Essex Travel and Tourism Guide

Essex is a large county immediately to the North of London. It is a flat county, with little in the way of hills until you reach the Suffolk Border. The wentlands in the East of the County are popular with sailing marinas and birdwatchers, and there are several nature reserves. Essex is home to England's oldest church, at Bradwell, and the oldest wooden church, at Ongar. There are woodlands in the west near Stansted Airport. England's oldest town, Colchester, is in the North of the County and there are famous shopping centres in the South (Lakeside) and North (Braintree Freeport).

Essex has a rather poor reputation in England, and it is true to say that the South of the county has historically been rather depressed and not particularly attractive to tourists. The rural north, however, is quite pretty in a quiet way, and the south is due for massive redevelopment ahead of the 2012 olympics.