Clacton on Sea (England)

Clacton is a fairly small coastal town situated in North Essex that I call home. I’d never even visited Clacton before I moved here and after living here for nearly three years, I can’t say I’m sure why anybody bothers coming here for a holiday. But plenty of people do and now I’m going to share my opinion of the town, facilities and anything else I can think of that would interest the potential tourist.

==Getting to Clacton==
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If driving, Clacton can be a tad confusing, there is a one-way system in both the main road into the town and the town itself. The roads can also be chaotic, a journey that should have took me two minutes along the seafront took me ten today simply due to the volume of traffic on the roads. Even during the winter months free parking spaces are at a premium, there are a few available but they have severe restrictions, most allowing only ... more

Clacton is a fairly small coastal town situated in North Essex that I call home. I’d never even visited Clacton before I moved here and after living here for nearly three years, I can’t say I’m sure why anybody bothers coming here for a holiday. But plenty of people do and now I’m going to share my opinion of the town, facilities and anything else I can think of that would interest the potential tourist.

Getting to Clacton

Clacton is not the easiest of places to get to, one train an hour runs from London Liverpool Street and this is a journey that takes over an hour. The particular route is also prone to delays, with a least one train a month being delayed by 30 minutes or more. By road the journey is a little easier by taking the A133 off the A120. However this route becomes very busy during the summer months, there is also a ‘back road’, which is often used by the locals as it tends to be a little quieter. Buses run half-hourly during the day from Colchester, but a word of warning, this is a route that not only goes ‘round the houses’ but is also quite bumpy and can be uncomfortable.

Getting Around Clacton

If driving, Clacton can be a tad confusing, there is a one-way system in both the main road into the town and the town itself. The roads can also be chaotic, a journey that should have took me two minutes along the seafront took me ten today simply due to the volume of traffic on the roads. Even during the winter months free parking spaces are at a premium, there are a few available but they have severe restrictions, most allowing only one hour of parking and no return within four hours. There are a good number of ‘pay’ car parks, but I find these expensive with a minimum charge of £1.20 for an hour, and again these do get very busy during the summer months. A word of warning, do not bother trying to park illegally or over-stay as there are traffic wardens and they are very active.

The bus services in Clacton are actually very good, with regular services to most areas, but they are also very expensive coming in at over £2 for a fairly short journey. Taxis are plentiful, with in excess of five companies servicing the area and these are reasonably cheap, it works out cheaper if three or more are using a taxi than it does by bus. Being a smallish town, most amenities can be accessed on foot with it taking no more than an hour to walk from one end of the town to the other.

Staying In Clacton

There are plenty of different places to stay in or very near to Clacton. There are various caravan sites and holiday parks, which while not in Clacton itself are very close. Off the top of my head I can think of at least five of these including one run by Haven. I’ve never stayed in any of these so I can’t comment on the quality of accommodation but have spent an evening at the Haven site and found the entertainment, well entertaining. There are also a number of budget B&Bs, where the rooms and service are very basic, but at £20/£30 per person per night I’m not sure I’d really expect much more from them. Many of the budget ‘hotels’ are used by the local council as emergency housing, so there aren’t as many rooms available as there could be. There are also a couple of more upmarket hotels, but again I’ve never used these and so can’t comment on value for money. There will also be a Premier Inn opening within the next month.

What To Do In Clacton

There’s really not that much to do in Clacton, or the immediate area. There is of course the beach, and as beaches go it’s not too bad. With plenty of sand and only a small amount of shingle it’s fine for paddling or making sand castles. It’s fairly clean too, dogs aren’t allowed on the main beach from the 1st of May until the end of August, so there’s not a lot of their mess around. There are also bins dotted on the sand itself so, in theory, there shouldn’t be too much litter. There is also a ‘Blue Flag’ beach at Martello Bay, which isn’t really that different from the others, but does feature an area dedicated to water sports such as jet-skiing and kite surfing. Life guards are in evidence during peak times, and these are often needed due to the strong currents in the North Sea.

