Open Country

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Factual: Science & Nature: Nature & Environment

Countryside magazine featuring the people and wildlife that shape the landscape of Britain

Countryside magazine featuring the people and wildlife that shape the landscape of the British Isles

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Open Country: Britain’s deadliest footpath

Britain’s deadliest footpath

BBC Radio 4 - Open Country, Britain’s deadliest footpath

Helen Mark explores the Broomway in Essex, nicknamed 'Britain's deadliest footpath'.

Helen Mark explores the Broomway in Essex, which has earned itself the nickname 'Britain's deadliest footpath'. It's claimed more than a hundred lives over the years.

The Broomway has been dubbed the “deadliest footpath in Britain”, claiming more than a hundred lives.  Helen Mark takes a cautious walk along this treacherous Essex seapath with Peter Carr and John Burroughs from the Foulness Island Heritage Centre.  She’ll hear how people can easily become disoriented on the vast mud flats and tragically caught out by the rapidly advancing tides of the Thames Estuary.  Helen will also be joined by Thea Behrman, the director of the Estuary Festival, to reflect on how this meeting point of land and sea can provide creative inspiration through its bleak beauty. 

Presented by Helen Mark
Produced by Robin Markwell

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