On our site you will have wonderful views over the creek as you watch the tide edd and flow on the Colne Estuary. Your gaze will also be met with the Thorrington Tide Mill (03330 138156) a fully restored tidal mill built in 1831. It is now owned by Essex County Council and opened as a museum between April and September on the last Sunday of every month including some bank holidays and special mill open days. If you venture down to the mill and beyond by foot, there's glorious bird watching along the Colne Estuary, with footpaths leading directly down to the water. Enjoy the sandy beaches around Brightlingsea - lined with beach huts and backed by a long promenade. This environment attracts a lot of wildlife, the site offers an excellent base for bird watching and scenic walks.
Nearby are coastal towns such as Brightlingsea, Wivenhoe, Manningtree, Frinton-on-Sea, Clacton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze, each with plenty of attractions. Take a day out to nearby Essex Wildlife Trust sites such as Fingringhoe, Walton-on-the-Naze and Abberton Reservoir or head inland to Colchester, Britain's oldest recorded town (20 minutes in the car). The village of Dedham is also a particular joy, in the heart of Constable country (25 minutes by car). It was here that Britain's greatest landscape artist went to school and today the main street is lined with attractive Georgian houses, old inns and a large art/crafts centre.
There are supermarkets in nearby Brightlingsea, while Thorrington itself, offers a local store for basic supplies and a great local pub, The Red Lion (01206 252001).