We walked the most dangerous path in Britain

The Broomway is surrounded on both sides by quicksand and deep, sucking mud. It has no markers and no guideposts. And if you mistime your walk, you won't outrun the tide. Oh, and it's in the middle of a Ministry of Defence firing range. But most of the time, if you want to visit Foulness Island, it's the only way.
Thanks to Tom Bennett: www.tombennett...
Filmed safely: www.tomscott.c...
Edited by Michelle Martin / @onthecrux
Audio mix by Graham Haerther
REFERENCES:
Christy (1922): "A high road in the sea", The Windsor Magazine, volume 56, p556
MoD Shoeburyness Public Access Leaflet [PDF]: www.qinetiq.co...
🟥 MORE FROM TOM: www.tomscott.com/
(you can find contact details and social links there too)
📰 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER with good stuff from the rest of the internet: www.tomscott.c...
❓ LATERAL, free weekly podcast: lateralcast.com/ / lateralcast
➕ TOM SCOTT PLUS: / tomscottplus
👥 THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: / techdif

[@TomScottGo]

Meanwhile, in an alternate universe, an irresponsible version of me with a goatee is making a spectacular video that involves trying to outrace the tide on a motorbike, then getting arrested by military police.

[@vishaals2522]

Why does this say 1 month ago my god was it unlisted for that long

[@brickwall2900]

ok good fact

[@nick-st7jx]

why do you keep your videos unlisted for so long? you should make a video on it

[@dat_fast_boi]

One month? What? You're telling me that Tom Scott knows how to put a comment on his video before it goes up? Clear evidence that we live in the matrix.

[@aaclovern9804]

BRING THE AGONIZER!

[@rebmcr]

Can we all take a moment to appreciate Tom's sound equipment for bringing us something useful from the North Sea coast on a windy day?

[@jeanc1622]

Thats actualy true! So great. The only thing which could be heard was that flag banging on its pole and his voice

[@Apostate_ofmind]

rebmcr now that i think about it, its hella impressive

[@krazed9918]

VERY good point! I've had to take background noise out of a video and the thought didn't even register with me while watching this! Great job, Tom & Crew!

[@rascalw.492]

👍

[@Apostate_ofmind]

krazed truly it is that the most important things for immersion and video quality are those things that your concious mind doesnt even register!

[@goplayer7]

next time Tom: "I am just outside the international space station."

[@ElectraFlarefire]

"And if I move 20 meters to my left, I WILL be arrested by NASA security on my return.."

[@kattkatt744]

Honestly, if there is two peope that should space tourist to the ISS it is Tom Scott or Scott Manley.

[@Skoran]

@@kattkatt744 We should merge them into Tom Scott Manley =').

[@Chris_Cross]

Nice

[@alansmithee419]

"I am currently standing inside an armed nuclear missile on its way to North Korea."

[@Triple259772]

British military: “can’t use this bridge it’s ours” Also British military: “however we do have this firing range”

[@shinjisan2015]

and the red flag indicates it is in use at the time.

[@nicke1903]

May get lucky if they're using a L85A1

[@termitreter6545]

@@nicke1903 Not so lucky since the germans fixed it.

[@sambrooks4413]

@@nicke1903 We use the A2 now so not much chance of that.

[@stevenbobbybills]

@@sambrooks4413 or even the A3 by this point.

[@JBDazen]

You know you're in Britain when a mountain leader is guiding you over the flattest path ever without even a small hill in sight.

[@Nynke_K]

some landscapes are underrepresented in that job title!

[@Misses-Hippy]

Only outdone by the mountain climbers of the Netherlands.

[@mikethomas5510]

There used to be a Goodwin sands potholing club. They used hovercraft

[@Angel-bz5jm]

Scottish highlands: am I a joke to you

[@rowanmelton7643]

@@Misses-Hippy And Bangladesh

[@rasmusn.e.m1064]

I am not saying a hovercraft line would solve this, but.....

[@FloydBunsen]

**adds a bar**

[@metalwhere]

... but is a hovercraft "road legal"?

[@chrismcgarry2840]

@@metalwhere presumably if the hovercraft is operating over the sea and tidal flats it is counted as a boat rather than a road vehicle?

[@ENKTDeeColon_and_randomnumbers]

some lad in a shed might be already working on that, maybe they've even done it before

[@superslimanoniem4712]

@@ENKTDeeColon_and_randomnumbers mr. Furze, we need you

[@joyphobic]

It's not a Tom Scott video without his pinned comment being a month old already

[@safe-keeper1042]

It's not the pinned comment without 173 people going "commnet one month old y?"

[@abhayh924]

@@safe-keeper1042 lmao i said the same in another comment

[@h0griph]

How does that happen??

[@Virtuous_Rogue]

@@h0griph It was unlisted for a month, then became listed at its scheduled time.

[@crystaldazz]

Witchcraft!

