Oaklands Holiday Village

Oaklands is a ‘Relax and Explore’ site, and there’s heaps of this about in the surrounding countryside too: the sea is only a couple of miles away and the park is close to seaside resort Clacton-on-Sea with its pier funfair, aquarium and two theatres; a little further along the coast is the longest pleasure pier in the world at Southend-on-Sea. Walton-on-the-Naze is also within easy reach for some sublime sands and the rides and attractions of New Walton Pier. The tiny town of Frinton-on-Sea, featured in the BBC’s Wonderland documentary in 2008, is close at hand too for a sumptuous stretch of sand and has a dedicated sea zone for swimming, sailing and windsurfing; if you’re in Frinton over the summer, catch a few shows at the well-known seasonal theatre season at the McGrigor Hall. Colchester, the oldest recorded town in Britain, is less than ten miles away and has all sorts of historic attractions to see: Colchester Castle Museum is closed in 2013 for essential redevelopment but you can still spy the Temple of Claudius, browse around the museums and see historic buildings, churches and architecture; there are art galleries, tasty restaurants and top shops too for those whose tastes are a little more modern. The award-winning Colchester Zoo is also well worth a visit and has regular events alongside its teeming menagerie. For other historical highlights in the area, the Tudor Christchurch Mansion also has the largest collection of Gainsborough and Constable paintings outside London, and there are National Trust houses and gardens as well as the medieval hunting ground Hatfield Forest with its 1,200 year old trees. Sightseers can take the mile-long trip on the Colne Valley Railway or wander along the River Colne to the waterfront towns of West Mersea and Wivenhoe; amble through Constable Country; spot rare birds from the Essex nature reserves or take a trip to Mersea Island, the home of Colchester oysters, a microbrewery and a vineyard.