Essex Glamping

Those seeking sand and sea should head 20 minutes to Canvey Island for peaceful walks and views, or 25 minutes to Southend-on-Sea for the full-on day out experience involving thrill rides at Adventure Island, pier walks, jellied eels and sandcastles or boat cruises to the strange wartime Maunsell Forts marooned out at sea. A little further round the coast at Shoebury (half an hour), try kite-surfing on East Beach, or get your boots on to explore the almost deserted wilderness of the Dengie National Nature Reserve (an hour); empty it may seem but this coastal area is teeming with birds and home to a colony of seals whose red colouring occurs nowhere else in the world. (The only way is Essex, eh?) For trainspotters and steam buffs, the Mangapps Railway Museum (40 minutes) has a staggering collection of locomotive artefacts and runs steam and diesel rides on heritage trains, along a 10-minute trip to Old Heath. You can also catch bigger, modern trains from the station at Leigh-on-Sea (10 minutes) for a 45-minute trip to the sights and shops of London.