[@xxbeatuupzz]

Next video: "I'm here, in the middle of the North sea"

[@ymgve]

Has Tom ever visited the foundation of an oil rig?

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Just another reason to need a hovercraft.

[@Moshimulations]

@@ymgve yes

[@DragonMaster1804]

At time of writing this comment, 'Doggerland' is trending on Twitter, so it may be more likely than you think that his next video comes from the middle of the North Sea! (No, Doggerland isn't what you think it is. It's the north's Atlantis, a big stretch of land between Britain and mainland Europe before a tsunami sank it and separated the two)

[@godzillas6301]

@@DragonMaster1804 Is that the car park in Cannock chase ? .... gets a bit latexy and spunky underfoot after a warm summers evening errrr so ive heard .

[@bread_3393]

Tom Scott: the guy who does legal things that are seemingly illegal

[@charleslambert3368]

then flies his kite in a public place

[@peppermintmiso4341]

This sounds like the beginning of a joke: Two Toms walk through the most dangerous path in Britain

[@yayeetmeoffacliff4708]

@@amishabharti4734 i- just- what??

[@1.4142]

"So where was this most remote bar in britain you were talking about?"

[@wessexdruid7598]

'Toms' of course being the common slang for British soldiers...

[@BgoneR6]

The path my parents walked to school

[@maythesciencebewithyou]

must have been classmates of my parents

[@BigShrimpin_]

@@ragnkja Drown, or get swept out to sea and lost presumably.

[@olik136]

It can't be since it doesn't even go uphill both ways

[@maythesciencebewithyou]

@@olik136 According to my parents they just made it more kid friendly for my spoiled generation after they finished school.

[@qzbnyv]

My parents walked uphill both to AND from school. So this definitely isn’t their path.

[@dle511]

this means Tom could legally operate his hoverpub along this path

[@morgansearle3912]

And the local one closed, so there's an open niche

[@anderpanders6210]

And since hover craft have very limited seating it probably wouldn't be against any corona regulations

[@Vousie]

But is the hoverpub road legal?

[@MajesticSkywhale]

@@anderpanders6210 can't socially distance

[@juango500]

2007 Tom would do that

[@winoo1967]

Tom will say to his children: "I walked through the most dangerous path in Britain to get to work"

[@thesenamesaretaken]

Youngsters these days. When I was your age I had to race rising tides, sinking sands and gunfire to get to work

[@samuelelder9434]

@@thesenamesaretaken top marks 😉 for the profile pic

[@DisorderedArray]

But if you work there you can just drive over the bridge ;)

[@tomtom4405]

​@@DisorderedArray Yes true, I have driven over it myself some years ago but I had an appointment, still there was quite a process and had to wait a while for permission to enter. You can't just drive on. Not sure how it works for the residents, maybe they have a special permit to show or something?

[@nicholasleclerc1583]

Nay, “ *WHILE* I worked”

[@kjamison5951]

Irony: a dangerous path called the Broomway where the tide will sweep you away.

[@johnnyheli]

That's coincidence, not irony

[@Chris_Cross]

That's not irony.

[@dropmelon]

@@hairyairey Still not irony so they’re half-right.

[@Dorsidwarf]

@@johnnyheli Being coincidental doesn't rule out something being ironic!

[@ObjectsInMotion]

Being swept away on a path called Broomway, while funny and a rare event, is not a subversion of expectations so is not irony. Brooms used as markers being swept away is unexpected, brooms tend to sweep not be swept, so that would be irony.

[@connermckay4012]

Fun fact, the reason "brooms" are called what they are is because originally they were made from "broom", a type of brush native to most of Europe iirc. This brush would be harvested and tied to the end of a stick before it dried, hence a "broom-stick". The name eventually got shorthanded to just "broom" and now the plant and the cleaning tool have ambiguous names.

[@Drag0nvil]

Thank you for this interesting fact!

[@pkingglazersout6665]

In this video Tom is walking with Tom who guided Tom and Tom thanked Tom for giving information about the place to Tom

[@altraaasvk8547]

You are the new justin y. I literally see your comment on every video I see nowadays.

[@Jake-rm4be]

Tom

[@moshahriz1346]

@@altraaasvk8547 a lot of people are justin y now

[@degenerals6127]

@@altraaasvk8547 wow

[@ad-skyobsidion4267]

But where is the guy without a mustach

[@JW-vx9mz]

Hovercraft ownership seems far more useful for the residents of this island than anywhere else.

[@SymbioteMullet]

And there is the market for the hoverpub!

[@Kyrelel]

Hovercraft are not road legal.

[@dunebasher1971]

If you're a resident you're allowed to use the road. The Broomway is just for tourists.

[@nitehawk86]

@@dunebasher1971 I think you misunderstand. We are trying to find an excuse to have a hovercraft.

[@Eira_]

@@Kyrelel but they are water legal

[@ZeldaplusSmallville]

Because “Danger” is Tom Scott’s middle name.

