We tour the Essex coast to find the best beaches and things to do
Did you know that our county boasts more than 350 miles of coastline, second only in length to Cornwall? We don’t have to go abroad for that beach-holiday feeling – it's just as exciting to explore what’s on our doorstep. Let’s start in the north of the county and work our way down...
Harwich
Our first stop is to Harwich, Essex’s northernmost coastal town. Every corner is steeped in maritime heritage, and the old town was the likely launch point of the Mayflower in 1620, which carried the first pilgrims to North America. Then, 37 years later, Harwich became a naval base and even the town’s name derives from the Old English ‘here-wic' meaning ‘military settlement’.
Whilst the Royal Navy no longer has a presence in the town, Harwich Redoubt – an enormous doughnut-shaped fort (61 meters in diameter!) – is an unmissable mark of its naval past. Built in 1808, it’s lined with heavy cannons to defend the busy port from Napoleonic invasion. The Harwich Society open it up to the public every Sunday throughout the year.
Not only is the Mayflower thought to have set sail from Harwich, but the mighty ship is also believed to have been built here before 1600. Her master, Captain Christopher Jones, lived in quaint King’s Head Street, where his white Medieval house still stands today. This too is open by appointment via The Harwich Society. A visit to the newly opened Harwich Museum, run by a team of dedicated volunteers, is filled with ancient artifacts and information boards to find out more about Harwich’s rich past.
Such a day steeped in history would be incomplete without a visit to The Alma Inn for dinner, which has been serving ale to citizens, sailors and soldiers in the centre of Harwich since the 1850s.
For nature-lovers like myself, Seal Watching Harwich offer trips from Ha’penny Pier all year round. Throw on an extra layer, though, as a bit of wind and sea spray makes for quite the adventure, sailing over to the Walton backwaters, where there is a healthy breeding population of grey seals, popping their silvery dog-like heads up from the water, or lazily resting on mudflats. There is also some incredible bird life, including wigeons, curlews, ringed plovers, gannets and arctic skuas. The best bit is that if you don’t see any seals, the trip is free. Seals guaranteed!
What I love best about Harwich is its architecture. There’s the quaint Electric Palace cinema, one of the world’s oldest purpose-built cinemas, as well as The High Lighthouse, an impressive nine-sided tower of grey gault brick, was built in the early 19th-century alongside Low Lighthouse to guide vessels into the port. Of similar age, Tower Hotel is the ideal place to stay, offering old-fashioned hospitality with good food and beautiful rooms. So, whether you fancy a spot of history, adventure or simple relaxation, Harwich has it all.
Where to eat in Harwich
The Alma Inn, almaharwich.co.uk
Thai Up at The Quay, thaiupatthequay.com
Pieseas Chippy, facebook.com/pieseaschippyspams
Accommodation in Harwich
Tower Hotel, tower-hotel-harwich.co.uk
The Pier, milsomhotels.com/the-pier
Fryatt Hotel & Bar, suryahotels.co.uk/fryatthotel
Frinton to Walton
Setting off from Frinton, I remember walking to Walton Pier as a child. It was a long way for little legs – our destination stretching into the sea in banana yellow, held above water by distant matchsticks. But, clambering over each dissecting groyne, we always made it.
Between Frinton and Walton, beach huts (which can be hired for the day from Frinton Beach Huts!) border the wide golden sands in a palette of holiday hues, and children hunt for 50-million-year-old shark’s teeth, which wash out of the underlying London clay onto the shingle beach.
Walton Pier is the third longest in the UK and hosts all kinds of amusements, from indoor funfair rides and ten-pin bowling to a traditional arcade – so, have your 2p pieces at the ready to slot into the tipping point machines! To find the quieter side of town, head slightly north to the Naze, a serene headland of heath, saltmarshes and sandy beaches.
Surrounded by a dense scrub of hawthorn, coconut-scented gorse and prickly brambles, the 86ft Grade II listed Naze Tower stands on the red crag cliff – home to sand martins. Built in 1720 as a navigation tower, it now hosts exhibitions, a roof viewing platform and – most importantly – a cracking tearoom.
Just across from the tower is an Essex Wildlife Trust nature discovery centre, with a shop and a bite to eat. You can’t miss it, just look for the green living roof.
If you are looking to stay overnight, Lee Wick Farm offers stunning accommodation in nearby St Osyth, from wooden cabins, self-catering cottages to motorhome and camping plots, overlooking the Thames Estuary.
Both Frinton and Walton have beautiful high streets, each lined with antique dealerships, high-end clothing shops and corner shops for all your bucket-and-spade needs. An ice cream and sunset seaside stroll is the perfect way to finish off the day, after a meal in one of the many rave-reviewed restaurants like Avenue Bistro on Connaught Avenue. What a place for a lovely seaside staycation.
