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The Food of Love

Stay at the historic port of Maldon and take time to explore the coastline.

Scroll down past the map below the itinerary for information about any of the places mentioned.

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Day 1

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Impress the one you love and pre-book a course at Braxted Park Cookery School for a special birthday, anniversary or Valentine’s treat. Combining a rural setting in tranquil parkland with award-winning chefs, well-equipped kitchens and a diverse range of courses, the school is a perfect setting for learning food craft.

Afternoon check in to Le Bouchon Hotel, Maldon.

Bicycles are available to guests for a cycle along the canal path to watch the sun setting at the picturesque Heybridge Basin where you can take afternoon tea at the Tiptree tea rooms and enjoy views over the Blackwater Estuary and Osea Island. The hotel also has its own boat and runs canal trips from their private jetty most of the year. There are various options for dinner in Maldon itself or relax and dine in the hotel restaurant.

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Day 2

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After breakfast, take a scenic drive out from Maldon, heading for Mersea Island, pausing at the village of Goldhanger to see the medieval church. Stroll through the churchyard to take in the wide sweeping views out across the Blackwater Estuary.

Next stop is Tollesbury to take in the big skies, expansive saltmarsh and the iconic lightship. Here you can see the lovingly restored Edwardian sail lofts, where lightning-fast racing yachts were stored.

Arrive Mersea Island and check in at Mersea Island Watersports for your pre-booked kayaking, paddle boarding or sailing experience.  Check tide times beforehand as the access road to Mersea can be cut off at high tide.

Worked up an appetite?  You can re-fuel at one of the fresh seafood shacks, pubs or cafes along the waterfront afterwards, all easily accessible on foot.

Afternoon drive over to East Mersea to see the pastel-coloured Beach Huts, typical of the Essex coast, and then on to Cudmore Grove Country Park for a ramble and great views across the estuary towards Brightlingsea. There is a café on site here for refreshments. Time it right and you can pop over to Brightlingsea on the Foot Ferry from here.

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Day 3

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Visit the Naze Discovery Centre at Walton-on-the-Naze, a special and important place thriving with wildlife. The Naze is the gateway to Hamford Water Nature Reserve, a sanctuary for migrating and nesting birds and you can hunt for fossilised sharks teeth, shells and wood on the beach here in the shadow of the fifty-million-year-old, 70-foot cliffs.

After your walk, head over to the historic port of Old Harwich and discover its quaint buildings, Ha’Penny Pier and views over to the majestic cranes of Felixstowe.

There are several options for lunch in Old Harwich including The Pier Hotel, just next to the Quay.