[@kingblob6244]

@Shivansh you don't call their kilts skirts

[@andrewch4066]

Imagine Tom saying "I AM the danger" in Heisenberg's voice

[@AverageMelody]

i think his real middle name is "Legal"

[@raassh23]

@@AverageMelody did you mean "Technically Legal"?

[@MrMadeinisrael]

It's actually pronounced 'Donger', it's derived from a Dutch word meaning 'prudence in financial matters'

[@Daoibhéar]

2 hours later: "I am here, in M.O.D's holding cell."

[@miscellaneous_man756]

@Lionel Rich Tea the military dont have holding cells, i dont know if you know l but military prisons do exist

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

Warning sign: "Do not approach or touch any object or debris as it may explode of cause serious injury or kill" Tom: Gotta do it for KZbin

[@shanethrelfall416]

What’s the worst that could happen?.....

[@raygreen2134]

OH IT IS YOU AGAIN

[@tomepsilon]

God damn it

[@inq101]

You used to be able to go to Foulness by phoning the islands pub. The landlord would take your name, contact the gate guards who would then let you through. Unfortunately the George and Dragon pub closed in 2007.

[@clockworkkirlia7475]

The George and Dragon, of course. I'm sure it made a killing.

[@Geeves8612]

@@clockworkkirlia7475 that's Berney Arms but unfortunately that pub is closed too :(

[@sentientarugula2884]

@@Geeves8612 AWWWW

[@davidjames579]

And then just to be a right bastard, you don't visit the pub.

[@fredhasopinions]

this is my favourite bit of information yet

[@geofftech2]

superb! have wanted to do/see this for so long. love it!

[@5g242]

I have wanted to do this since I found out about it about a week ago :) But now its solidly on my bucket list!

[@tommygeddes6725]

Legend has it the central line actually went a bit further than Ongar and had a terminus here, come check it out.

[@paulhaynes8045]

You would!

[@reggiebuffat]

Hello Geoff, good to see you here.

[@stanley3647]

Why? There is no railway line there ;)

[@teacup6530]

I was expecting the active firing range to be the dangerous part

[@SymbioteMullet]

Nope, it's just the spice to this danger pie!

[@camokarzi8491]

Well, it was a prominent part of the thumbnail

[@holliswilliams8426]

@@camokarzi8491 clickbait

[@WolfJustWolf]

2:30 the irony of brooms being swept away

[@steffenfrost995]

Best comment

[@RaptrRamblings]

AYYYYE

[@flap.d.jack247]

Wow

[@BenderdickCumbersnatch]

Hi dad!

[@scrablse2613]

Lmfao yes

[@sternis1]

"It is technically allowed to drive any street-legal vehicle here". Anyone else hear Top Gear?

[@bill1682]

How hard can it be

[@JoshHeidenreich]

Landcruiser? Hilux? They got to the north pole...

[@ShadowDragon8685]

Clarkson showing up in his Lambo (tractor) and yelling at Tom to get out of shot.

[@almostcertainlynotapotato6528]

I hear the Grand Tour

[@CptMaximus]

Tom is truly putting his life on the line to educate us

[@kausthita11]

That's what "Good" teachers do.... Maybe not life

[@chaitanyarao5546]

And I genuinely cherish and appreciate for him. Never missed an upload and always learnt something awesome from him.

[@zappawench6048]

Extreme Educator!

[@iHaveTheDocuments]

"Walking the most dangerous road in Britain" sounds like a title that will bring in the views and money if we look at this honestly.

[@Blazer-bn9ev]

Always has been

[@MaxJDF]

"tide that moves in faster than you can run" that's terrifying.

[@srenkoch6127]

It may sound terrifying, and rightfully so. It is also totally true in a lot of places, so do heed those warnings!

[@popuptoaster]

Its very flat and shallow around many parts of the Thames estuary so the tides are really fast in a lot of places, Southend pier is over a mile long so that large boats had somewhere deep enough that they could dock and drop passengers.

[@cameron7374]

Many tides in many places are faster than you can run and the ocean behind them potentially more turbulent than you can endure. Yes, that is terrifying and for a good reason.

[@bernier42]

I wondered if that meant “faster than you can run through mud”, but either way...

[@epic-concept]

"tide that moves in faster than you can run", huh? challenge accepted.

[@ArpeggioPegasusMusic]

Plot twist : the mountain leader is a Tom from another dimension

[@109Rage]

The Tom that decided to do tour guides to dangerous places in person, as opposed to our Tom which does tour guides to dangerous places digitially.

[@SportyMabamba]

Mirror Universe Tom

[@smartyul2278]

Hmmmmmmmmmmst

[@SymbioteMullet]

But he's not got a goatee or motorcycle...

[@joelmcc88]

take the broomway to the bush dimension mortyyyyy

[@TheDarrellimpey]

"Broom" being the name of certain, thorny, straight shrubs, which were harvested to make sweeping devices, which became called brooms.

