FURTHER AFIELD
If you step out into the surrounding countryside, here are just some of the highlights you’ll discover
Although Kelvedon meets most of our needs, being on the A12 (which runs from London to Lowestoft in Suffolk) puts many beautiful destinations on our doorstep. The well-kept sandy beaches of Mersea
Island, with their candy-coloured beach huts, are just half an hour away. (Don’t miss the deliciously fresh whitebait at Mersea Fish Bar or the playground at Cudmore Grove.) The Essex-suffolk border is even closer, with Dedham Vale, home to the bucolic scenery made famous by painter John Constable, while the
Colne Valley offers a less-discovered area, with picnic spots in ancient Chalkney Woods, a Norman fort at
Castle Hedingham and the pretty historic market town of Halstead. Described as a contender for the ‘largest village in England’, Tiptree is home to the sweet-smelling, world-famous Wilkin & Sons jam factory and a 60-acre heath where ponies and cattle graze between spring and autumn. At Maldon, you can spot Thames sailing barges and enjoy the lost-in-time promenade park. Just up the road from Kelvedon,
Markshall Estate offers vast gardens and a 2,350-acre arboretum to explore, but my favourite is the spectacular RHS Garden Hyde Hall.