Essex County is the seat of the oldest recorded town in Britain – Colchester. This town used to be the capital of Britain during the time of the Romans until the queen of the Iceni tribe destroyed it in the first century AD. Now it lies north-east of the current capital and is one of the home counties of London. It has significant wildlife and flora with the Essex Wildlife Trust being predominantly responsible for most of it. The RSPB also take responsibility for the management of one of the prolific spots for birdwatching at Rainham Marshes. It also has a generous coastline lined with many beaches including the resort town of Southend-on-Sea.
Essex Wildlife Trust has 87 nature reserves and also encompasses seven visitor centres and the Natural Park of Chafford Gorges making it a truly splendid place to visit for nature lovers including amateur and experts in the field of natural sciences. Essex is also home to one of the preserved forested areas of Britain – Epping Forest: where this arboreal paradise stretches nearly 6000 acres. A large proportion of this forest is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation.
Essex is also famous for the second earl of Essex –Robert Devereux who was once the favourite of Elizabeth I until he lost this privileged position and decided to attempt to take the City of London by force; he failed and was beheaded.
Besides the lore of nature, gore of history and shores of beaches, Essex also has plenty of other enjoyments such as visits to nuclear bunkers, Victorian gardens, mills, craft villages and adventure parks. The natural landscape and the lavish sands and sea also offers a variety of sports for adrenalin, relaxing and pure entertainment.
Looking for self catering holiday accommodation in Essex, then below is a selection of houses, holiday homes, flats and holiday cottages in Essex that can be rented direct from their owners. You can either click on each listing for further details or you can use our search engine on the left if you are looking for something in particular.