Clacton Pier is possibly the most touristy that the town gets, but this is quite the disappointment as far as thrill-seeking goes. There are a few rides but they’re tame by anybody’s standard. The featured aquarium is a small and not even worth the couple of quid entrance fee. There are also a few amusements and a large number of ‘grab’ machines, but possibly the best thing to do on the pier is simply take a stroll up it’s 360m and look at the actually quite stunning views of the coastline. Oh and if fishing is your thing then tickets can be purchased that allow sea fishing right at the very end. The seawall in Jaywick (just along the coast from Clacton) is also very popular with fishers, although the quality of fishing here has dropped somewhat since improvements were made to the sea defences.

Along with the pier there is a promenade/walk ranging from Jaywick on one side of Clacton to Great Holland on the other. Near the pier there are some formal gardens that would possibly be very nice to sit in, if it wasn’t for the fact that these are a haunt of the local drunks. There is also a road train from Clacton to Holland which at only £2 for a 4 mile round trip is fairly good value and makes a nice little trip.

As well as the beach, Clacton has a few other activities, if history is your thing then the observation towers are worth a look. There is a golf course that while I’ve never visited, I have walked past a few times and it does seem quite popular. The leisure centre is reasonable, with a swimming pool, Gym, Sauna and Spa along with outdoor playing areas including tennis courts. I’m really racking my brains now to think if there’s anything else to do in Clacton, and there’s not much. If you’re interested in aircraft, then Clacton does have a little airfield which only seems to accommodate small craft, and there is the Football Club where matches are held during the season, but to be honest I’ve never bothered with Clacton FC and couldn’t even tell you what league they’re in.

What there are quite a few of in Clacton is pubs some of which are reasonable, and others a waste of space. The two major players are The Moon And Starfish (a generic Wetherspoons, can be cheap but deadly dull) and Tom Peppers (a little livelier, but refuses entry if in tracksuit bottoms after 7pm). The Carlton is a little more up-market and all three of these serve food as well as alcohol. If you’re looking somewhere a little more classy there are a fairly reasonable number of wine bars, but I’ve never actually been in any of these.

For the cultural there are a couple of theatres, one being in the Town Hall (Prince’s Theatre) and the smaller being at Westcliff (near the police station). These seem to show a range of different events, with plays and musical productions. I’ve occasionally seen names I recognise, but not very often.

Shopping In Clacton

Being quite a small town means that Clacton has a fairly small High Street and a very limited number of High Street chain stores. Although there is a QD there isn’t a Wilkinsons, Boots is here, but in a much smaller incarnation than other towns. A few of the fashion chains are represented, but again these are smaller and carry a smaller range than in other towns. One thing Clacton doesn’t lack is supermarkets with almost all the major chains being represented. Sainsbury have a small store in the town centre, then Morrisons and Iceland are a 5 minute walk from the main shopping area, then Tesco is a 10 minute drive from the town as are Somerfield and the Co-Op, there’s even a Lidl. There are surprisingly few souvenir shops, I can only think of a couple off the top of my head, and there are kiosks selling buckets & spades along the seafront. Somewhere I’ve seen advertised but never actually been to is Clacton Shopping Village, but the ad-boards I’ve seen tell me that they offer upto 70% off brand name goods. One aspect of shopping in Clacton you don’t want to miss is the fresh fish for sale on the seafront, close to the pier. There’s nothing like eating fish that you’ve just watched being prepared and seriously fresh.

Eating in Clacton

As well as representatives of nearly all the fast food chains (for some reason we don’t have a Burger King) there are a good number of fish and chip, kebab, Chinese and Indian takeaways. My favourite fish and chip shop is M&As, they seem to do the nicest rock eel & chips and are a reasonable price with both sit down and takeaway service. Subway is also here, but there is a much better place to get sandwiches and rolls, Crispin’s is so much nicer, they cost a bit more but their bacon, sausage & mushroom French sticks are to die for. Many of the pubs serve food, but I don’t usually eat in them, that is except the Martello Inn, which is a Toby Carvery that offers a really nice roast dinner at a very small price.

