| As you travel from west to east across this | | | | seaside resort in the late 19th-century with the |
| vast, ancient county the landscape transforms | | | | fashion for coastal health and bathing. Paddle |
| from historic woodlands, through rolling | | | | steamers provided the first direct route to the |
| wheat-fields dotted with poppies and windmills to | | | | resort before the railway line opened in 1882. |
| the estuaries, coastal villages and towns of the | | | | Today Clacton Pier seems to provide almost |
| great North Sea. | | | | every conceivable amusement and is probably |
| Mersea Island lies between the estuaries of the | | | | best described as a fairground over the sea. |
| Colne and Blackwater rivers. This unique place is | | | | Maldon is a delightful old town on the River |
| the most easterly inhabited island in the British | | | | Blackwater where the graceful Thames sailing |
| Isles. Mersea Island is separated into West Mersea | | | | barges are moored and provide a splendid |
| and East Mersea. West Mersea is a quiet resort | | | | spectacle. Colchester is the oldest recorded town |
| with old fishing cottages and a shingly beach, | | | | in Britain and you can still see the Roman walls |
| noted for its sailing, fishing and oyster farming. | | | | and town gate. |
| East Mersea is quieter, more rural with smaller, | | | | Nearby is Constable Country - Dedham Vale and |
| less busy beaches. | | | | the Stour Valley which is dissected by the |
| Clacton is a popular seaside town with tree-lined | | | | meandering River Stour. It was immortalised by |
| streets, a mix of sand and shingle beaches and | | | | John Constable in his paintings over 200 years ago |
| beautiful cliff-top gardens. It has been dubbed the | | | | and for some is the quintessential English rural |
| ‘capital' of the so-called Essex Sunshine Coast'. | | | | landscape. |
| Clacton developed from a small village into a | | | | |