Inside charming Brit seaside town that's 'like taking massive step back in time'

19 August 2023 , 06:20

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A popular seaside village has been described as being from a "bygone era" (Image: Fraser Gray/REX/Shutterstock)

A charming seaside town that has been named "one of the best places to live in England" has been described as "like taking a massive step back in time”.

With plenty of attractions, a relaxed cafe culture and a variety of restaurants to eat, it is easy to see why Leigh-on-Sea is so popular. It’s a friendly town with good schools and a sea front which benefits from fast trains into London.

In a comprehensive county-by-county breakdown across England, Muddy Stilettos released a list of the top 250 places to live in 2023 where Leigh-on-Sea came in first position as the best location to be based in Essex. The annual list by the UK women's lifestyle brand picks out the towns and villages with the best shops, pubs and attractions.

Boats in the fishing village (Fraser Gray/REX/Shutterstock)

And Leigh-on-Sea beat off other popular spots like Saffron Walden and Thaxted to take the number one position in the county as well as being among the best places to live nationally as it finished in fifth overall. Muddy Stilettos stated of Leigh-on-Sea: "Industrial-style coffee houses, boutique bars and a sandy shoreline lined by characterful cockle sheds: Leigh-on-Sea is Southend’s smaller, trendier sister and thanks to a steady stream of relocating Londoners over the years, it’s managed to blend its small-town-seaside charm with on-trend hospitality offerings.”

And visitors to the town seem to agree with plenty of five star ratings on Tripadvisor. One fan wrote: “A massive step back in time to a simple age of fish and fishermen. Off the beaten track without a through road, cobbled streets and historic cottages combine with the gentle purr of the incoming fishing boats on the tide.

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"The unmistakable smell of the estuary makes Old Leigh an inspiration to poets and artists like. A place to ignore the hustle and bustle and escape to a bygone age. Don't travel to the Essex coast without taking in a visit there.”

There are plenty of other similarly positive comments with a visitor saying: “A lovely old fishing village, with working boats to see, and fish and seafood to buy and try.” A further said: “This beautiful little place was always on my places to visit and we visited earlier today. The place is not very big but is packed full of interesting buildings and places to eat as well as a nice beach at the far end of the town. The train station is nearby and very handily placed for Leigh on Sea and there are boat trips available on the High street.”

Tim Hanlon