Where to eat in Frinton and Walton
Avenue Bistro Frinton, avenuebistro.co.uk
Naze Tower Café, nazetower.co.uk
The Victory Walton, victorywalton.co.uk
Accommodation in Frinton and Walton
Lee Wick farm, leewickfarm.co.uk
Little Thatch cottage, sykescottages.co.uk
Lifehouse Spa & Hotel, lifehouse.co.uk
Wivenhoe
Wivenhoe is a small characterful riverside town with a history of fishing and boat building, and it’s perfect for a quiet getaway near Colchester. The high street has a collection of independent businesses and eateries to explore and down on the quayside is the Rose & Crown, a whitewashed pub in prime position overlooking the silty River Colne. Boats are tied to wooden stakes right outside the entrance like parked cars and, if you enjoy a drink on the benches out front, you may have to raise your feet during a spring tide!
Further into the town is an acclaimed pub restaurant called The Black Buoy, which offers lovely rooms for the night, and The Olive Branch specialises in Syrian vegan food.
Wivenhoe Park offers more than 200 acres of lakes, mature trees, landscaped gardens and expanses of greenery – gorgeous in every season. A grounds team maintains this area of tranquil beauty, which has been given the Green Flag Award. Having been voted one of the top ten green spaces in the UK, rest assured this is a magical spot for a picnic or a ramble.
The impressive four-star Wivenhoe House Hotel pops through the trees in red and white, whilst woodpeckers and kingfishers dart to and fro and a large rabbit colony hop around happily next to this 18th century Grade II listed building.
The park is home to the University of Essex, with a student population creating a vibrant air of creativity which sings through the town. In fact, English romantic painter John Constable immortalised the park in oils in 1816, which now hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.
If you are looking for art in Wivenhoe, The Sentinel Gallery is newly open on Chapel Road, where the work of local artists and potters can be enjoyed, and monthly exhibitions of painting, print and sculpture are hosted by up-and-coming artists. The Nottage Maritime Institute by the riverside also houses a museum with a fascinating collection of paintings, photographs and models with a local nautical flavour.
Whilst you are nearby, I highly recommend checking out Fingringhoe Wick – Essex Wildlife Trust’s first ever nature reserve – with glistening views over the Colne Estuary and saltmarsh. Nature trails take you through a patchwork quilt of habitats, alight with the songs of nightingales (of which they have 1 per cent of the entire UK population) and the guttural bubbling of turtle doves – and the visitor centre has tasty cakes. I always buy a bag of Skittles and eat them whilst sitting in a bird hide!
Where to eat in Wivenhoe
Rose & Crown, greeneking-pubs.co.uk
The Olive Branch, theolivebranchwivenhoe.co.uk
The Orange Tree Tapas, facebook.com/tarragontrading
Accommodation in Wivenhoe
Black Buoy, blackbuoy.co.uk
Wivenhoe House, wivenhoehouse.co.uk
Malting Farm, maltingfarm.co.uk
Mersea Island
Noted as ‘the best kept secret in Essex’, Mersea Island has a glowing reputation for beautiful scenery and historic charm. High tide covers the only road onto the island twice daily, cutting it off from the outside world, making this a proper retreat.
A locally owned boat, Lady Grace, runs a regular 20-minute boat trip around the harbour from the Causeway Jetty on Coast Road, allowing visitors to spot wildlife and see the sights from the water (essexboattrips.co.uk).
Mersea Island Watersports offer windsurfing and sailing lessons, as well as hiring out paddleboards and kayaks in this sheltered area of coastline, allowing the whole family to safely explore the various creeks and small islands.
If that doesn’t float your boat, then Cudmore Grove Country Park offers free walking trails through meadows – ideal for dog walks – with a playground and ruins of a 16th century fort. Mersea Museum, near the Parish Church to the west of the island, brims with captivating information about the fishing, oystering, wild fowling and boat-building past, with quizzes and puzzles for younglings.
Mersea Island Vineyard grow four varieties of grape, and it is a wonderful spot for lunch or a quick coffee. If you wished to stay on the island, they also have cosy B&B rooms. Coopers Beach Holiday Park and Waldegraves Holiday Park are brilliant alternatives for families, with pools, mini golf, camping plots and holiday homes – right next to long sandy beaches. Pastel beach huts can be hired in West Mersea to be even closer to the sea for the day.
The local food speaks volumes about the island’s fishy past. Coast Road has some stellar establishments including the Victory Hotel and The Coast Inn, each with great views of the local boating community – whilst The Oyster Bar is a shellfish specialist, selling fresh locally grown oysters on its waterside terrace. The Company Shed is a family-run seafood restaurant, literally run out of a wooden shed, selling quality seafood platters and fish landed by locals. Just remember to BYOB!
Slightly inland, The Dog and Pheasant (known as ‘The Dog’ by locals) is the only pub in East Mersea, serving top-notch pub grub and – in keeping with the title – there is a dog-friendly section. Originally an 18th century thatched building, it has been greatly extended since. The Dog’s motto sums up Mersea Island as a whole: ‘Our welcome makes you feel local’.
