Essex is far more than the Dartford Tunnel, Bluewater Shopping Centre and cheeky boys! After Devon, it has England’s longest coastline (350 miles), England’s longest pier (Southend-on-Sea) and Dedham Vale (above, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The 2400 hectare Epping Forest spills over into East London, with many rare species of flora and fauna, including nearly all of England’s veteran beech pollards. It also houses hundreds of species of unique beetles, spiders, lichens and flies.
pastel beach huts on Mersea Island
The East of England coast is known for its pastel beach huts (above is Mersea Island in Essex). Beach huts were originally designed in Victorian times to let people discreetly change (unless you were rich enough to be wheeled out to sea in a ‘bathing station!). A couple of deckchairs and a Thermos flask is all you need to gaze at the horizon, as the sun goes down. Thankfully old-fashioned, one Guardian reviewer writes that ‘you can’t get artisan bread or proper coffee, but that is its charm’.
traditional seaside holiday resorts
This county has many popular seaside resorts including the recently-in-the-news Clacton-on-Sea, where Nigel Farage finally got his wish and got elected as an MP. Like many bucket-and-spade destinations, in recent years it has become filled with chain stores and litter. Nearby Frinton-on-Sea is much quiet if you don’t fancy screaming children and ice-cream vans – also nearby are the pretty towns of Saffron Walden (above) and Maldon (known for its sea salt).
