Twixtmas in North Essex

In an effort to brighten up that odd period between Christmas and New Year we took the motorhome down into Essex starting on 27 December.

We had been wanting to stay at a little spot by a ruined church which a fellow mohoer had told us about some while ago. This proved a lovely spot in which we spent one of our quietest ever van nights in, despite it blowing a hoolie outside! Before we settled down for a cosy night in the van had time to explore the church ruins themselves. The spot is on the P4N app just south of Alresford and we can highly recommend. 

Leaving the van parked the following morning we walked a nice circuit down to the River Colne and back via Alresford Creek before setting off for nearby Brightingsea. To be brutally honest the place was a huge disappointment despite a long walk around searching for something worth seeing! To punish ourselves further we then drove to our next overnight venue via Jaywick (location for the TV show Benefits Britain!) and then Clacton which were pretty damned grim! 

Luckily our next overnighter was in a great seafront spot at Dovercourt right by the quirky lighthouses on stilts. With the weather much improved we walked the whole seafront up to the north end of Harwich that late afternoon with the light great for photos and the surprise find of a 'Banksy' painted on the sea wall near the old fort. Sunset by the lighthouses was fantastic. That night was pretty good with traffic noise dying away by about 10pm but starting up again far too early! Again the spot is on P4N.

The following morning we struck west and dodging the heavy showers did a long muddy walk in Stour Wood and along the banks of the Stour itself. The weather continued to misbehave when we visited Mistley Walls and Manningtree but we successfully managed to keep mainly dry. We then made our way further west to Dedham in the heart of 'Constable Country' to overnight at the carpark there which we have stayed on once before. A tree-lined and quiet spot within just a 3 minute walk of a shop, pubs and cafes and with a bargain overnight charge of 50p is marvellous! 

We had haboured thoughts of extending our trip by another night or 2 but the weather was once again a bit shit so after a late breakfast we decided to head for home.

What did we learn/try this trip? 

1. Well, now Belinda has got the knack of the heating sytsem we spent 3 very cosy nights in the van despite the cold and wet outside. It also didn't appear to use a great deal of gas which is a bonus. 

2. Taking a pre-cooked chilli with us meant a quick heat up for tea that lasted 2 nights. Ideal in the winter when you need something hot. 

3. Despite having no mains electricity for 3 days we were never in danger of running out of power. With pre-charged battery packs to charge phones we could have kept going for at least a couple more nights. Good to know for the future.