[@OSW]

Shoutout to Michelle and Graham video editing and audio mixing this vid! It hid the edits to Tom #2's talking so it flowed almost as seemless and natural as Tom #1! (Having hidden edits this way myself) it was textbook 😃

[@onetwothreefourfive12345]

I have no idea what you are talking about.

[@prappsy3028]

OSW Review commenting on a Tom Scott video... what a pittance! Great to see you here :)

[@DespOIcito]

The guide is also called Tom, hence Tom #1 and Tom #2

[@TheKitKatProject]

ngl I actually love “unfortunate” names like “Foulness”. You’d never name a place “Foulness” today, so it will always be unique 😄

[@ishoottheyscore8970]

There is an Upper Piddle and a Lower Piddle in Worcestershire. Not to mention a place starting with F in Austria that kept getting the sign nicked...

[@kosinusify]

@@AnnaJulia-vx2rm Yes, it will be called Fugging from now on...

[@ishoottheyscore8970]

@@AnnaJulia-vx2rm I hadn't heard that! I guess they decided against trying to lean in to it as a tourist spot... Can't blame them, but feel a bit sorry for them for feeling like they had to change it

[@Michael75579]

@@AnnaJulia-vx2rm They've voted to change the name, effective 1 January 2021. If I were a resident I'd have voted against the change, just for the fun of telling people where I lived. Reminds me of Shitterton in Dorset, where they got tired of people stealing the village name sign and replaced it with the name carved into a 1.5 ton block of stone set in concrete.

[@57thorns]

There are three towns in Sweden, just south of Sweden: Handen, Trosa and Fittja. Handen means hand. Trosa means female underwear. And Fittja is close enough to a vulgar name for female genitalia. The real life placement of the towns, unfortunately, does not place Handen in the middle of any sensible pathing between the other two.

[@davidvenegas6401]

Dangerous place: exists Tom Scott: it's free content

[@mablaba3629]

*its free real estate*

[@watcherofwatchers]

Growing up I truly thought quicksand would be a more ever-present danger in my life. I guess I just live in the wrong place.

[@odin_191]

The quicksand you're used to hearing about is most likely the type with dry sand above an empty space that sinks as you apply pressure. The type in this video is just wet sand that sinks beneath you like mud. I once lost a welly in the latter. I was scared for my life in the moment I suppose

[@Genius_at_Work]

@@odin_191 It's more like Sand suspended in a lot of Water so it becomes a Non-Newtonian Fluid; like Corn Starch in Water. That's also why you only sink in when you don't move and have to move slowly to get out. Quicksand isn't angerous to Pedestrians if they know how what to do and don't panic but Quicksand Shoals will swallow any Ship that is grounded on them.

[@thePronto]

You watched too much Tarzan on TV. Like me.

[@BodyMusicification]

A famous comedian once said this-can't recall who exactly

[@Elbowbanditest2003]

@@BodyMusicification maybe sean lock, not sure though

[@slinkerdeer]

This is the channel I go to when I want to watch 30 minutes of content in 5 minutes. Tom is just that efficient

[@portal2kid]

Tom, I hope you’re ok, and not dead. And by that I mean you didn’t edit and post this video in quicksand.

[@domi7007]

Who is tom?

[@hexerei02021]

@@domi7007 What is tom ?

[@alialmans]

@@domi7007 How is Tom?

[@dafeels3085]

@@hexerei02021 everybody ask what is tom but never how is tom

[@oscarwong197]

@@domi7007 How is tom?

[@danky9167]

Tom Scott is one of the highest quality youtubers ever and you cannot deny that

[@ElectroBOOM]

Dang, now I want to go there! On another note, feels like I'm watching an episode of crown! hmmm... maybe you should review the amount of truth in that show.

[@archockencanto1645]

Stop shocking yourself you maniac.

[@deathnova7]

This the path my mom and dad took to get to school

[@joeeeee256]

Omg you're here :D I literally just watched your 500,000V arc video

[@aneesh2115]

Oh look I found a wild capacitor on the broom way. Capacitor explodes

[@joelhasson6268]

Why are you here lolol

[@daved2352]

Next time "I'm here in the Mariana trench about to fist fight a giant squid"

[@jonathans1759]

You were tempting the fates walking there. A very wise decision not to wear the red shirt.

[@pirateadam3686]

"Or we could just walk back" >Looks at walk. Begins to climb a fence

[@jackm6593]

*films next video inside of a military base*

[@Random3716]

Toms walk this lonely road, Beside the tide it's just two Toms alone.

[@maclikescartoons]

They do know where it goes, and it's home to them and tToms walk alone

[@57thorns]

Never rely on a TomTom when navigating paths like this. They are not accurate enough.

[@vaclav_fejt]

Two Toms and the Tide. That sounds like a name of an indie band with a very limited drum set.

