Astronomical Autumn, Heritage facts and Get Climbing

Welcome to the Explore Essex newsletter. In this update you can find out more about how to make the most of our region’s outside spaces this Autumn, have you discovered our Heritage sites? Or why not get involved and help our environment by taking part in the Great British litter pick!

Astronomical Autumn

We’ve reached ‘astronomical Autumn’, so why not take a trip to one of the Explore Essex Country Parks before the nights start drawing in.

The weather might be getting cooler and the nights drawing in, but spending time outdoors is the perfect way to ensure that you are getting some fresh air. For the children, visiting one of our Country Parks is the perfect way to help them to burn off their excess energy and have fun outdoors. Offering play equipment, an abundance of wildlife, and plenty of space for exploring, all our Country Parks are open from 8am until dusk daily.

If you’re a regular visitor, have you considered investing in an Explorer Pass? At just £75 for a year, that works out at only £1.45 per week – incredible value for free parking and a selection of other benefits. Find out more here.

Getting Essex Outdoors

Over the summer holidays our Essex Outdoors centres ran kid’s activity days where, for as little as £30 a day, children between the ages of 8 and 16 could get active and enjoy tying out a range of activities from archery to bushcraft and even mountain biking. Look out for our next school holiday activity days. You can sign your child up for one day or a whole week, with sites across the county check out the website for more details.

“My kids went for the first time yesterday and loved it. They absolutely loved Vicky who was looking after them so a big thank you to her too – they rarely come home from an activity which such praise so it speaks volumes. My son was particularly anxious before and he had a great time.”

Mrs G Harris – Parent

Worried about the weather?  Why not take a day trip to The Lock, Essex’s largest indoor climbing centre? Perfect for anyone looking for a bit of adventure. Find out more here.

Heritage Open Days Go Virtual!

We’re celebrating #HeritageOpenDays by bringing you digital content of our Explore Essex parks and places, follow us on social media to find out more.

Learn something new about the history and culture of our parks and places, they all have their own interesting heritage stories to tell – here are a few facts for you to feast on:

Did you know that Jaywick Martello Tower was built in 1809 as a defence against the threat of invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte?

Did you know that Cressing Temple Barns is home to the oldest standing wooden barn in the world with the timber being cut from 1205 AD?

Did you know traces of a prehistoric iron age settlement were found on the site of Belhus Woods Country Park?

Discover more about our heritage places here.

Pledge to Pick Litter this Autumn

Join the Great British September Clean! Organised by Keep Britain Tidy, the nationwide cleaning initiative aims to help clean up the streets and parks.

We would like you, our community, to help keep our Country Parks clean for everyone to enjoy. Even if this just means taking your own litter home with you.

If you’re keen to help more, you can sign up and ‘make a pledge’ to help. Find out more here.

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