Colchester, Southend on Sea - Essex

[muchlovex]

Hi everyone on AB,
My wife has just been offered a job in Colchester, Essex. I would like some information/advice on which area to chose to live...we are thinking Southend on Sea, as we currently live near the beach in the North East and would like to live near the beach.
And also, what areas are nice to live in.

We are a young professional couple who enjoy eating out, pubs..any advice from locals or tourists would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
X

[Lil O'lady]

We have good friends in Leigh on Sea and enjoy that town. Southend itself is much more sprawling. The 'beaches' are actually not so good - muddy and full of River Thames sh1te - not at all like the blue flag north east beaches. Southend beach and seafron get full of lairy cockneys at weekends and bank holidays, whereas the smaller places such as leigh don't attract s big a crowd. Personally I find the whole area very interesting and with plenty to offer, and certainly lots of decent pubs / eateries.
I'd say Leigh would be very nice to live in - if you could afford it!

[ChuckFickens]

good gawd no, don't goto southend unless you want a nightmare with the travel everyday, the roads are a nightmare between Southend and colchester at the best of times let alone rush hour!

the closest coastal town for colchester is Clacton really which is about half hour - 45 min and has a better beach than Southend.

Most of clacton is not too bad to live in, it's only a few roads that are bad really, stay clear of Jaywick which is a coouple of miles just down the road, it's like a shanty town!

It also make a huge difference to travel time where abouts in colchester the job is, you can be looking at about an easy 45min to get from one side of colchester to the other at rush hour.

P.s I live in colchester :)

[LaughingGirl]

Try Frinton on Sea very pretty town and beaches, just up the road from Clacton, My sister has moved to Great Clacton, she said it's the best move she's ever done.
Avoid Southend.

[SeaJayPea]

Leigh-on Sea rather than Southend, I would suggest. It's a much nicer, albeit a bit more expensive, town. Also, assuming she'd drive to work, it will make the journey a bit shorter.

Neither Southend, nor Leigh have what could remotely be described as a sandy-type beach. This is the estuary of the River Thames, remember.

And really, Colchester from either place would be a fair old commute - 40-odd miles each way. You'd be better looking at the likes of Brightlingsea, Walton on the Naze. or Frinton. There is also Wivenhoe, a lovely old spot on the river just outside Colchester, and site of the University of Essex.

Good hunting

[ChuckFickens]

LOL

LaughingGirl

Frinton is virtually a retirement town :) if the OP likes pubs and eating out it's not really the place to go :)

[Myriad2112]

Southend-on-sea makes blackpool seem classy. My grandmother liver for many years in maningtree, it's a nice little town or it was last time I looked.

[naomi24]

Southend most definitely wouldn't be my choice. Apart from the fact that I don't like the town at all, there is no direct rail service between Southend and Colchester, and if your wife is going to drive to work, the road is very busy, so it will take her over an hour each way.

There are some nice coastal places not far from Colchester, but your best bet really is to book into a hotel for a few days and drive around and have a look. Personally, if I was going to work in Colchester, I'd live in one of the villages in either North Essex, or just across the border in Suffolk. Constable Country. Lovely!

[Octavius]

I agree with everyone on Southend, its not a place I would chose to live although been there for many a day out in my yoof. I have cousins in Leigh on Sea which can be pleasant in parts.

That being said, as Naomi pounts out, its a fair old trek from there to Colchester.

What about Wivenhoe?

[CheekyChick]

I also live in Colchester and work half my time there and half in Basildon - it takes me at best an hour to get to Basildon every day and about the same to get home, the A127 tends to be worse travelling in the direction of Southend. Like Chuck said it makes a big difference what side of Colchester you live in - I'm on the West and only 3 minutes from the A12.
I have to agree with the other comments and say I wouldn't want to move to Southend. If it's the coast that you want another nice place that hasn't been suggested is Mersea Island - about a 20 minute journey into Colchester Town depending on the tides!! It has a large boating community with some nice places to eat and several pubs. I really would consider moving nearer to Colchester and avoiding the A12 at all costs.

[muchlovex]

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for the helpful advice. My wife has advised that the job is actually in Clacton on Sea.

We do love the beach life and the views but also nice restaurants and family pubs.

We would rather not commute too far.
Any good suggestions about where to live?
thanks

[CheekyChick]

Ok, that makes a bit of difference then. If you want to live in Clacton stay away from the Rush Green Road area, Groom Park, Coopers Lane, definitely NOT Langham or Nayland Drive. The Avenues (1st, 2nd etc) are very nice but quite expensive. If you want a newer house Martello Bay is a nice area (Bexhill Close, Hastings Avenue etc) it's got the nicest beach Martello end too. Queens Road and that area also good.
Holland-on-Sea is also very nice.
There's a nice village called St Osyth which is about 5 miles outside of Clacton with a lovely lake, it has also got a couple of holiday camps but they are quite a way from the village.
Wivenhoe is a nice place but it hasn't got a beach and is about a 20 minute drive into Clacton. If you need to know any more or see any houses you like the look of and want to know if the area's ok, give me a shout.

[CheekyChick]

note to self - thesaurus required re alternative words for nice!!!

[oldgrape]

in clacton dont touch jaywick or bockings green!!! try for hollond on sea or great clacton which are quieter less expensive and easy access to town and amenidies without the problems of yobs p.s i'm from colchester but lived in clacton for 10 years although i have dissed jaywick my parents live there in the tudor estate(west clacton) on the outskirts and it's lovely

[gina32]

i used to live in colchester and often go there for teh shoppping, but anyway always said id love to live in clacton, and quite often go there for weekends, so my choice is clacton, like someone said, book in somewhere for the weekend and have a look around

[ChuckFickens]

muchlovex if you do decide to come and pay a visit before moving down this way give myself (or cheekychick) a shout on here, we will both, work permitting, put some time aside to give you a tour of the area.

[jno]

ah yes, didn't they use to have signs at Liverpool St Station saying 'Harwich for the continent' and 'Frinton for the incontinent'?

[R1Geezer]

oh and it's "Saaaaaaafend"

[lesbrousses]

Hi, I lived in the north east for 12 years near Sedgefield, now live 5 miles inland from Clacton, if i can be any help let me know, there are many nice quiet villages just inland and only a few minutes drive from the beach, I live in one of them.