[@kekow176]

@@vaclav_fejt A kid's drum set bought off ebay

[@em__1]

@@vaclav_fejt They only have two drums and a Cymbal

[@dougthedonkey1805]

“Firing range keep out” Americans walking to school

[@PurtyPurple]

Americans in school*

[@trinidad17]

So I take it your school didn't have a firing range in it.

[@vividandlucid]

Americans in America*

[@archerymidnight3422]

My cousin's school (in Britain) has a firing range lmao

[@nullskull6860]

Sharia law zone. Keep out. British walking through their cities.

[@feliciabarker9210]

'I am here, legally. And that's because I came in a hovercraft pub.'

[@rossinimauro]

Tom, you should go to Tornio in Finland, it a city and municipality in Lapland, Finland. The city forms a cross-border twin city together with Haparanda on the Swedish side. There is a shopping centre which straddles the border and is in TWO time zones, as Finland is 1 hour forward of Sweden. You can zigzag down the center aisle changing timezone as you go from one side to the other!

[@bfcmik]

Watching your watch or phone change time would be a blast whilst weaving up and down that aisle.

[@erfaniom9576]

"The tide that moves faster than you can run" is such a menacing statement

[@SymbioteMullet]

Several places in britain are like that... there was a big thing in the news several years ago about shellfish harvesters drowning due to swift tides. Happens unfortunately regularly.

[@Hoch134]

The flatter the land is, the flatter tide will come in.

[@matthewAlan13]

kinda like the cens0rship big tech social media companies are doing right now

[@tomasxfranco]

Sounds like a challenge. Cheetah vs tide who wins? How about Toby? RIP Toby.

[@tubewatcher97]

@@SymbioteMullet Thats was on my doorstep, and the RNLI do have the much discussed hovercraft here , never seen it though

[@Quixotic-rr8qu]

Tom guided by another Tom tries to reach a forbidden island.

[@amojak]

they could of used a GPS but they already had a Tom Tom

[@adrianthoroughgood1191]

@@amojak *applause*

[@edictsJP]

Actually, the most dangerous path in Britain is any street in Birmingham

[@threecubed3]

*East london

[@shigekax]

Sincerely, why ? I'm not from the uk

[@threecubed3]

@@shigekax as far as I'm aware East London is kinda dodgy from what I heard. East London isn't in Central London, its on the outskirts.

[@JohnyG29]

@@shigekax Because Birmingham is a dump.

[@mukrifachri]

@@threecubed3 Croydon ? Or South London in general ? *runs away*

[@sinbadddx]

I love how straightforward and to the point Tom is, making any boring topic, interesting. Definitely one of the top ten KZbinrs

[@lennaerthondelink9135]

"Shouldn't we close this path or make it safe?" "Nah let's just put up some warning signs"

[@rowanmelton7643]

Made funnier by the fact Britain is so obsessed with health and safety, yet will let stuff like this slide

[@johanness3850]

@@rowanmelton7643 better yet, lets also _use it as a firing range_

[@jossland1628]

@@rowanmelton7643 It's a right of way. Which means it's an old path that people used to use hundreds of years ago- these are legally protected, and almost impossible to bar people from using, being part of national heritage. Good luck trying to get something like that closed.

[@BeyondthePoint]

The MoD areas here are fascinating, also home to the laboratories involved with developing Britain's first nuclear bomb. I did a video walking the Great Wakering section a few months ago, and we found ourselves going across a footpath over the backstop of an active firing range complete with an autocannon pointed at us :)

[@Kyrelel]

Not to mention the MoD painting the runway at RAF Machrihanish four times a year to match the season

[@stillious]

Yes I read the place name wrong.

[@romulusnr]

why don't you link?

[@inund8]

The Guide: "Historically, there is reportedly 60-100 casualties on the Broomway." 61 dead hikers: Dislike

[@sagagis]

now it is 117... some of them are seem to be died twice at there :D

[@withhighregardsband]

It’s the lack of time frame for me. 60-100 every what? Year? Month?! DAY?!

[@reflectedcrosssite2848]

@@withhighregardsband in history

[@safe-keeper1042]

You missed the opportunity to make a cheap "you'd have to hire a guide... so I hired a guide!" joke based on the Iceland vid. Thank you.

[@MateusSFigueiredo]

that'd've been nice

[@Anankin12]

That would have been predictable

[@MenloMarseilles]

You have to be really careful about introducing a running joke as a popular KZbinr. Too many uses of a ritual format and people start to get disturbed when you *don't* conform to it!

[@kekow176]

Better save it for extreme ones like a rocket to get to orbit

[@qwertycat741]

"permanently closing a right of way in Britain is difficult" - Well not these days, you just stick up a sign that says closed due to COVID. Sorted.

[@__Albin__]

That wouldn't be permanent though, well, hopefully it wouldn't.

