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    John Burrows Recreational Park

    5.0 (1 review)

    John Burrows Recreational Park Photos

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    10 years ago

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    Hadleigh Castle Country Park - Castle ruins

    Hadleigh Castle Country Park

    4.0(5 reviews)
    0.5 mi

    This is a bit of a hidden gem, which I'm really pleased we found. We took a random day trip to…read moreLeigh on Sea and on our way back my boyfriend navigated me on a detour. I'd seen a castle on the map but assumed there would be gates and a fee and seeing as it was early evening I expected it to be closed. My boyfriend knows that I love castles so thought we could chance it. We parked up at the end of a country lane by a cafe, farm and craft village (which had already closed) and took a walk along a pretty footpath. It's only a few minutes walk before you get to the castle, well ruins of, and it's a beautiful sight. It's owned by English Heritage but free for anyone and everyone to visit. There's no visitor centre, gift shop or ticket office which adds to the charm of this place. It's lovely and surrounded by hills and fields so unspoilt. It was dusk when we were there but could read the few unobtrusive signs with the history of the castle. The views to the sea were lovely too. This would be the perfect place for a picnic (make sure you take your rubbish home) out to watch the sun set from. It's not a whole day out but worth a visit if you're in the area. I loved it.

    I have visited Hadleigh Castle numerous times since I was a little nipper and I still love to go…read morethere, admittedly the castle is ruinous but it still has great prominence looking out over the estuary. The views from the castle are great looking out over Canvey Island and towards Kent. From this point there is some good walks to be had, from walking to Two Tree Island or walking into Old Leigh and eating some fresh seafood. Or you can just set down a blanket and have a picnic, be warned though it can get a bit windy, but if you tuck yourself up in one of the alcoves of the ruins, it should not be too much of a problem. As the area is quite hilly, it is great for off-road cycling or grab a football or frisbee and play in the open green area. It is also very close to the Salvation Army farm, so a visit to Hadleigh Castle is a great time outdoors for all the family.

    Photos
    Hadleigh Castle Country Park - You can see how tall this castle was!

    You can see how tall this castle was!

    Hadleigh Castle Country Park - Part of the ruins at Hadleigh Castle, can be seen from the C2C line and from Two Tree Island.

    Part of the ruins at Hadleigh Castle, can be seen from the C2C line and from Two Tree Island.

    Hadleigh Castle Country Park - Beautiful at night with the twinkling lights of a distant town in the background

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    Beautiful at night with the twinkling lights of a distant town in the background

    Southchurch Park

    Southchurch Park

    4.0(3 reviews)
    5.7 mi

    A nice place that I love to take my 6 year old to in the milder weather…read more The childrens playground has just been modernised with more exciting apparatus for the kids to explore. A word of warning here, this also makes it a magnet for the teenage 'hoodies' who dispite their age still attend the park and often hog the rides as 'there is nothing else for them to do', bless. There is a large duck pond and cricket pitch which is sometimes used by the Essex cricketers for matches. The cafe is a little rundown but is popular and serves hot and cold food upon request. The park has a set of toilets which as expected leave a lot to be desired. There is adequate parking in the immediate area on road and also a carpark which is fairly large.

    It's not Priory Park, but it's still a park you should definatly check out…read more Featuring a lake/duck-pond and childrens play areas for the children, and open areas for adults to have a kick-about or to just relax and enjoy the scenery, it's definatly a nice place to waste some time when you've got a lazy day. The cafe is a bit dingy, and although it seems to be rarely open is in major need of an over-haul and renovation from the ground-up. The car park does often fill up quickly during school holidays, so you may very well have to look for alternate parking, especially if you're driving something like a Chelsea Tractor, AKA Land Rover, and need half a mile to park the thing, so it's best to drive around the local area and find an alternate spot, as the provided car-park area is full of people with very poor parking skills it seems.

    John Burrows Recreational Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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