In the summer of 2000, a lone fedora-wearing figure could be seen, picking and often hacking, his way around the shores of the Thames Estuary.

Echo journalist Tom King, accompanied by his dog, had set out to remedy an extraordinary omission.

“The Thames Estuary has existed for aeons, yet nobody, ever, seems to have walked round it,” said Tom.

So he did.

In the shape of endless and sometimes near fatal obstacles by the end of the summer, Tom had completed the 83-mile round hike, from Foulness Island to Warden Point, Sheppey.

The adventure was recorded in a book written by Tom, who is from Wickford, the following year, entitled Thames Estuary Trail, published by Desert Island Books. Today, the trail navigated by Tom is an established route, discovered and walked by thousands of people each year - more so than ever during lockdowns.

To mark the 20th anniversary of his adventure, Thames Estuary Trail is set to be republished.

The new “festival special” is published by the Southend-based arts organisation Metal, in partnership with the Thames Estuary Growth Board.

The re-launch forms a central plank of Estuary 2021, a wide-ranging festival, spanning both shores of the lower Thames and celebrating everything to do with the Estuary, especially its creative side.

The new limited edition of Thames Estuary Trail contains three new chapters, covering the extension of the route and Tom’s further adventures and observations along the way.

The additional mileage covers the shoreline along the North Kent Coast, to Margate and the edge of the English Channel.

The Trail now totals 107 miles.

Metal has also commissioned an accompanying Thames Estuary Trail map, by the acclaimed artist Adam Dant, And a series of “Watermarks” - vitreous enamel plaques conceived by visual artist and writer Maria Amidu - will mark out the trail.

Colette Bailey, Metal’s artistic director, and founder and co-artistic director of Estuary 2021, said: “I have loved the book since first reading it, soon after I arrived in Southend in 2002.

“With its themes of walking, and discovering the great outdoors, it makes an ideal focus for the 2021 festival.

“And Adam and Maria’s brilliant work gives the book a visual aspect and helps to bring a permanence to the trail pioneered by Tom.”

In the course of the festival, Tom, who is now retired as chief features writer from the Echo and writes books and scripts, will conduct a number of walks along stretches of the Thames Estuary Trail.

Recently, broadcaster and Loose Women panellist Janet Street-Porter heard about Tom’s new book and asked if she could join him on a stroll.

So the pair joined up near her home in Kent and enjoyed a walk along the Kent side of the estuary.

“She was great company,” said Tom. “She is a real walking enthusiast.”

One of the biggest differences now from when Tom first started out on his estuary quest is how much easier the estuary tail is to walk these-days.

“I remember literally having to machete my way around some parts of the estuary path because they were so overgrown,” said Tom.

Now thanks to the go-getting father and grandad the path has been cleared for generations of walkers to come.

And Tom’s not planning on retiring his walking boots anytime soon.

He intends to walk the entire 350-mile coastline of the English Channel in his next mission.

n The Estuary 2021 festival runs from May 22 to June 13, on both sides of the Thames.

The full programme and details of contributors can be found on the festival website www.estuaryfestival.com