Visit Essex highlights top things to do and places to go to boost wellbeing in 2024

16th January 2024

Visit Essex, the county’s tourism organisation, is encouraging people to get out and about and try something new to help look after their wellbeing in 2024. 

Cllr Mark Durham, Chair, Visit Essex, said: “The New Year is a great time to focus on wellbeing. There’s lots to experience across Essex and although the weather may be fresh, there’s still many things to enjoy. Get a date in your diary to try something new and give yourself something to look forward to.” 

Here’s their top list to boost your mental and physical wellbeing: 

1.    Take up a new hobby
Combine a love of football and golf and get skilled at footgolf! Cammas Hall Farm, Hatfield Broad Oak on the Essex/Herts border, offers a six-hole, nine acre footgolf course. Golf World in Stansted also offers the sport for all abilities. 

Learn to cook at the Cookery School at Braxted Park, Witham, which offers cooking lessons to suit all abilities. Opt for an ‘Indian Masterclass’ or try a ‘Taste of Thai Street Food’. 

2.    Relax with a spa day
Retreat to a spa day by the seaside at Roslin Beach Hotel in Thorpe Bay near Southend. The hotel offers a range of ESPA and Elemis treatments to revitalise your body and mind. Be immersed in glorious grounds, head to Down Hall on the Herts and Essex border and to take a dip in their wet spa. The hydrotherapy pool soothes aches and pains and there is a private fenced area with relaxation beds positioned under a grand fir tree. 

3.    Get out in nature
With stunning countryside and a 350-mile coastline, Essex is the perfect place to immerse yourself in the natural world. Pick up a bike and cycle through Epping Forest, taking in the beautiful winter scenery or head to Hadleigh Country Park, home of mountain biking at the London 2012 Olympics.

Take a stroll in Promenade Park in Maldon and admire the Thames sailing barges, or enjoy family time and walk through the woods at Belfairs Woodland Nature Discovery Park in Leigh-on-Sea.

Enjoy community spirit and step out on a guided walk, which takes place regularly at High Woods Country Park in Colchester. On alternate Fridays and Sundays, meet at the Visitor Centre for 10:45am to take part in their wellness walks. 

4.    Meet up with friends and family
Get a date in the diary to meet up with friends to stop you from feeling lonely. Try out a classic afternoon tea at Wilkins and Son who offer scrumptious sandwiches and delectable cakes at one of their many tearooms across the county. Or head to Talliston House & Gardens and be treated to a full guided tour of the unique house and gardens, before settling into the Victorian dining room for high tea. 

Enjoy a fun family day out, treat yourself to the UK’s first Zooquarium at Sealife Adventure in Southend-on-Sea. Home to over 40 species of animals, including tropical fish and sharks, but also monkeys, meerkats and much more. 

Or try an escape room activity such as Escape Live in Southend and Chelmsford. Crack the codes with a group of friends and solve the Magpie Mystery or find hidden treasure with Pirate Plunder. 

To discover more, see www.visitessex.com. 
ENDS

Notes to Editor:
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, hilary@wearebigwavepr.co.uk, 01206 231807.
•    Xyra Speed, xyra@wearebigwavepr.co.uk, 07804242546.