Love Essex this Valentine’s Day

26th January 2022

Looking for something special to do this St Valentine’s Day? Visit Essex, the tourism body for the county, gives the low down on the most romantic things to do across the county.

Romance the old-fashioned way

Date like Daphne Bridgerton and the Duke of Hastings and take a step back into the Regency era via a romantic stroll along the promenade in Maldon. Take in the magnificent Thames sailing barges, picturesque park and pop into a tearoom for an afternoon tea, or even an ice cream if the sun is out! 
Relive some of those classic romantic films such as Brief Encounter, by taking your partner on a steam train for some old-fashioned romance. The county has several heritage tracks running, the Epping Ongar Railway and the East Anglian Railway Museum at Chappel, so why not jump aboard and let your heart be carried away! Prices start at £10 for Epping and Ongar, and £8 for the East Anglian Railway Museum.

Sunsets and romantic strolls

Take a drive over to Cudmore Grove on Mersea Island and stroll along the shoreline to watch the sun set over the North Sea, whilst enjoying freshly harvested oysters, the food of love, in the local restaurants. If you fancy a gentle romantic walk or bike ride, the Flitch Way will provide you with 15 miles of flat, traffic free trail to explore, and even has a café to treat yourselves to! The former railway line runs from Braintree to Bishop’s Stortford.

Love adrenalin?

Looking for a novel place to propose? Why not opt for Adventure Island, Southend? How could anyone refuse when they’re on top of a rollercoaster or, waiting with bated breath on ‘Skydrop’ which offers stunning views across Southend!  

The food of love

The English Cream Tea Company will be welcoming lovebirds at the Secret Sconery, a romantic hideaway tucked away into the Essex countryside in White Roding near Dunmow. The special Valentine’s treat offers tasty homemade fayre. The afternoon tea will be on Saturday 12th February with sittings at 1pm and 4pm and costs £37.95 per person. 
Nothing says ‘I love you’ more than a delicious home cooked meal. If you are not a natural in the kitchen or want to upskill to make a big impression, Essex has several cookery schools to cater for all experience levels. The Cookery School at Braxted Park can have you creating vegetarian and vegan delights in just one day. Under the supervision of top chef, Steve Walpole, you’ll soon be able to create the food to woo. The vegan and vegetarian cookery course takes place on 12 February and is priced £145 per person. Other options include the Mistley Kitchen and former BBC Masterchef contestant, Ann Smart, who set-up the Ann's Smart School of Cookery, both offer a variety of courses taking place throughout the year. 

Championing Essex as a county of love is Councillor Mark Durham, Vice Chairman, Visit Essex, who says: “With beautiful towns, stunning scenery and a real diversity of landscapes, along with great places to eat and drink, there is so much in Essex for couples to see and do together this Valentine’s.” 

To discover more about places to go in Essex this Valentine’s, visit visitessex.com. 
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VISIT ESSEX
Visit Essex is the official tourism organisation and the only body specifically marketing the whole of the county to the visitor market. We work with visitor attractions, leisure/activity providers, accommodation establishments and other tourism related businesses (including the travel trade, media and wider partners), to ensure that the county remains a leading visitor destination.
Our work encompasses major marketing campaigns, high profile PR work, business support, and the management and promotion of the official Visit Essex brand. Visit Essex will ensure that the county gets the recognition it deserves as a desirable place to visit in the 21st century. We will work closely with partners to develop a sustainable tourism offering for the future, identify new markets and harness visitors at the county's major gateways of Stansted, Harwich, Southend and Tilbury.

For further information:
Hilary Collins, Big Wave PR, hilary@wearebigwavepr.co.uk, or call 01206 231807.