Whether you are after a staycation or a day out…

Brightlingsea welcomes you

Brightlingsea is more than just a row of charming beach huts, more than just a traditional High Street full of independent shops, more than a hard-working yet handsome harbour…

It’s more than just a town, and you can find it within an hour and a half from London by road or rail, or a day’s sail from most Thames Estuary ports.

Things To Do

Brightlingsea has a range of things to do no matter your age and budget, there’s no excuse to not have a great day, weekend or longer stay.

If it’s culture you’re after then you’ll love the musical and historic side to our Town.

Nature lovers will enjoy the coastal and inland walks and the chance to see anything from seals to snakes!

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brightlingsea food

Food and Drink

Think you’ve had Fish and Chips before? Think again.

But we’ve got plenty more to offer whether you’re after just a drink, a sit-down meal or some quality local ingredients to cook yourself.

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Shopping

Do you love High Streets the way they used to be?

With more than 90% of the retailers in Brightlingsea being independents, not chains, you can be sure of a great service to go along with the fantastic range of local products available.

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Getting Here

Brightlingsea is easily accessible by road and water, find out more below.

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About Brightlingsea

Brightlingsea is located on the North Essex coast between Clacton on Sea and Colchester, at the mouth of the River Colne.

With the Colne on one side and Brightlingsea Creek on the other, it’s very nearly an island and some say it has that kind of ‘island feel’ around it, with just the one road leading in and out of the town.

In fact, Brightlingsea was in fact an island up until only a few hundred years ago.

As you might expect, the town has a rich seafaring history stretching all the way back to the Middle Ages when a port was first established through to WW1 and WW2 and the leisure and working port we see today.

Credit: Tony Lopez

We’ve come up with some handy guides to help you get the most out of your visit:

This website is a project from the
Brightlingsea Tourism Advisory Panel, made up of:

Brightlingsea Town Council logo
Brightlingsea Harbour Commissioners logo
Brightlingsea Museum logo
Colne Yacht Club logo
Little Boat Gifts