Picture Postcard Essex

Enjoy a guided tour in beautiful Essex

 

Looking for a beautifully curated coach trip to Essex filled with heritage villages, rolling countryside, and classic English charm? Our Postcard Essex Day Trip is one of the most scenic and relaxing days out in the East of England.

 

Essex is home to some of the most photogenic villages in Britain. With its timberframed houses, medieval churches, windmills, and peaceful greens, this region offers a true escape into rural England. Our expert guide brings every stop to life with local history, quirky tales, and insider knowledge

 

Your day begins with a relaxing drive through quiet lanes, patchwork fields, and chocolatebox hamlets. As you travel, our guide will share stories of Essex’s noble families, ancient traditions, and colourful characters.

 

Our first stop is Thaxted, one of the most picturesque villages in the county. Highlights include:

• The striking Guildhall

• The famous Thaxted Windmill

• The magnificent Parish Church of St John the Baptist

• Tea rooms and independent shops

It’s a perfect place for a gentle stroll and midmorning refreshments.

 

After morning coffee we’ll see inside the impressive church where the Communist Vicar flew the red flag and Gustav Holst, who lived in the village, played the organ, writing the beautiful music for I Vow To Thee My Country in this very church.

 

Then it’s cross country on the coach to discover the beauty of rural Essex as we head to a proper chocolate box village for lunch. Finchingfield has everything a picture postcard village requires – a village green, a pond with ducks and a church and windmill on the hill. In the old village pub you’ll be served a two course lunch with coffee. 

 

In the afternoon we visit the astonishing and ancient Cressing Temple – the first rural estate granted to the Knights Templar in Britain. The estate is remarkable for two extraordinary timber barns, the finest in Europe and one of them the oldest in the world – built when Genghis Khan still trod this Earth. There are also numerous other medieval buildings, a Tudor walled garden and a Tiptree Tea Room where you can buy refreshments before we head for home at 4.30pm