[@epiendless1128]

Just reminded of a sign I saw on "That's Life". It said, "People passing this sign may be drowned." and beneath that it said, "By order of the Council."

[@JoeBob79569]

When I heard "quicksand" I immediately decided I'm never going there. There's no way I'm going out sinking in quicksand like some guy in a cheap 80s B-movie. What a horrible way to go..

[@vaclav_fejt]

Still better than spending decades in chasing happiness in an alien, consumer-centric world, only to find there is nothing, no-one, that can help you, only yourself, and you're tired, too tired...

[@JoeBob79569]

@@vaclav_fejt That's debatable, but surely there's a better way to go than choking on a mouthful of wet sand? You might even be unluckier and get stuck halfway down and starve to death, or get eaten alive by crabs.

[@vaclav_fejt]

@@JoeBob79569 Yes there are, but still...it's over in a couple of hours. Tens of hours tops.

[@geoffreywilson7008]

I'm hearing 'stuck, then eventually drowned' going off the pace of the tide and all. Maybe if you bring a long enough snorkel, might manage long enough to ponder flotation gear and cold-proofing.

[@gemfyre855]

The quicksand won't kill you. But it will slow you down so the incoming tide can.

[@ClarinoI]

I can see an episode of The Grand Tour on the horizon where they have to buy cars for less than a given sum and then drive them along this path, possibly modifying them first.

[@adamjames1149]

While being shelled

[@scorchtongue]

@@adamjames1149 Now we've got a episode

[@alexanderpowell6768]

Must be sad for a mountain guide to be working a flat path at sea level.

[@ruben307]

well its the UK maybe the incline of the shore is the biggest climb there.

[@tombennett8727]

Haha! The Broomway is just one of the trips I do, and I make sure i get plenty of time in the more mountainous areas of the UK too. It's always good to mix things up; so long as I'm outside, I'm happy!

[@svennoren9047]

That is the flattest piece of terrain I've seen! Must be the very definition of "tidal flat".

[@budaguda9603]

0:53 was it just me that thought it was a drone shot

[@sneaks9150]

Govt: "Why were you trespassing onto military property?" Tom: "I was just visiting, but I got too tired to make the walk back I'm sure you understand"

[@MemesnShet]

Reminds me of that mushy river that some people jump over that also gives a false sense of security

[@ChrisH78]

Back when I were a lad that byway was uphill both ways

[@ErilynOfAnachronos]

Everything went downhill after that.

[@areadenial2343]

If you walk both ways while the tide is going out, the elevation will be rising relative to sea level so yes, you can walk uphill both ways

[@uwuvision3211]

foulness is the cryptid of the essex islands. it just has that "lost media" vibe to me. i can't really explain it but it lowkey freaks me out.

[@Duck_Ellington]

I’m reading about this path right now in the book The Old Ways- cool to see what it looks like!

[@Brunosky_Inc]

Question: Sure, the tide moves in and out of this whole area daily, but in terms of the global positioning system and the average sea level it assigned across the world, is this area above or below sea level?

[@masonmunkey6136]

The U.S. standard measures sea level by the average high tide so the flats would be below sea level. Idk if it is measured differently elsewhere. Edit: That applies for relative sea level.

[@andyp1510]

My parents walked this to school every morning.

[@ruben307]

doesnt the tide vary? would that mean they came a few hours late or early if the tide was in bad sync?

[@variousthings6470]

Uphill both ways!

[@shiverinxd]

r/woosh

[@sussurus]

uphill both ways in the dark and the pouring rain. and they liked it!

[@JamesFreedmanIsVeryCool]

@@ruben307 I think it was a joke

[@timmccarthy872]

It's places like this - low, marshy, uninhabitable parts of the otherwise-heavily-populated island of Britain - that remind me of Doggerland and how it disappeared below the waves.

[@JohnyG29]

I used to live there, highly overrated.

[@archerymidnight3422]

@@JohnyG29 Going dogging doesn't make you an inhabitant of Doggerland

[@jur4x]

@@JohnyG29 What amenities did you have there? Mcdonalds, Costa and a small carpark for dogging?

[@thePronto]

I was the last resident of Doggerland. I told them, I said: "I'm a Doggerlander born and bred. My Dad was a Doggerlander, and his Dad before him, going back into the mists of time. You'll not see me dead livin' in any poncey 'home counties' village." They said that I would be seen dead if I stayed in Doggerland. I said: "I'm not leaving the birthplace of my ancestors for all the tea in China. At least not without compensation." They said it would cost the RNLI 500 pound to fish my body out of the sea. I said "400 pound and we've got a deal." Now I live on Foulness until global warming gets me a few bob more.

[@gregoryspatisserie9858]

@@thePronto Cracking

[@HeyItsJakegaming]

I was walking my dog at brightlingsea (across the water from there) when the ground shook and my ears nearly burst. Brightlingsea is 20 miles away... mustve been hell for the soldiers in WW1

[@Reddsoldier]

I worked in one of the offices in Southend and occasionally you'd see plumes of smoke from Foulness as they blew something up.

