While the weather might start cooling down, summer doesn’t officially end for a few weeks.
So there’s still plenty of time to go out and make the most of it, and what better way than with a trip to the seaside?
Just under an hour from London by train is Southend-on-Sea, a city located on the Thames Estuary, where the River Thames meets the North Sea.
It’s also where you’ll find the longest pleasure pier in the world, which stretches 1.33 miles out to sea.
And the best part? There’s a railway on top, so you can take a scenic ride out over the water.
A single-track electric railway has been running on the pier since 1890, but at that time the pier was much shorter.
In 1898, the pier was extended, making it the longest in the world at 7080ft.
Today, trains continue to run along the pier every half an hour, with journeys taking around 10 minutes each way, from one end to the other.
The trains travel at eight to 10mph, but when travelling through the points the speed drops to 5mph.
Tickets start from £4.10 for a child (aged three to 16), and rise to £7.70 for an adult. This price includes entry to the pier (usually £3.10 for an adult), plus a return train journey.
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Online, the pier railway has garnered a lot of love on social media, being hailed as a ‘fun little day trip idea’, ‘worth the visit’, ‘amazing’, and ‘fab’.
In response to a video shared on Instagram by @ldnfoodcrush, people were quick to proclaim the view from the train ‘beautiful’, ‘stunning’, ‘cool’, and ‘scenic’.
Others confessed they’d had no idea it even existed and said they’d be adding it straight to their to-visit list.
Over on TikTok, when people saw clips of the train travelling over the sea, they were stunned that it was in the UK.
A user named @renokumura_ said: ‘Thought only Japan had trains like this.’
While @xiiaojn commented: ‘This is UK?? I’m coming.’
Location📍Southend on Sea. World’s longest pier! #travel #southendonsea #london #ghibli #seaside #pier #aesthetic
As well as the current trains, you can see some of the older ones in the Pier Museum.
It covers 200 years of history, and inside you’ll find the original 1890 ‘toastrack’ tram and two other trains, which you’re able to climb aboard.
There is also a train driver simulator experience and a working signal box simulator.
The museum is free to enter.
For those keen to visit, you can travel from London Fenchurch Street to Southend Central in an hour, or from London Liverpool Street to Prittlewell in 52 minutes. From Prittlewell, it’s a 28-minute walk to the Pier.
Tickets from Fenchurch Street start from £12.40 for a single.
Unique train rides in the UK…
- The ‘perfect’ little £3.50 train ride that takes you along London’s sandy beach
- The UK train ride hailed as ‘Europe’s most beautiful’ is selling £1.50 tickets
- The £12 UK train where you can see polar bears from your seat
- Eurostar launching new UK train route to ‘coolest’ European city this December
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