Essex Farm Holidays: Country Cottages and Farmhouse B&Bs for Holiday Rentals

Dovercourt, Essex taken by Gemm Ferrane. Courtesy of Pictures Of England

Essex farm holidays means booking a country cottage for a cheap holiday which will take you to a county of salt marshes and streams, coasts and islands! Here you will find a wealth of English country cottages and holiday rentals to choose from in our listings of self-contained country cottages and farmhouse Bed and Breakfasts. All offer quality accommodation at reasonable rates. If you are looking for cheap accommodation in a rural setting within the heart of the English countryside then look no further. You are sure to find something here that suits your needs.

Pockets of Essex are beautiful, one of which is Dedham Vale, an area bordering Suffolk that can be seen in the paintings of John Constable. Little has changed in the centuries since he painted this peaceful countryside. Bridge Cottage, near East Bergholt, was featured in several Constable paintings, and it now houses a museum based on the artist’s life and works which is open to the public.

For those of you who love the outdoors and walking then Essex farm holidays would not be complete without a trip to Epping Forest. This famous forest is filled with wildlife and birds and has over 85 km of horse riding trails that you can also use for cycling or walking. Essex also has a wonderful coastline, and at Southend-on-Sea, a popular holiday destination, one can find the longest pleasure pier in the world. Danbury Common is another area for your walking trails. Heather, Gorse and Bracken covering the Common has survived since medieval times. Having remained almost unchanged, this wilderness area offers a home to a rich variety of wildlife and is the perfect place to explore for wild flowers, grasses and rare plants.

Essex farm holidays in this county will also take you to historical homes like Southchurch Hall, a museum housed in a half-timbered medieval manor house, which dates back to the early 14th century. It is a great educational trip for the children who are encouraged to touch as many things possible that are on display in the Great Hall and where they will learn what life was like in Medieval, Tudor and Stuart and Victorian times.

Treat the kids to a trip to Colchester Zoo, a conservation zoo that covers over 60 acres of parkland and is involved in the welfare of about 295 animals. It receives about 500,000 visitors a year and has been voted "Large Visitor Attraction of the Year" by the East of England Tourist Board 3 times.

Colchester itself is an interesting town that is recorded as being one of England's oldest towns. It was under Roman rule until AD 60 when soldiers, under the command of Queen Boadicea, revolted against Roman rule and destroyed the temple and massacred the Roman occupants. Places of interest to those visiting the town is Colchester Castle Museum, which takes you on a splendid historical journey covering over 2,000 years of history. Bourne Mill is another interesting building. This Essex mill is found beside Bourne Pond and was originally built in 1591 as a fishing lodge. In the centre of Colchester is the Town Hall, an elegant building built in 1902 complete with a clock tower topped with a statue of St. Helena facing towards Jerusalem. Legend has it that St. Helena was the daughter of the mythical King Cole of Colchester, made famous by the nursery rhyme, "Old King Cole". Other legends link the town to Camelot and Humpty Dumpty.

Have we enticed you enough to think of an Essex farm holiday? Have a look through our listings of holiday rentals for our farm cottages and country farmhouses. Here you will find Essex country cottages that are self-contained for holiday rentals, and farmhouse B&Bs. Most of the holiday rentals and holiday lets listed here are on working farms.

If you have a farm in Essex that you would like to showcase visit our Farm Forum. You can upload a picture and brag a little. We don't mind! Share a farming story, tell us about your best or worst farm holiday and lots more. There are other individual farming discussion boards to contribute to through this forum, as well as a Craft & Recipes Forum where you can share your favourite recipes and also get some crafting ideas for various arts & crafts.

ESSEX FARM HOLIDAYS: BED & BREAKFAST