The Most Deadly Path in England

(Image via Wikipedia)

Just off of the coast of Essex lies Foulness Island, which is home to the most deadly pathway in all of Britian. Known as the Broomway, the path travels several hundred yards off the coast stretching for three miles as it leads the walker through sand and mud flats that are washed clear by the sea twice a day every day.

At least 100 people have died on the Broomway, and those are only the recorded victims. Of those 100, only sixty six of the bodies were recovered and they have since been laid to rest in the small churchyard nearby.

Of course, the quickly rising tide is only one of the deadly threats to walkers on what Edwardian newspapers termed "The Doomway." While the path was marked by the locals who buried brooms in the mud long ago, hence the name "Broomway," in rain, mist or fog, the pathway can become dangerously disorienting with little to guide the walker along the path of shining sand. Even in good weather, a wrong step can leave you stuck in deep mud or quicksand. 

Of course, the path wasn't built just to be a deadly, scenic attraction. Until 1932, it was the only way to reach the Foulness Island from the mainland without a boat.

You can read more about the Broomway and a detailed account of walking the treacherous path in this BBC article.


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