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There is a small car park, and it was free.
Flat terrain with clear trail paths. Most of them are gravel and run along the pools and some look more like roads, paved with tarmac, what I believe is to provide with vehicle access when it's needed.
Lots of water, with a few locations with shallow entrances to the water. Most of the pools were protected with dense and low vegetation.
No poo bins here
Cliffe Pools is a remote and beautiful landscape with open horizons, the ideal destination for long summer walks and for watching spectacular numbers of wintering waders. A number of trails of varying lengths afford great views over the pools, the wildlife, and the River Thames running alongside.
We went to Cliffe Pools with not really knowing what to expect from this walk. It's a very interesting and peculiar place. It's very remote and located within an industrial zone, so there is not much happening around it. Once you get there, there is a small car park and with easy access to the trails, that are mostly easy to walk, clear with no obstructions. It's a vast area, and because it's so peaceful, the walk made me experience a mix of freedom and solitude. Initially, I wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing, but I came to a conclusion that it was a positive and unique experience.
Most of the woods or other parks can provide with very similar experiences and in the end, some can be forgettable. Cliffe Pools is not the prettiest place, it's not the greenest place, can be a bit rough in some areas, but it's a natural reserve and a protected area with a variety of wetland, coastal and estuary habitats, and definitely left a mark. If you are comfortable being by yourself and your dog only, and go for very long walks, I would definitely recommend a visit.
