Discover Chelmsford

By The Beresfords Marketing Team - 18 July 2011

Just 30 miles from London and with excellent transport links, Essex’s capital, Chelmsford is a historic and vibrant town which is also decidedly busy on the cultural front. Not only does it boast three theatres but it also hosts a packed calendar of events throughout the year including ESSEXstreetdiversions, the 3foot People Festival and V Festival, when the likes of Muse, Coldplay and Scissor Sisters rock into town.

Packed with the best in High Street names, two shopping malls, a lively market culture and a wealth of individual, quirkier shops tucked away here and there, the town centre is a shopper’s paradise and much of it is car free. When you want to leave the hustle and bustle behind, Chelmsford is also wonderfully green with over 1,600 acres of parks, many of which have been awarded Green Flag status, including Hylands Park which is the location of the beautifully restored Hylands House.

Away from Chelmsford a string of quintessentially English villages, complete with thatched cottages and duck ponds in the village green, beckon exploration. Ramble around the leafy lanes of High Easter, Willingale, Writtle, Pleshey or Stock and enjoy a meal or drink at the local pub.

Little Baddow’s location on the Chelmer and Blackwater navigation is the ideal starting point for a riverside stroll towards Chelmsford in one direction or the Blackwater estuary in the other although its waterside tea rooms on the lock are also the perfect place to rest your legs at the end of your walk. Or you can take a drive out to the antiques village of Battlesbridge, which houses over 80 dealers.

On the southern fringes of Chelmsford is Galleywood, once a thriving horse racing venue and now a charming rural village with a busy shopping centre, two parks and a beautiful parish church. The jewel in the crown however is Galleywood Common, the perfect place for kite flying or an invigorating walk through acres of heath land and woodland. Surrounded by open farmland and woodland, Danbury also retains its rural character and enjoys outstanding views from its hilltop setting. Much of the village is in a Conservation Area and it houses a traditional village green and pond, as well as a number of historic buildings, including a Grade I Listed parish church on the site of an Iron Age fort.

Cheer on the County side at Chelmsford’s County Cricket Ground, take on the challenge of the climbing wall at South Woodham Ferrers Leisure Centre or try your hand at kayaking at Paper Mill Lock.

Lovers of the great outdoors will enjoy a visit to South Woodham’s Marsh Farm Country Park, with its atmospheric creekside walks, its animal trail, farm demonstrations and bumpy trailer rides are also a firm favourite with children!

Or take a walk on the wild side at Hanningfield Reservoir with its woodland trails and reservoir rich in birdlife. Green-figured visitors are also in for a treat at the constantly expanding RHS Garden Hyde Hall, whose fragrant rose walk, imaginatively planted Dry Garden and colour-themed borders are among many sources of inspiration throughout the seasons.