The capital of the Sunshine Coast which boasts over 36 miles of clean sandy beaches along the north east Essex coastline and is also acclaimed as the driest location in England.

Clacton became a popular holiday location with the early Victorians who traveled here by steamboat and the town was built up around the pier, although its name is derived from the ancient village of Great Clacton which is located one mile inland and has now been absorbed into the town borough.

The Pier still stands and is now a popular tourist attraction as are the beautiful promenade memorial gardens. There are also a wide range of other recreational facilities including two theatres, a two screen cinema, two golf courses adjacent the town airfield, bowling greens, sports centre with swimming pool and for those night owls there is a fantastic selection of olde worlde and modern themed pubs, restaurants and two nightclubs.

The largest shopping area is in Clacton's town centre which provides an interesting mix of chain stores, local shops and supermarkets. There are various smaller shopping centres around the borough and the Clacton Common Shopping Village which is located on the town outskirts.

There is an attractive blend of housing with most of the older properties situated around Clacton Town and in the Great Clacton village centre. As Clacton became popular as a retirement location many bungalows were built along the coastline from Holland-on-Sea through to Jaywick. Most of the modern housing which includes starter homes, family properties and more bungalows is located inland at Great Clacton and around Bockings Elm.

Education is an important issue nowadays and it's good to know that Clacton offers good facilities for children through a number of highly regarded schools and pre school nurseries. There is also private schooling facilities available close by and an adult education centre which provides an excellent range of courses for the more mature student. Essex University and other college facilities are located in nearby Colchester. (Click here for more information).

With excellent road links Clacton offers ease of travel to London (70 miles), the rest of East Anglia and the Midlands. The prosperous town of Colchester is 15 miles and Harwich, the gateway to Europe through its ferry systems is only 9 miles. Clactons mainline railway station connects to London's Liverpool Street and serves a sizeable commuter population and is also a favourite with day trippers.