Maldon is situated on the Blackwater estuary in Essex. Originally a fishing village and market town, it is a great place to visit for adults and children alike.
Travel & Parking
Unfortunately, the station was shut in 1964 by the Beeching closures, so you will need to drive or catch the bus from the county town of Chelmsford (easily accessible from London Liverpool Street taking on average just 33 minutes). If you choose to drive to Maldon, there is plenty of parking available in Promenade Park which is a delightful place for children.
Promenade Park
The free play area boasts a galleon ship, fort, sand pit and zip wire. Adjacent to the play area is a children’s Splash Park which is extremely popular in hot weather. There is also an 18 hole adventure golf course, and on the day we visited there was a children’s zoo, a children’s zorbing pool, and a funfair and mechanical pony rides (which were a big hit with our children). If you want to spend all day in the play park, beach huts are available for hire. However, if you can drag your children away there are many more things to see and do in Maldon!
The Hythe
Walking from the park, towards the Hythe, you will pass the site of the former open air swimming pool which is now an ornamental lake with fountains – home to ducks, swans and moor hens. Birdseed is available to purchase to feed to the ducks. There are plenty of places to eat whether you choose from one of the kiosks selling snacks and ice-cream or visit a pub for lunch.
Boat Trips
A walk along the Hythe takes you past many moored boats including a beautiful Thames barge which takes out trips along the river. We took an enjoyable 40 minute trip on the Viking Saga which cruised past the statue of Brythnoth (who unsuccessfully led the Anglo-Saxon forces against the Vikings at the Battle of Maldon in 991) towards Osea Island. On the return journey we saw the sheds where the famous Maldon sea salt is produced.
Museums and Galleries
The Museum is situated at the top of the park and there is also an art gallery in the park.
High Street
Walk up the hill into the town where there are more pubs and tea rooms in addition to a good range of shops.
Walking
Maldon is a great place for walking and birdwatching, even though in my opinion, the views have been spoilt to a certain extent by the recent housing developments.
If you fancy a day trip to Maldon or want to find out more information then check out the following links:
So, why not visit Maldon – there’s more to Essex than TOWIE!
Out Of The Office 