5 TOP THINGS TO DO IN ESSEX

5 Top Things to do in Essex

If you regularly use Essex as a base, but carry out all your business and leisure activities in London, perhaps it’s time to break from routine. Add some local time to your itinerary, and have a look at the varied and appealing things to do in Essex. If you’re already thinking about a change, and considering what to do in Essex for a day, here are five suggestions to whet the appetite. 

​1. A Little Retail Therapy 

​Lakeside Shopping Centre is not just any shopping centre. With its extensive retail park and 26 acre ornamental lake, it is one of the largest retail and leisure complexes in Europe. Browse the hundreds of designer and high-street stores. Relax on the terrace of a café or restaurant overlooking the lake. Or treat the kids to a matinée performance on one of the Vue cinema’s nine screens. 

​2. Get into the Swing of Things 

If your thing is golf, the impressive Orsett Golf Club is just a few minutes from the Orsett Hall Hotel. Arrange a little company team building, entertain your important clients, or take the ladies. While you enjoy a round or two on this fabulous 6,600 yard, par 72 course, the girls can get pampered in the hotel’s spa and leisure facilities. 

​3. Cruising from Tilbury 

Cruising is one of the fastest growing sectors of the UK leisure industry, and you can cruise almost anywhere in the world from Tilbury. If you’ve never tried cruising, or have never set foot on a cruise liner, now you can. Try a one night taster, and see for yourself whether your sea legs are stuck firmly on terra-firma. Book an overnight stay at the Orsett Hall Hotel, and you are just a 15 minute drive from Tilbury Docks, and your first cruise ship experience. 

​4. A Nature Break with the Kids 

With so much emphasis placed on reducing the damage we do to our countryside and oceans, there has never been a better time to get the kids involved in a little nature watch. Langdon Hills Country Park stretches over 400 acres. There are foot and cycle paths, bridleways for horse owners, and numerous picnic areas. Thurrock Thameside Nature Park comprises an impressive visitor centre, with great views across the estuary. Footpaths and cycle-ways criss-cross the 120 acres of parkland, which is soon to be extended to a massive 845 acres.

​5. A Day for the Kids 

Marsh Farm, at South Woodham Ferrers, is dedicated to children from 6 months to 65 years – and older. In this Petting Zoo, the kids can get up close to every type of domestic animal imaginable. With so many animals, inside and outside play areas, bouncy pillows and cafes, boredom will definitely not be a problem. 

Next time you have to visit London on business or pleasure, think of what to do in Essex during your time off, and avoid the hassle and frustration of commuting into town.
Booking your stay at the Orsett Hall Hotel, you will be within easy reach of so many of the great things to do in Essex.

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