There is also a coffee shop affair (over-priced if you ask me), a number of small cafes, Gregg’s the bakery, pie and mash shop and the somewhat more highbrow restaurants. I guess what I’m trying to say is that not matter what your taste you’re likely to find something to your taste, whether that be a pizza or three course meal.

Night Life In Clacton

Clacton has a relatively low-key night life, there are of course the pubs and bars, but there are also a small number of small clubs. Fibbers seems to be quite popular with regular special themed nights including the inevitable Skool Disco, situated on top (and part of) Tom Peppers it’s easy to get to and on certain nights the entry fee is reduced if you’ve had a couple of drinks in the pub below. Another club is Vice Versa, I’ve never been in here either as it seems to cater for the younger generation and I’d feel out of place. To be honest if you’re staying in Clacton and looking for a night clubbing I’d suggest getting a train into Colchester (about £6) and going there as there are far more clubs and pubs. Getting back could of course be a problem, but taxis usually cost about £25 from Colchester to Clacton.

As there is only a very limited number of clubs and they are mainly out of the way Clacton doesn’t suffer too much from the bane of drunken revellers standing in the middle of the road or walking out in front of cars. Though saying that the road along the seafront can be a bit stressful at chucking out time. One problem at night is the cruising that goes on around the town centre, the cars travel pretty damn fast so be careful if you’ve had a skin full.

Amenities In Clacton

There are a good number of public toilets, both in the town centre and on the seafront, these are in the main kept in good condition. Toilet rolls are mostly kept stocked, but there have been times when it has run out, it’s a good idea to keep some in your pocket just in case. There are also a good number of disabled toilets. There is a job centre in the town, should you need to deal with during your stay. The main Post Office gets very busy but is open 6 days a week, although only until 12pm on Saturdays. There is also a good number of small local Post Offices although most of these are closed on Wednesday.

One thing that may be important to you, especially if you suffer from a serious medical condition, is that there is NO A&E in Clacton. There is a minor injury unit, that’s open from 9am-9pm, but anything serious will mean an ambulance ride (or car) to Colchester General nearly 20 miles away. And believe me this journey can seem to take forever when you’re in a lot of pain, I know because I’ve experienced it. There are plenty of doctor’s surgeries and dentists if emergency treatment is needed. There is also a 24hour police station, and there are times when there is a very high level of police visibility.

Clactonions

Yes I know I just made that word up, but it’s as good as any. The majority of people in Clacton are fairly laid back, people here take their time and never seem to rush anything. The town centre has a far slower pace than nearby Colchester and I do occasionally find this slowness irritating as I’ve previously lived in a much larger and busier town. There are also a few areas of very high crime, I know I used to live in one. There also seems to be a high proportion of alcoholics, and these do seem to congregate in the shelters along the seafront. While the majority of people here are perfectly nice, normal and polite, there is an element that it’s better to avoid.

In The Clacton Area

Although there’s not much actually in Clacton, there are quite of attractions within 30min-1hr drive. Colchester Zoo is my favourite, but also in England’s oldest town (Colchester) is the Castle Museum, and a wealth of history to discover. A little further away is The Colne Valley Railway, with real steam trains. There a nice nature trail at Wivenhoe and plenty of quiet back roads to explore. Further down the seafront, you’ll find Walton, an even quieter seaside town with an even bigger parking problem, but it does have a much better pier.

Should You Come To Stay

Don’t get me wrong, I like living in Clacton, if I didn’t I would have moved out of the area. It’s just I don’t really understand why people come here on holiday. There’s not a lot to do in Clacton itself, although there are some nice places to visit within 25 miles or so. The night-life is pretty much non-existent, the shops aren’t up to much and it can seem as if nothing ever happens here. Mind you it does get very, very busy along the seafront on the last weekend in August (bank holiday) as the town hosts the air show, which isn’t a bad event at all, as long as the weather holds up. The weather’s not even that good, sure we get some summer sun, but being so near the North Sea it’s nearly always windy, and the sand gets everywhere. Mind you I think it’s worth making a trip to watch a thunder storm over the sea, it’s truly dramatic and puts life into perspective. But other than that I really wouldn't recommending spending a whole week here, a day maybe but not a whole week. 

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