Essex
From the vibrant hum of Chelmsford, the UK’s newest city, to the historical majesty of ‘Britain’s First City’, Colchester, Essex offers the complete visitor package.
The 350-mile coastline, the longest in England, follows the dramatic, industrial Thames Estuary, blending seamlessly into pretty seaside resorts, wild, windswept coastal salt marsh and mud flats to the beautiful calm of the rivers Blackwater and Stour Estuaries.
Within easy reach of London, Essex is well served by rail and road, with two international airports and two globally connected sea ports.
Colchester Castle Image: Dave Peck Photography
Mayflower Trail
Created in 2020 to commemorate four-hundred years since the famous ship’s sailing, the Mayflower Trail in Harwich explores the town’s links to the famous ship which transported early settlers to America in the 1600s. The 1km-long trail takes in eight interpretation boards around Historic Harwich, telling the fascinating story of Harwich’s connections to the founding of modern America.
Colchester’s Horrible History Tour
Join Castle Gaolers on this entertaining walking tour of Colchester - But beware, as this is the story of Colchester with all the nice bits taken out! It is a tale of death and disease, murder and execution, war and riot, witchcraft and burnings, and not forgetting a few ghosts thrown in for good measure.
Dedham’s Art and Ancestry Walking Tour
Join John Constable’s sister Martha, and her husband, Nathaniel as they take you around the village where our famous artist went to school. See the places that would have been familiar to Constable and hear about the characters that have lived here over the years.