Essex's best staycations for holiday season – in full

Visit Essex has created a bucket list of things to see and do in our own county.

When you live in a place the size of Essex, there are bound to be parts of the county you haven’t visited which are worth setting the alarm for.

Southend to Saffron Walden (from one end of Essex to the other) is 47 miles, and when you bear in mind Dover to Calais is 31 miles, you get a sense that you might be just as well looking at visiting a far-flung part of Essex for your holiday.

So, where in Essex is worth going to?

Glamping retreats, wine tasting tours, and plenty of ‘off-the-beaten-track’ destinations are all worth pencilling on your list, so here are the parts of Essex which will tick some of your boxes.

Essex’s 350-mile coastline and estuaries

The county has the maritime walking trail in Harwich, Grayson Perry’s ‘House of Essex’ in Wrabness, and fossil-hunting activities in Mersea Island.

Speaking of Mersea, no holiday seems complete without an Instagram picture these days, and Mersea’s beach huts certainly make for a good social media post (I speak from experience on this one).

Pastel coloured beach huts make for a perfect backdrop at the beach (Image: Visit Essex)

Meanwhile, in Tollesbury, you can paddleboard by inlets and creeks and explore the swirling saltmarshes and its iconic lightship.

House and Gardens

“Talk about how the other half live” is a common phrase we say to ourselves – and it will be prompted once again by a trip to Audley End House and Gardens, near Saffron Walden.

Audley End House is one of the finest manors in the county (Image: Visit Essex)

There, you can cast yourself in your own version of “Upstairs, Downstairs”, and discover more about Essex’s history.

The county is also home to historic gardens at RHS Hyde Hall near Chelmsford, which boasts ornamental horticulture and wild woodlands.

Closer to home in Colchester, there’s Beth Chatto’s inspirational 1960s dry garden.

Southend

There is plenty to do in one of Essex’s newest cities.

Southend is home to the world's longest pier (Image: Visit Essex)

There are rollercoasters on Adventure Island, a train which takes you to the end of the world’s longest pier, and there’s the culture of Focal Point Gallery – not to mention Rossi’s Ice Cream Parlour on the seafront.

Tasty Essex

Essex is renowned for its seafood.

You can visit authentic cockle and oyster sheds along the shores and tuck into freshly caught local produce.

Cream tea at Tiptree tearooms is a must, whilst Galvin Green Man in Chelmsford is up there with some of Britain’s best pubs having been voted the best pub in the UK at the National Pub and Bar Awards in 2021.

Sail upon a Thames sailing barge

In Maldon, you can take to the sea by hopping onto a traditional Thames sailing barge.

he barges are still a familiar sight along the coastline and used to ferry goods from the county to London and further afield.

Sailing on a Thames barge night be novel now, but it certainly wasn't in centuries past (Image: Visit Essex)

Ornithologists (better known as bird experts) will be interested in this, as shorelines are home to migrating birds which can be spotted along the Essex coastline.

Roman Colchester

You could spend your entire life in Britain’s oldest recorded town without knowing all there is to know about the Romans’ time in Colchester.

Emperor Claudius made the settlement the emprie's British capital in AD49.

Colchester's Roman history is well-documented, and the more you learn about the civilisation's time in Great Britain, the more you understand why (Image: Visit Essex)

With many remains still intact, you can walk by Colchester's Roman walls which run through the city, take in stunning mosaics, or tour the Roman Circus visitor centre.

Colchester Castle, the largest Norman Keep in Europe, is built on the grounds of a Roman temple and has many historical artefacts inside.

The Lakeside

For retail therapy, the Lakeside is your go-to location.

Retail therapy is sometimes the answer to life's occasional mundanity (Image: Visit Essex)

It has more than 250 shops, restaurants and leisure attractions, so really is one of your ideal shopping centres when it comes to buying gifts, or treating yourself to something.

Picturesque Towns and Villages

There are some beautiful parts of Essex which are tucked away and hard to find, but some of these places are certainly worth visiting.

Dedham is located in the heart of Constable country and offers independent shops, pubs and walks by the river, whilst Finchingfield is another must with its calming duck pond.

Rural parts of Essex can be truly stunning during the right time of year (Image: Visit Essex)

Saffron Walden, Great Dunmow and Thaxted, famed for their spired churches, mediaeval architecture, market squares and quaint traditions should also be on your list if wandering around old England is your way of spending some time to unwind.

Seriously Rural Essex

Epping and Hatfield Forest were popular hunting grounds for Henry VIII, whilst, more recently, Hadleigh Country Park played host to the mountain biking events at the London 2012 Olympics.

Both these areas, with their wide open spaces and rich histories, are well worth a look around.

Glamping

If you haven’t heard of the term gGlamping’ it is a portmanteau word which merges ‘glamourous’ and ‘camping’.

Plenty of new glamping destinations are springing up around Essex, with the option of staying up an ancient oak tree at Coleman’s Farm near Epping.

Teybrook Orchard, near Colchester offers you glamping in an enchanting woodland or a handcrafted Mongolian Yurt.

Glamping is ideal for those who enjoy the great outdoors as well as a bit of luxury living (Image: Newsquest)

Lee Wick Cottages and Glamping, near St Osyth also offers a stunning mix of stylish cabins and pods.

To find out more about everything you can get up to in Essex, go to https://www.visitessex.com/things-to-do.