Essex is full of surprises. Not only is it one of the largest counties in England by population and area, it is also home to Britain's first city, several bustling market towns, hundreds of countryside villages and - with its many estuaries, creeks and islands - more than 900km of winding coastline. The 40 walks in this guide show Essex in all its glory while giving walkers the chance to appreciate its multiple layers: oil refineries and ports overlooking large stretches of saltmarsh, country estates drifting into industrial estates and pounding motorways flowing beneath dense forests that thrum with wildlife.