Walking a 26-mile stretch from Hertfordshire, our writer witnesses how a neglected artery of the city has been transformed into a recreational and cultural hub

The seaside town hosts a street-art festival and the world’s first digital art park, while nearby Leigh is packed with galleries

Wellness tourism is almost exclusively a white domain. But one lifestyle coach has made it her mission to challenge that status quo. We join her Essex retreat

A tour of Britain’s most easterly inhabited island – Mersea – reveals centuries of history, and a newly revamped pub

On 2 July we sent six writers and photographers to capture a typical British summer’s day. Joe Dunthorne headed to Leigh-on-Sea

Our writer explores marshes, boatyards, islands and eerie stretches of the Blackwater and Colne rivers – the setting for new TV drama The Essex Serpent

A gentle rural landscape is the backdrop to an arty saunter around the River Stour, crisscrossing the Suffolk-Essex border, and ending in a 500-year-old pub

This ancient former royal hunting ground on the north-east edge of London has a lot to teach about how people and woods can coexist harmoniously

Horsey Island, which can only be reached around low tide, hosts a solitary cottage that gives visitors the chance to sample its peace and sense of mystery

This 500-mile walking adventure has provided revelations – and huge incongruities – in its coastal towns and villages

The new Waterfronts exhibition – part of the England’s Creative Coast project – brings contemporary sculpture to seaside towns to challenge visitors

The Observer’s architecture critic discovers a fascinating collision of industry, historic churches, waterfront and wildlife

Searching for wild foods in the UK can mean discovering fresh or forgotten tastes. For one furloughed worker it also turned into a life-affirming hobby

From Northumberland to Essex, beauty can be found in less touristy areas