering Stairs and heads east out to sea, curling northeast for about three miles before reaching Fisherman's Head on Foulness Island. It traverses sand and mud flats that become treacherous when the tide comes in quickly, faster than a person can run. Disorientation in mist or fog is another danger, along with quicksand and mud traps.
The Broomway takes its name from the 400 brooms once placed along the track to mark safe passage. Until 1932, it was the only land route to Foulness, which is now controlled by the Ministry of Defence and used for artillery testing. The path has been in use since at least 1419, according to manorial records.
Macfarlane recounts his own attempt to walk the Broomway with a friend, despite misty conditions. He had been warned by a friend: 'If it’s misty when you arrive at Wakering Stairs, turn around and go home.' He stood on the sea wall, hearing foghorns, and felt 'queasy with anxiety, but eager to walk.'
