About Wivenhoe
A few miles SE of Essex on the north bank of the River Colne, ‘hoe’ evidently being Saxon for a promontory. Historically a port for Colchester, ship-building helped it to grown, and more recently the growth of the University of Essex has seen an influx of university staff. It’s also a bit artsy, and amongst it’s famous residents have been painter Francis Bacon and actress Joan Hickson. Notable current artist James Dodd, and poet Martin Newell are both residents and draw heavily on the area in their art.
Getting there and out and about
You can walk to Wivenhoe from Colchester quite easily. The small town is served by a good train station and bus service. There’s not a huge amount of parking – look out for the car park on your right as you drive into town.
You can explore the waterfront and the side streets, pop into a couple of pubs – The Black Buoy is now community-owned and serves great beer and food, and The Rose and Crown sits on the waterfront and has plenty of tables out front on which to sit and drink (and eat their equally good food) and watch the Colne as it passes by.
If you want to stretch your legs, the Essex Walks website has a nice 3.5m route.
