Essex

Introduction

South End Beach - essex

© Jase007

The English county of Essex is in the East region of the country and is bordered by Greater London, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Suffolk. The coastline is the North Sea and the River Thames.

Principal Towns

• Chelmsford is the county town.
• Harlow
• Epping Forest
• Brentwood
• Basildon
• Castle Point
• Rochford
• Maldon
• Braintree
• Colchester
• Tendring
• Thurrock
• Tilbury
• Southend-on-Sea

Sights and Activities

The Essex coast line is itself an amazing feature of the landscape that shapes the county with towns such as Clacton upon Sea and its surrounding areas in the northeast of Essex boasting some of the best fish and chips around!

Colchester, which at one time was the capital of Roman Britain and also the largest town in Essex is a real must see and great for families. With parks and gardens, a great castle, thriving arts and crafts scene, Colchester shines above many towns in the county.

Southend on Sea is a great place for visiting, with theme parks and arcades, great ice cream and the worlds longest pier, measuring in at 1.33 miles (2.1 kilometres). It was built in 1830 and has a small train running the length of it. There is plenty to do here in the summer months, with many events and concerts being held here.

Events and Festivals

The V festival has been held since 1996 every summer in Chelmsford and is a highlight not only in Essex but in the UK festival scene. Top acts from across the globe as well as lesser known home grown acts perform here. Groups such as the Prodigy, Chemical brothers and Kings of Leon have performed in the festival in recent years.

Getting There

By Plane

London Stansted Airport is in Essex with international and domestic flights. Connections with London, Southend and Chelmsford can be reached by bus and there is a London express train service to Stansted as well.
Southend Airport is a small airport with flights to the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey) and some other locations.

By Train

Train connections with London and Essex are numerous with connections from London Liverpool Street and Fenchurch street reaching most of Essex major towns.

By Car

The M25 and M11 motorways serve the county, with the A12 and A13 roads connect with London.

By Bus

National and regional bus routes offer an extensive range of routes. Within Essex a Essex day ticket can be purchased on the regional buses which is a great option for visitors who wish to use the bus network to visit some of the counties top sites.

By Boat

The port of Harwick links to the Hoek van Holland. A ferry service runs from Gravesend in Kent to Tilbury.

Sleep