Tours

Walking tours with Josie Watson

I’m a qualified Colchester Blue Badge Guide of many years. I love leading tours of Colchester and across North Essex and South Suffolk for many different groups.

I lead tours and walks for groups of friends, family groups and work colleagues, and for school groups and interest groups, such the WEA, the U3A and the WI. (And any other group with an acronym that you can think of!) I can tailor my tours and walks to your specific needs in terms of the amount of talking I do, and the amount of walking you do!

I’ve led Roman Colchester and Siege of Colchester tours for Key Stage 2 children.

I have led my Manningtree and Mistley Witchfinder General Tour for for Year 13 students in the UK and for students from Wakes Forest University in North Carolina. It’s also a very popular tour with reading groups who have read books like ‘The Manningtree Witches’ by AK Blakemore.

I’m very happy to create bespoke tours for groups. For example, for a local U3A architecture group I have led a number of architecture tours, including “Converted Buildings of Colchester” “The Art-Deco Buildings of Frinton” and “Harwich through it’s Buildings”.

Or maybe you just fancy arranging a visit to a pretty village for your group? Then how about a trip Lavenham, Clare or Dedham

“..a special thanks to Josie Watson for a wonderful tour, we both enjoyed it very much..

Walking tours I can offer:

• Colchester – ‘From Camulodunum to Colchester’ : 2,000 years of history

 

• Colchester – ‘Hidden Gems’ : away from the city centre, along the River Colne, past the National Trust owned Bourne Mill and back into town past the Roman Circus and St. John’s Abbey

 

• Colchester – The Essex Serpent and other literary connections‘ : how the town has appeared in literature

 

• Colchester – various themed tours of Colchester uncovering stories from the cities fascinating history, including the Roman Period, the Siege of Colchester, and Victorian Colchester.

 

• Sudbury – a fascinating Suffolk market town

   

• Lavenham – beautiful timber-framed buildings and a glorious wool church

 

• Long Melford – a town whose buildings and church display the wealth and power of the wool trade

 

• Dedham – a delightful village on the Essex-Suffolk border, famed for it’s connections to John Constable

 

• Manningtree and Mistley– explore the villages, and walk by the beautiful River Stour to uncover the terrible tale of Matthew Hopkins, the notorious Witchfinder General

 

• Thaxted – explore this fascinating village, with its Guildhall, windmill, majestic church, links to Gustav Holst and rolling Essex countryside

 

All my tours are bespoke, and created to meet the needs and interests of your party. For more information please email me (essexdaysout@gmail.com) or use our contact form and we will get back to you.

Coach tours in Constable Country

I have retired from providing guiding services to coaches in North Essex and Suffolk.