Rural areas/villages in Essex???

[roxie12345]

Hello people

We currently live right next to Gatwick where it is too expensive to buy our first house. So looking at other areas to buy a house where it's not as expensive!!

Can anyone suggest any lovely villages in Essex that we can look at OR any places to avoid!???

Thank youuuuu

Do you need to commute to London? Because that will influence where in Essex you should look.

I grew up in North East Essex, near the Suffolk border. The villages there are lovely, and there is good access to the coast, but the nearby towns (Colchester and Ipswich) aren't great. plus there's a longish commute to London (Liverpool Street).

The Saffron Walden area is lovely. Pretty villages, a quicker commute to London (still Liverpool St) and also not far from Cambridge which is a fab city.

I dont know the South Essex area so can't comment on that, but presumably the commute to London is quicker.

I live in a village v nr Colchester. Many bits of Colchester are fine, agree, it really depends on if you need ready access to London.

Stock is a very pretty village near Billericay, so good for commuting to Liverpool Street.
Danbury is a little larger, pretty, good facilities, near Chelmsford.
Neither are cheap though.

Thanks guys.

Umm, I don't need to travel to London at all..

In that case - are you looking for very rural? seaside? do you need schools?
Maldon is nice. Small town rather than a village.
Coggeshall is pretty.
And I be happy in Pleshey.
Stock and Danbury still apply - unless you want very rural.

NE essex near Suffolk border there is Dedham, Stratford St Mary, Mistley, All near Colchester (and there is nothing at all wrong with Colchester, it has loads of restaurants, bars, theatre, cinema, and some of the best schools in the country if you need that).

Stock is more mid/South Essex, other places such as Horndon on the Hill are very pretty. Also it's more of a market town but Saffron Walden is nice.

I grew up in Horndon. Tis lovely.

Doddinghurst is lovely. Rural but only 15 mins from Brentwood.

If you don't need to be need to commute that will extend your choice a lot. I moved out to Essex 9 years ago and think it's a great county. Houses are much cheaper than Sussex. Have lived in Finchingfield in North East Essex- lovely but touristy. Down the road is Great Bardfield which is lovely, lots of beautiful period houses. Saffron Walden is lovely but from what I've heard has become quite pricey. Villages around the Colne valley (North East Essex) are also good- Chappel, Bures and Fordham. Do you need to think about schools?

Wivenhoe is nice

One more thing in North East Essex you need to check out plane noise from Stansted. Thaxted is lovely but has bad plane noise.
One more to add to your list to look at is Castle Hedingham.

Hi ya , i am thinking of moving to finchingfield, can anyone recommend a good secondary school for my daughter nesr there ?