Walton-on-the-Naze

Walton-on-the-Naze is a small town in Essex, England, on the North Sea coast, in the Tendring district. It is north of Clacton and south of the busy port of Harwich. It abuts Frinton-on-Sea to the south, and is part of the parish of Frinton and Walton. It is a busy resort town, with a permanent population of about 12,000. It attracts good numbers of visitors, with the Naze being the main tourist attraction. There is also a Walton pier. [1]

Much of the current resident population moved into the area from London, and there is an East End feel to the town, which even has a pie-and-eel shop.

Walton is also home to a HM Coastguard team and also houses Thames MRSC responsible for organising the resources available from Walton, Clacton and Holbrook Coastguard.

[edit] The Naze

Main article: The Naze

The Naze itself is a peninsula to the north of the town. It is an important site for migrating birds and has a small nature reserve. The marshes of Hamford Water behind the town are also of ornithological interest, with wintering ducks and Brent Geese. Many bird watchers visit the area at migration times.

The Hanoverian tower at the start of the open area of the Naze was built as a sea mark, to assist ships on this otherwise fairly featureless stretch of coast.

The Naze is eroding rapidly and threatening the tower and the wildlife. The Naze Protection Society was formed to campaign for erosion controls.

Due to the visible erosion of the Naze, this has become a popular area for school fieldwork research into the effects of coastal erosion and methods used to protect the coastline. Some of the methods of protection that have been used include a sea wall, a riprap, groynes and a permeable groyne as well as improved drainage. However, the area of cliff where the Naze Tower is situated is being greatly eroded by the sea and weather. This means that the cliff is receding at a very fast rate and within 50 years the Naze Tower will have tumbled into the sea like the pill boxes that can be seen on the beach.

Hamford Water and the town of Walton-on-the-Naze feature as the location of Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons book, Secret Water.