Well the football may not have lived up to the halycon days of 1966 but this glorious summer weather is definitely worth coming home to.

Though the phrase ‘staycation’ was only coined a few years ago, holidaying in the UK has been on the rise for several years now as the quality of the resorts and accommodation improves.

Package holidays abroad began to take off in the UK towards the end of the Sixties as people began to take a fortnight’s holiday from work and money became more available. Up to that point we really did love to be beside the seaside, enjoying that heady mixture of sea air and top entertainers

With more than 350 miles of coastline, Essex resorts, such as Clacton, Frinton and Southend, drew in the crowds. By 1966 repertory theatre had established itself at the West Cliff Theatre in Clacton with the plays that summer starring a young Bill Treacher, better known as Arthur Fowler in BBC’s EastEnders. Fast forward to 2018 and the theatre has re-introduced the glitz and glamour of the summer show, which began in the theatre in 1894.

Wivenhoe House is only half an hour from Clacton and if, after a day of paddling in the sea or riding the rollercoaster, you prefer to have your evening entertainment closer to home, the Mercury Theatre in Colchester is staging Babe, The Sheep-Pig from 27 July until 26 August.

We have some fantastic summer offers for couples and families, running at Wivenhoe House, a calm parkland oasis where you can enjoy dinner on our terrace, relax in our spacious grounds and take a trip down nostalgia lane as you visit the numerous visitor attractions in the area.

For a calmer day out by the sea you can head from Wivenhoe House to Frinton, with its wide beaches and colourful beach huts.

In the first half of the last century Frinton attracted visitors from high society. Connaught Avenue, named after the Duke of Connaught and opened by his wife, was nicknamed East Anglia’s Bond Street. Other attractions included a lido complete with palm trees, high class hotels along the Esplanade, and a tennis tournament second only to Wimbledon. The Prince of Wales frequented the golf club and Winston Churchill rented a house.

You can still enjoy the genteel atmosphere in the town and even the fantastic links golf course, with a welcome sea breeze to keep you cool, however you are playing.