Brief Outline:

Not so much a place and more a state of mind. The joyful state of mind that you find yourself in on the way to the biggest Southend in the world. Southend Road Waltham was the only way for many people to get to Southend-on-Sea before the M25 was constructed in 1986. Despite the fact that Southend-on-Sea would've still been over an hour away when Southend Road is reached it seems like the local authorities have decided to take advantage of this feel good factor. Cynical though it may be to cash in for their own benefit, Southend Road can take the name of Southend in its own right. Providing everything that a road tripper needs, it is perfect for a pit stop if you've missed the M25 junction or even as a destination on its own. There is a petrol station, large supermarket outlet and pub on the very road itself.
Southend Road stretches for 2.4 miles and uniquely it isn't actually on the same road. It starts off as part of the North Circular (A406) and goes into the A1400 following the glorious route to Southend-on-Sea. The A406 section lets you know why its called Waltham Forest as its almost completely lined by trees. This is surely done by the local council to raise the spirits of roadtripers by giving them a change from the concrete of London. However this does mean that there are no houses on the road and disappointingly reduces the incidence of signage bearing the legendary Southend brand. However heading east this changes as we get to the A1400. Southend Road seamlessly sweeps from one road to another at the major intersection called Charlie Browns Roundabout. Then we find Southend Road splitting into the main through road and another smaller residential road running alongside. Nothing about the houses was particularly special but the locals are certainly happier than their neighbours as they have the bragging rights of being part of the London Spectacular. Special on its own, spectacular when taken as part of the bigger picture. Southend Road is a central piece of the jigsaw and for a Southend lover the dream is to fit in every piece.

Map:

Find this Southend on Google maps

Photos:

Things To Do:

Personal Review:

Sam:
Deciding to visit this Southend was definitely a good idea. It was great to have pies and the atmosphere was lovely. However try to only travel at off-peak times as the traffic gets quite bad. Despite my car breaking down and the trip taking 6 hours I would still say it was worth it. I would have liked to further explore as there might be more Southend signs. I could only find one for the whole road!