Where to eat on Mersea Island
West Mersea Oyster Bar, facebook.com/westmerseaoysterbar
The Dog & Pheasant, dogpheasant.co.uk
The Company Shed, instagram.com/the_company_shed
Accommodation on Mersea Island
Mersea Island Vineyard, merseaislandvineyard.co.uk
Waldegraves Holiday Park, waldegraves.co.uk
The Victory, victoryatmersea.co.uk
Maldon
I am overflowing with recommendations when it comes to Maldon; I love it so much. It has a modern and happening high street, headed up by Maldon Books – a respected independent bookseller – and Maldon Coffee Company, which is right next to the ancient All Saints Church and The Blue Boar, a pub dating back to the second half of the 14th century. My brother and I attended a talk by renowned illustrator Angela Harding in one of the pub’s ancient, beamed rooms only the other week.
Maldon’s beautiful juxtaposition of new with old continues as you wander down to Hythe Quay, where the Thames Sailing Barges line up, with their oxblood red sails and gangplanks reaching for dryland.
This area was recently used to film parts of The Essex Serpent, an Apple TV show starring Tom Hiddleston and Claire Danes, with extras dressed up like bargemen and 19th century market sellers.
The Queen’s Head, a pub on the quay, is the perfect spot overlooking the Blackwater for a pint and a plate of whitebait. Walking along you will find The Barge Tearoom, which you can actually board and enjoy a spot of lunch!
If you are feeling even more adventurous, then Topsail Charters are an award-winning company who arrange gentle barge cruises on Hydrogen and Thistle, many of which include food and drink.
A large waterpark, an impressive climbing frame in the shape of a ship on the edge of Promenade Park and Pirate’s Bay Adventure Golf are just a few options for families in Maldon, along with many kiosks to enjoy an ice cream.
After lunch, leave the bustle behind and stroll along the promenade to Byrhtnoth, a giant statue of a man holding his sword aloft at the end of the promenade, where the path juts out towards Northey Island with silted banks on all sides.
Places to eat in Maldon
The Queen’s Head, thequeensheadmaldon.co.uk
The Blue Boar, blueboarmaldon.co.uk
The Barge Tearooms, top-sail.co.uk
Accommodation in Maldon
The Limes, thelimesmaldon.co.uk
The Swan Hotel, maldonswan.co.uk
Le Bouchon Brasserie & Hotel, lebouchon.co.uk
Leigh-on-Sea
Finally, we end our tour on the cobbled streets of Old Leigh – the part of Essex where I have grown up. Visitors and locals alike congregate around the windows of galleries and craft shops, opposite Osborne Bros Café – a centuries-old family-run business serving the best traditional seafood around, alongside The Peterboat. Whilst munching, you can see the working boats moored in the quay just next door, and it could only get fresher if the cockles jumped onto the plate themselves.
Directly in front of the café, a traditional red and shamrock green cockle boat called Endeavour sits lopsided on her mud mooring – a reminder of the Leigh’s long history.
Facing out towards the Estuary and walking left, you will find The Mayflower Café (perfect for an ice cream), various wharfs and a small sandy beach with a stunning coastal path extending for miles past Rossi’s Ice Cream and Adventure Island in Southend and all the way to Shoebury East Beach.
Walking right from Osbornes, you will see the distinctive sheds of Cockle Row, and venturing past the railway station, continue up the hill to the ruins of Hadleigh Castle in the distance, which was also painted by John Constable (c. 1828-9).
Leigh Folk Festival illuminates the town with music once a year, and the various pubs – like the traditional Ye Olde Smack with its terrace overlooking the Thames Estuary – come to life.
Often overlooked, Leigh Heritage Centre and Museum is a hidden gem. Not only does it have extremely knowledgeable volunteers, but there is a recreation of a traditional fisherman’s cottage inside, just like the one that used to stand on the site, built in the mid-1850s. It really brings Old Leigh to life.
Leigh Broadway hosts a vibrant young community, with modern restaurants like The Grove, The Estuary, The Brunch and Stop the World Café; there’s also The Oak Tree catering for the vegan market.
A walk through Leigh Library Gardens is a relaxing way to end the day, or take your pick of the many benches on Marine Parade, looking out over the sailing boats and the distant Kentish hills, soaking up the last of the sun.
Places to eat in Leigh-on-Sea
Osbornes Café, osbornebros.co.uk
The Mayflower, mayfloweroldleigh.co.uk
The Estuary, estuaryrestaurants.com
Accommodation near Leigh-on-Sea
Roslin Beach, roslinhotel.com
Muthu Westcliff Hotel, muthuhotelsmgm.com
Pebbles Guest House, mypebbles.co.uk
You may also be interested in...
The beavers saving Finchingfield: https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/things-to-do/wildlife/beavers-help-flooding-in-finchingfield-9213734
The Maldon boy who became an American General: https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/lifestyle/heritage/horatio-gates-maldon-to-america-9181744
Thorpe-le-Soken jeweller who showcases other creatives: https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/people/local-businesses/thorpe-le-soken-jeweller-marisa-arna-9166362
