It was May 2019 and I hadn’t seen my nan in years. The last time I visited, she was living in London and I was in the midst of a divorce. Oh, how dramatically life changes. Since then, I’d been all over the world and back, several times. In the meantime, she’d relocated to the town of Colchester.

“What the hell is there to do in Colchester?” a friend of mine asked, with the king of all arched eyebrows. I had no answer to this question and actually it didn’t matter. For the most part, I was happy simply to chill out with my nan. 

As it turned out, I had plenty of time to explore. My nan lives just a short walk from the town centre, which allowed me to tick off Colchester’s key sights over a couple of leisurely days.

I certainly enjoyed my time in this underrated town. Oozing with history, Colchester was once the capital of Roman Britain. You can dive into those historic times with a visit to Colchester Castle, situated in one of England’s loveliest parks.

Elsewhere, I found myself wandering the ruins of a 12th century Augustinian church and drinking in the exhibitions of a thriving art gallery. There’s also a museum about local life housed in a grand eighteenth century townhouse. Not to mention one of England’s most authentic traditional sweet shops.

For all this, and more, why not visit Colchester with my articles on:

Colchester Castle Museum

Colchester Castle Park

Firstsite Art Gallery

Hollytrees Museum

St. Botolph’s Priory

& my hand-picked spots from across town 

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