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Colchester Hotels: 73 Reviews - 223 Photos
Southend-on-Sea Hotels: 115 Reviews - 175 Photos
Clacton-on-Sea Hotels: 34 Reviews - 51 Photos
Stansted Hotels: 67 Reviews - 131 Photos
Chelmsford Hotels: 14 Reviews - 15 Photos
Brentwood Hotels: 29 Reviews - 24 Photos
Braintree Hotels: 1 Review - 3 Photos
Romford Hotels: 1 Review
Basildon Hotels: 14 Reviews - 21 Photos
Coggeshall Hotels: 32 Reviews - 74 Photos
Maldon Hotels: 4 Reviews - 14 Photos
Harwich Hotels: 48 Reviews - 120 Photos
Harlow Hotels: 17 Reviews - 41 Photos
Great Dunmow Hotels: 3 Reviews - 5 Photos
Epping Hotels: 2 Reviews - 3 Photos

Essex Things to Do

A circular garden with benches circling...

by Durfun

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A circular garden with benches circling...
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Things to Do
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Pier, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, England.
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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Great Bardfield

by allikat

Great Bardfield is just lovely, and a favourite of mine to visit. I have family connections here and a real soft spot for this typical North Essex village. It has a very different, sleepier feel to it than the neighbouring Finchingfield.Apart from simply strolling round the village and admiring the many fine period properties, there are two 'must do's' here in my opinion, but good timing will be the key to your doing both.First is a visit to St Mary's church (scene of weddings, Christenings and funerals for some of my family). It is mainly 14th Century and has a beautiful interior. It is usually open during daylight hours, with little chance of finding it locked as you do with an increasing number of Essex churches at threat of vandalism.Second is a look at the tiny village gaol, or Cage, maintained by local volunteers but generally only viewable at summer weekends.For more information...

Stisted village

by allikat

Sisted is a small, sleepy village near Braintree, famous locally for its prestigious golf and country club. Often mis-pronounced, it is 'Sty-sted' not 'Stiss-ted'. A lot of the old cottages are built with flint stone and several have ornate brick chimney-stacks. There is one pub, the Onley Arms, which I have never been in (a rarity for me amongst Essex pubs!). Driving into the village from Braintree you pass some manicured lawns and a beautiful big house that looks as though it was lifted straight from the Amityville film set. Do not fear - Stisted is peaceful.The church, All Saints, is tucked away almost out of view and, as with most country churches in this part of the world, isn't the first to have stood here. Parts date to the 13th Century and there is quite a bit of 16th Century Flemish stained glass. The church is as good a reason as any to visit Stisted, although unfortunately the...

Frinton On Sea

by allikat

This photo was taken at Frinton on Sea on a visit to England in June 2003 - I went there for the day with my cousin and aunt and we had a great day, lazing in the sun, walking along the beach and enjoying good old fish and chips with ice cream to follow from a great chip shop up in the town! Frinton is a lovely place to visit - it's quaint and quiet. Local by-laws have successfully prevented the sea front from being smothered with fast food outlets and tacky stalls, so I imagine this is what the English 'seaside' used to look like.Beach huts seem to be a particularly English thing - some are basic, while others are really quite smart, with a simple kitchenette type area. You can't live in them, but they are a good base for a day at the beach. I saw a news article a while back saying some nice ones on the Norfolk coast were selling for as much as £60,000!

Audley End House

by Bwana_Brown

Located south of Cambridge at Saffron Walden, Audley End House is a very interesting and impressive building! One of Britains premier historical mansions, this plot of land was originally the site of a monastary built in 1136. However, following King Henry VIII's battles with the Catholic church, he disolved all religious institutions in England and awarded the grounds to one of his supporters, Thomas Audley, in 1538. Eventually, one of his successors, Thomas Howard, the first Earl of Suffolk tore down the monastary and built Audley End House between 1603-1614. Meant to serve as accommodations for visiting royalty, it had 3 large courtyards, 30 towers, 750 rooms and huge formal gardens. However, because some of the 200,000 pounds required for its construction was reputed to have been embezzeled from the Royal coffers, Howard fell into disfavour and even spent some time confined in the...

Colchester Castle

by alucas

Visit Colchester castle, and learn about Britain's oldest recorded town, the early years of the Romans in Britain, and Colchester's part in the English Civil War.See my Colchester page for more information on Colchester and its history, and for lots more about the castle, the museum and displays inside.

Visit Tilbury Fort

by Ash59

Built to protect London from marauding foreigners, this fort is a great palce to spend a couple of hours. Read all about it on my Tilbury Fort page

Go see Audley End House

by Ash59

Audley End House was built around about 1610 and is now owned by English Heritage. If you are interested in architecture and antiques, along with gardens and grounds, then this should be on your itinery. For more pictures and info, please go to my VT page by clicking here

Layer Marney Tower

by allikat

Layer Marney Tower has stood now for over 4 centuries. In my opinion, it is Essex's most striking landmark. It was built by Sir Henry Marney as a gatehouse to a home he intended to build, but he died (in 1523) before that happened. Sir Henry is buried in the neighbouring church, where the tombs of his ancestors date back to the 14th century.The Tower stands 80 feet high, (8 storeys), dominating the local landscape, which is mostly flat, crop-growing farmland. There are small formal gardens , which give way to farmland views that stretch for miles. Opening hours vary, depending on the time of year. But even if access is not possible, it still makes for a fantastic photo opportunity.

National Award Winner Page 2

by johngayton

Continuing from above, here's a few personal observations:The Swan is open all day, 7 days a week, but if you plan to visit in the afternoon do not have too heavy a lunch elsewhere just in case the landlord is in his "let's have some nibbles" mode - on one particular visit a trio of us popped in for a pint on the way back from lunch at Fat Phil's (AKA The Chequers, Goldhanger) only for the landlord to produce several platters of garlic and cheese crostini, probably enough for a light lunch for 20 people, and there were only perhaps another 4 people in the bar at the time! Check the gravity of the beers before indulging, some can be a bit pokey - I can't remember the name of the beer now (SFA?), but I do sort of recall having a few pints of something resembling a well-flavoured but light session-style beer only to find it was 6.9%. Slept all the way home!Talking about travelling, if a...

Visit a Double National Award Winner

by johngayton

Let me pour my.self a beer and then I'll get started (Morning Wood Wheat Beer from Pug Ryan's Brewery in Dillon, Colorado - now's there's a little bit of name dropping!), "slurp, glug, glug.........ah, that's better!" I do find typing very thirsty work, especially typing about pubs.If you enjoy a beer and happen to find yourself in Essex then The Swan at Little Totham is a MUST VISIT. This is just an amazing little pub, a proper village pub, nothing flash but everything to write home about. As would befit a twice CAMRA National Pub of the Year (2002 and 2005) The Swan offers a range of 8-9 beers, and a cider or two, all gravity-fed and all in perfect condition.The pub itself is cosy and friendly and totally devoid of such distractions as fruit machines or juke boxes, such distractions as there are from the serious business of beer drinking include: lively (sometimes) conversation;...