Countryside And Coastlines

Neil King Traverses the Southeastern County of Essex in the Uk, Finding a Rich History, Varied Landscape and Family-friendly Destination

With the United Kingdom’s longest coastline, oldest recorded town, most islands, longest pleasure pier, largest Norman castle keep, smallest town and largest village, the county of Essex is a caboodle of quirky facts and records that can certainly hold its own against the likes of Dubai.

But as well as being the ancestral home of five US presidents, world famous jam and the most haunted house in England, Essex is also a collection of quaint villages, fun family days out, and trips back in time.

History is indeed a major draw for the county, with countless attractions spanning the centuries.

Those with an interest in times gone by can add to their agenda a plethora of castles, including one of the best preserved Norman keeps in the country – Hedingham Castle; the largest Norman keep in Europe – Colchester Castle; and the open-air museum of Mountfitchet Castle – a reconstructed motte and bailey castle and village harking back to the year 1066.

Other explorations into the past can take you to the remote seventh century St Peter’s Chapel; to the site of the Battle of Maldon, which took place between the Saxons and Vikings in the year 991; to Napoleonic era defensive sea fortresses; and to Cressing Temple Barns – former home to the infamous Knights Templar.

Expect plenty of historical re-enactments at many of these places – especially Hedingham Castle, which draws huge crowds to its jousting tournaments and staged medieval battles.

Perhaps the destinations providing the most well rounded excursions, however, are the range of country estates and stately homes that proliferate the countryside.