I'm looking for a town/village in essex with a tennis club & good cycle paths

[katymac]

We are moving - don't know where to yet but are considering Essex

I'd like some nice safe way to cycle around & DH would like a tennis club - he plays 4-5 times a week

Can anyone recommend where they live?

[Monkeybunkey]

Dedham (north Essex, right on the Suffolk border) has a tennis club, I believe. Website here: dedhamtennis.org.uk/blog/. It's also in an area of outstanding natural beauty (Dedham Vale) with plenty of nice walks and cycle routes.

[Shortdarkandfeisty]

www.theguardian.com/money/2013/sep/27/lets-move-to-brentwood-essex

[Shortdarkandfeisty]

brentwood-tennis-club.co.uk.websitebuilder.prositehosting.co.uk

[Shortdarkandfeisty]

I dont live there btw!

[summerfruitsquash]

Brentwood not so good for cycling. The town itself is very busy and it's a hilly area. Even the surrounding area is not the safest area to cycle around as a lot of streets have on road parking, lorries often use it as a cut- through between the a12 and m25 and it's just a generally busy place. That being said, the further away from the town centre, the quieter it is.
There are country parks nearby (Weald, Thorndon) which have pathways suitable for mountain bikes, I'm not sure whether that's what you'd want though.

[katymac]

Thanks everyone for all that info

I was hoping to get a little office job 2/3/4 mornings a week & cycle there (pending decisions on disance) obviously we will rent until we find our dream home - I'm just not too sure where to start looking

[Spickle]

How about Stock/Billericay? Two tennis clubs one near London Road in Billericay and one in Stock Road between Billericay and Stock. It's popular with joggers and walkers too and Billericay is a buzzing little town where you might be able to find an office job!

[PenguinDi]

As an Essex girl I would stick to north or west essex, there are a lot of small villages around Colchester and also the Epping area. South east essex can be pricey and busy being in the commuter belt (Southend/Basildon etc).

[katymac]

Thanks - these are all places I can look

[PragmaticWench]

Colchester is quite hilly but you can cycle, Chelmsford is flatter but I don't know about cycle lanes there.

[katymac]

Thanks Pragmatic (I have an electric bike so a few hills are OK )

[Svalberg]

Lots of tennis clubs in Essex

www.lta.org.uk/play/venues/?tennis-in-essex

[katymac]

Wow there are thousands!