Essex

[clogs]

I'll be visiting family for a week quite soon in Colchester....
looking for places to visit to fill in a few spare days....
no car.....only got the bus to use....
anyone wanting a hand....?
ta......

 

[Andrewf]

If the weather is nice. a trip by bus to either Brighlingsea or Mersea island is nice. Sit on the beach, ice creams and fish and chips. Plenty of boats etc to see and some nice walks.

 

[imageel]

I'd add to that Layer Marney Tower or if you are interested in seeing some magnificent historic woodwork Cressing Temple Barns is worth a visit both accessible by train/buses

 

[Distinterior]

Train or bus to historic Harwich is easy from Colchester.

Original home port of " The Mayflower " and where its Captain lived ( you can take a tour around his old house I believe).
They were building a full size working replica of the ship until a few years back and you used to be able to take a tour around the workshop and Lofting area to see the progress of the build but, unfortunately, it all seems to have come to a grinding halt for some reason ( probably lack of money.....!!)

There's a Napoleonic period Fort in the town which is also well worth a visit.
A beach, Harwich Harbour, all a short walk from Harwich Town railway station......

 

[Spectric]

Well what can an ex pat from Essex say, an overcrowded overflow for London and I witnessed it's demise from being an ok place to what it is now. When we lived in Essex the place we visited most was the Essex/Suffolk border, places like Claire and for longer vacations it was Derbyshire but no good unless you have a car and more time. It does get better the further you get away from London!

 

[clogs]

spectric.....
distance from LONDON.....
thats why I'm here.....and lack of rain.....hahaha
thanks all.....

 

[Spectric]

Does it rain in Crete? must be amazing never to have to factor in the weather when planing what to do, Essex was once the driest county in the Uk and I moved to one of the wettest, ie Cumbria to get away from the rat race.

 

[Lazurus]

My home town for my youth. Colchester castle and park is good, minories gallery next door if it is still open, leisure world swimming pool at the bottom of the park. The roman stuff at shrub end looks ok, Clacton for a sea side day out with the pier and or walton, trains run to both.not much left in the town centre shopping wise. Ipswich for shopping or the large retail park at Stanway.

 

[danst96]

Make the most of the fish and chips, I'd give anything for a proper portion of English fish and chips for lunch a donner kebab for supper

 

[clogs]

Spectric.....
the main month for rain is Feb......after that the odd shower then thats it for the rest of the year....
There is the odd rainy day but quite rare.....
Our drinking and garden water is snow melt.....with most of the run off going into the sea.....
Crete is one of those island with no water probs....
We do get some v/high winds in the summer....just odd days, even the ferries dont run....
fine one min then watch the sunloungers fly.....hahaha....
there's often a slight dew until the end of March.....but from then on u can pretty much leave everything outside.....tools n wood......
biggest prob is UV light.....I try to leave tools with plastic bits in the shade tho...
woe betide if u leave metal tools out, gloves being nec......lol.....
and def a no-no to leaving ur iPhone laying around....
to work outside in the sun (benchwork) I have a pallet with an 8x4 sunscreen that give me shade mounted on the fork lift......
Having lived in Arizona n S. Calif the temps here are just slightly cooler.....
all in all a great place to end ur days.....
move back to the UK....nah.....
as an ex beekeeper..... even the bee's fly all year.....

 

[Lorenzl]

Out of interest do any of the Essex crowd know where Hangmans hill is? I watched a TV program a couple of years ago and it was supposed to be a hill the hung prisoners that were trying to escape. Anyway I noticed some old boats in the estuary that could possibly be photogenic.

 

[Distinterior]

Out of interest do any of the Essex crowd know where Hangmans hill is? I watched a TV program a couple of years ago and it was supposed to be a hill the hung prisoners that were trying to escape. Anyway I noticed some old boats in the estuary that could possibly be photogenic.

I think that's out in the west of the county...Epping Forest, I believe.

 

[MorrisWoodman12]

If you're into English gardens then Beth Chatto's is Maldon way but I'm not sure quite where as it's on SWMBOs list. Don't know about transport links either sorry.

 

[Lorenzl]

I think that's out in the west of the county...Epping Forest, I believe.

When I went to bed I remembered more and think it was in Kent as Chatham dockyards were on the same program. I will have to have another look on Google maps. I was going to go down after seeing the program and then covid struck.

 

[OldGreyDog]

Wivenhoe is a short bus/train ride from Colchester and it has a nice riverfront. Its a very nice area where folks in apartments at the eastern end, by the commercial harbour’ have extensive pavement gardens set out - around our way these displays would be pillaged or trashed by local lowlife. As the crow flies its onlty five miles from Colchester town centre and just two stops from Colchester central‘ by train.

 

[Dave T]

Beth chatto’s garden is in Elmstead Market, on the old road from Colchester towards Clacton. It is not far from Wivenhoe, but you need a car to be able to call it “near” to Wivenhoe. I think it is on a bus route.