[@57thorns]

How did your took take it?

[@HeyItsJakegaming]

@@57thorns dog ? Not well. At all

[@raydunakin]

If it's so dangerous, why don't they put out new markers along the path? Instead of "brooms" they could put in some posts or large rocks, something that would last longer.

[@girlsdrinkfeck]

ok zoomer

[@Max0r]

therealzeemaster

[@NoobPTFO]

Didn’t expect to find you here

[@jwalster9412]

"despite having no business here, I iligaly jumped the gate! To show you just how stupid tha--" *Gun shot echoes in the landscape*

[@smolkafilip]

Tom six months from now: *shoots a Welshman with a crossbow in the bounds of York THIS TECHNICALLY ISN'T ILLEGAL!

[@SymbioteMullet]

As long as they're advancing with menace, i think.

[@hamstsorkxxor]

To be fair, if the Welshman is wielding a crossbow, you should be able to shoot him, get away by claiming it self defense, and only get punished for carrying an illegal firearm!

[@Kyrelel]

It is actually illegal to do that. It is, however, technically legal to do it in Chester.

[@dunebasher1971]

It *is* absolutely illegal. As QI pointed out years ago, just because an ancient law hasn't been specifically repealed, it doesn't mean you can use it to do something that's illegal now that was legal hundreds of years ago.

[@omnitroph1501]

@@hamstsorkxxor Illegal firearm? Why would you use a gun for that? Clearly if there's a Welshman with a crossbow, the only honorable way to go about shooting him is to bring your own crossbow!

[@theimpendingfish]

Fun fact! Tom Scott died 3 times while recording this video, and we are now on Tom Clone #42.

[@bubbledoubletrouble]

“Anything that’s road legal” Drat, no hovercrafts then.

[@TheMaskedArcanum]

Amphibious car still is still on the table though

[@BuzzinsPetRock78]

@@TheMaskedArcanum It might be, but that too will get stuck in the mud. Maybe a roadlegal tank?

[@TheMaskedArcanum]

@@BuzzinsPetRock78 It is simple, wait for high tide

[@stensoft]

Technically, hovercrafts are road legal according to the Hovercraft Act 1968. The main problem is passing MOT, getting DVLA to tax it and obtaining a vehicle insurance.

[@extrastuff9463]

@@stensoft Ah but would it be legal to use a hovercraft to deliver a person to the last bit of the broomway and then they walk that last minute onto the island as a pedestrian?

[@kagitsune]

This is slowly becoming a UK Right Of Way Footpath channel and I am... Intrigued.

[@medilyesoudhini7411]

Tom "trespasser" Scott

[@nateborck4577]

Tom "technically not breaking rules" Scott

[@medilyesoudhini7411]

@@nateborck4577 Tom "hopefully I won't get shot" Scott

[@rhysmorgan7027]

Something about hearing them talk about it being an MOD firing range while the MOD firing range across the road from me blows something up was certainly appropriate

[@adrianthoroughgood1191]

Are you THE Rhys Morgan?

[@barrysteakfry2359]

Sign board: Don't walk here, it's dangerous. Tom boi : How bout I do anyway?

[@cameron7374]

*Bill Wurtz jingle*

[@sgnosymfoemos]

nice how that applies to both Toms

[@davidrodgers1952]

I spent 7 years working on Foulness, it was a rare day that the wind wasn't blowing like that.

[@lteht6919]

Thanks for making these videos Tom, they are fantastic and they bring me immeasurable joy

[@LadyMcBite]

I just love that little "cheers" the guide did when Tom introduced him x)

[@joeytje50]

This makes me think this is kinda similar to the Dutch Wadden Sea. The Dutch Wadden Islands are absolutely islands in every sense of the way, but at low tide, there are guided tours where you walk from the mainland through a very specific route all the way to one of the islands. If you don't follow the guide, you could very well get stuck in the wrong parts of the sea, but the guides do know what route to take. Very interesting to see the UK has something like that as well.

[@daniel_bohrer]

This is also very usual in the German part of the Wadden Sea, and there are a lot of guided tours for tourists to learn about the nature of the wadden sea. There is also a tidal path which is regularly used to deliver the mail between the islands of Pellworm and Süderoog, the latter of which is only inhabited by two people. (Search for Knud Knudsen if you want to know more, but most content is in German.)

[@classicambo9781]

There are a few little Islands around Tasmania that you can walk to as well at low tide - mostly on rocky land bridges though. Would be very dubious about mud.

[@bradarmstrong3952]

I do like Britain's system of byways, bridleways, and footpaths. It's a cool tradition. Reading about them actually led me to the existence of one of these near where I live in the United States, which I then traveled to just to walk it.

