Tourist Attractions of Essex, South East England

Colchester, Old Leigh, Greyhounds, a Butterfly Farm, Mersea Island

May 12, 2009

Boudicca and England's Oldest Town, Old Leigh, Ancient fishing Village, Greyhound Racing, Mersea Island and a Butterfly Park, Essex has much to offer tourists.

Essex is full of surprises. Colchester is the oldest town in England, as the Roman capital of Britain, it was once razed to the ground by warrior queen Boudicca. East of Colchester is the mysterious island of Mersea, joined to the mainland by an ancient causeway. On the Thames estuary lies the quaint old fishing village of Leigh-on-Sea and further in towards London, lies the opportunity for punters to lose their shirts at Romford’s greyhound track.

Visitors who look past Essex’s image of concrete jungles, peroxide blondes and wannabe yuppies, will be glad they did.

Old Leigh Fishing Village

Sandwiched between the Thames estuary and the Southend to London train line is a fishing village which seems like a bubble in time. First mentioned as Legra in the Doomsday Book of 1086, Leigh is now a picturesque community where art galleries sit alongside fishing boats and cockle sheds, (as featured on chef Rick Stein’s Local Heroes book and TV Series).

Old Leigh is a wonderful place to spend a morning. Wander along the shingle beach, browse the quirky shops and galleries, enjoy a pint of real ale at the Crooked Billet pub, and then, with appetite properly built up, sample that fresh local seafood.

Colchester is the oldest recorded town in England. The keep of the Norman castle holds an excellent museum recording the history of the town.

The keep is the largest of any Norman castle, having been built on the foundations of the Roman Temple of Claudius, burned to the ground in 60AD with the local population inside. The Romans had betrayed Queen of the Iceni tribe Boudicca, (Boadicea), and she took a terrible revenge.

The devastation was so bad, that it is said that digging in Colchester will uncover a layer of red sooty soil, the, ‘Boudicca Event Layer’. An example of this can be seen in the cellar of the George Hotel near the castle.

Greyhound Racing at Romford Stadium

Visitors fancying a flutter should visit Romford Greyhound Stadium. Meetings are held four evenings a week on Mondays, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings. The entry fee includes a race card containing all manner of statistics which will help visitors pick that elusive winner.

Romford Greyhound Stadium also has a number of restaurants with at seat betting, so punters can eat, drink and be merry, while their bets are placed with no hassle or queuing.

Tropical Wings Zoo and Butterfly Farm

Another form of flutter is available at Tropical Wings Zoo at South Woodham Ferrers. As the name suggests, Tropical Wings features one of the largest butterfly houses in the country. Visitors can walk through it, surrounded by some of Nature’s most beautiful insects.

Tropical Wings runs a full programme of events through the day, including flying displays from birds of prey, feeding times for wallabies, otters and goats and the chance to get, ‘Up close and personal’, with some incredible bugs.

If kids get bored of the animals, there’s still plenty for them to do with an assault course, a toddler’s playground and Tractorland.

Romans and Seafood on Mersea Island

East of Colchester lies Mersea Island. The island is joined to the mainland by the Strood causeway, which is regularly covered at high tide, so tourists need to check the tide tables before visiting. Mersea has been inhabited since Roman times and a Romano-British burial mound can be seen. Some Romans may still be on Mersea, as there are stories of ghostly legionnaires seen and heard when the mists sweep in from the North Sea.

The island is famous for its seafood and an unusual way of sampling its top quality produce is lunching at the Company shed at West Mersea. No bookings are taken, diners may have to share tables and will have to bring their own drinks and bread. The seafood, however, is spectacularly good and well worth the wait while a space becomes available.

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