[@cloroxbleach7262]

Guide: **is named Tom** Tom: 👁️👄👁️ Tom: 👁️👄👁️

[@kategolding5083]

I was stationed at Foulness in the early 70s. I had a fabulous time there firing guns. We used to plot the trajectory from shot to burst by various different means and then collate the information later. My favourite part of the job was going out in the DUKW and retrieving the shells.

[@rolfs2165]

I'm a bit surprised that nobody has taken it on themselves to replace the brooms again.

[@sykeassai]

Just a guess here, but I highly suspect that the Military would make a habit of using the replacements as target practice.

[@hcneysuckle]

ive never been this fast - excited to watch the video :)

[@slava489]

same

[@evbo21395]

My uncle used to be one of the handful of civilians that lived on Foulness (long story involving the Kray twins and him stealing the identity of Britain's oldest man...). I remember going to visit him as a kid and needing to go through the army checkpoint at the bridge, hoping he'd not forgotten to tell them ahead of time that we were coming. If only we'd known there was another route - we needn't have worried!

[@ternovnik257]

Now I think we all want this story

[@Chiszle]

I've been in this situation elsewhere, as I was a bit delirious from sickness and wanted to cut to home as fast as possible. I walked across a low tide area. Then suddenly the tide was up. And I could no longer spot the razorsharp oysterbeds. So jumping across the fast expanding streams was risky. I followed a trail left by birds to avoid quicksand, I made it out.

[@Frankfurter420]

its crazy how much noteworthy stuff there is in the world. i don't think tom will ever run out of interesting videos.

[@RichardSteelUK]

An episode of Sharpe was filmed here. Sharpe's regiment if anyone wants to see.

[@misterthegeoff9767]

It's also where Bernard Cornwell set that part of the story in his book, so it was filmed at the correct location

[@IlSqueak]

It's ironic that a character played by Sean Bean actually survived.

[@nilsber.]

@@IlSqueak have you sean a bean around here? ive been looking for him

[@jpaulc441]

@@nilsber. There's 2 famous British Mr. Beans... and they're somewhat different in looks and personality.

[@nilsber.]

@@jpaulc441 i was joking

[@anupjoseph7368]

This video should be titled "Two Toms set out on a path, Will they ever comeback?" Just to capture the 2020 fiesty mood

[@mauritshoumes744]

The walking on the occasional sea bed really reminds me of the wadlopen (wadwalking) people do in the waddenzee (Wadden Sea) in the Netherlands. Which is also a bad idea to do without proper guidance. There one of the south parts of one of the islands (I think it is Vlieland) is also used by the military. Aswell as people being injured by seals if they approach them to close.

[@joelsgp]

03:35 "Because the part of the broomway we walked isn't just a footpath, under modern law it's a byway open to all traffic, which means that in theory, you can take a horse, or a tractor, or anything that's road legal, onto it. It would be a very very bad idea to just drive onto the sands..." Tonight on top gear:

[@ToolkiT73UK]

If you like this kind of walk, but more muddy, try 'waddenlopen' in the Waddenzee (in the north of the Netherlands), it is the traditional way of walking to the Wadden islands (group named after the sea they are in) during low tide when the sea is a mostly mudbanks.

[@SusiBiker]

You used to be able to phone ahead to the pub at Churchend and get permission to visit for a meal, but under lockdown I suspect that is unlikely. I don't even know if the pub is still there - not been out there for about 25 years now. (Used to work there occasionally).

[@bfcmik]

Pub closed in 2007

[@Opus313]

Tom goes to the dangerous places so that you don't have to. Thanks, Tom!

[@57thorns]

In 2020, that would be "outdoors"?

[@transitpointmusic]

For some reason, I'm not enchanted by the idea of heading over to Foulness island...

[@snowstrobe]

hmmm, is it the mud? The high-speed tide? the firing range? The weather?...

[@57thorns]

@@snowstrobe Can't be the fowl. (modern spelling would be Fowl-land or even birdland)

[@HeyDropthat]

Drew Dober over here guiding tours what a cool episode. Now I have like 25 broomway tabs open. Right to roam/right of way is such a cool concept to me, as a yank. Or really just the idea of a countryside path you can take to travel between towns and cities. Meanwhile in Florida I'm constantly crossing the street when a sidewalk randomly ends half way into a block. great stuff

[@xiphactinusaudax1045]

Here in America, this is just a school hallway

[@Zenas521]

School hallway in a city that is. In the country side we walk up hill in the snow both ways for miles.

[@emilycampbell6375]

@@Zenas521 i think they're making a school shooting joke

[@Zenas521]

@@emilycampbell6375 I know, I was making a school survivorman joke. Most of the school shootings happen in the cities.

[@emilycampbell6375]

@@Zenas521 oh my bad

[@cranklabexplosion-labcentr8245]

This joke exists.

[@someone-iv2nt]

Woah I never guessed quicksand could be a real life problem somewhere