Fantastic Frinton

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Frinton Fantastic

With the help of our friends at Tendring District Council, we take a look at Frinton-on-Sea, boasting a stunning Blue Flag beach with golden sands – the perfect location for a relaxed way of life, but with plenty more on offer.

Frinton-on Sea is a beautiful coastal town bringing together all of the charms of a genteel community by the sea with a heritage to be proud of – making it an excellent choice for people looking to settle down.

It lies within Tendring district on the Essex Sunshine Coast, a stunning coastline spanning over 36 miles that combines the traditions of the seaside with a modern twist. Frinton began to grow in the late 19th century as a fashionable resort, with golf, cricket and lawn tennis clubs three of the main attractions for people visiting – which have all celebrated their 100th anniversaries and are still thriving today.

Featuring attractive, tree-lined avenues, the town’s bustling Connaught Avenue hosts a wealth of shops and businesses. Frinton offers a selection of independent shops, with popular high street brands located in the town as well as nearby Clacton and Harwich. If you enjoy eating out, then you can whet your appetite in an array of country pubs, restaurants, fish and chip shops, cafés and coffee shops in and around Frinton as well as the surrounding towns and villages.

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The seafront, avenues and town centre of Frinton lie mostly within a designated conservation area, its historic special character protected for years to come and maintaining it as a location of choice for many to live in.

The town is a floral delight; Frinton in Bloom has won a Royal Horticultural Society Gold Medal every year for the last 10 years, as well as being crowned Anglia in Bloom’s best small town for eight of the last nine competitions.

The sandy award-winning beach spans more than two miles below Frinton, with plenty of space to relax and soak up the sunshine surrounded by blue seas, clean sand, and picture-postcard beach huts. Easy to access from the large greensward, an emerald gem running along the top of the cliffs down to the beach – which boasts a Seaside Award from Keep Britain Tidy – there is also plenty of free parking for those looking to visit the seafront for the day should you choose a property not quite within walking distance of the seafront.

As well as the Greensward, a protected space for people to enjoy, Frinton’s award-winning Crescent Gardens enjoy Green Flag status while The Naze and Hamford Water at neighbouring town Walton have a Site of Special Scientific Interest status and are wonderful for exploring the great outdoors.

Other nearby amenities include Walton-on-the-Naze Lifestyles leisure centre, complete with a swimming pool.

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There is also a skate park, a newly created playground and a modern theatre and community hub – The Colombine Centre. The Naze with its 1720 Tower and the Essex Wildlife Centre are perfect at low tide to explore the nearby untamed coast.

The arts have a long history in the town with Frinton Summer Theatre founded in 1934, making it the oldest surviving weekly Summer Repertory Theatre company in England. Each year, it stages eight productions during July and August, and can boast a long list of big name acting stars from both the beginning of their careers and after stage success.

There is no end to outdoor activities to keep you occupied, from picturesque villages steeped in a wealth of history to the beautiful, unspoiled country landscapes to discover and explore. Historic Harwich is a stone’s throw away, with every village having its own story to tell.

For families with children moving to the area, the local primary school is rated by Ofsted as ‘Good’ with ‘Outstanding’ in some areas, while the town also boasts an independent school with an ‘Outstanding’ rating. There are several secondary schools serving the district, Colchester Institute and the 6th Form College for Further Education with the University of Essex also sitting close by in Colchester, served by rail and bus.

Those looking to work or set up their own business in and around Frinton have many opportunities awaiting. Tourism is a key sector along the Essex Sunshine Coast, worth more than £353 million to the local economy, while start-up business units are available in a number of nearby towns and villages.

In addition to these opportunities, Frinton lies extremely close to the upand-coming Freeport East – centred around the ports of Felixstowe and Harwich, and with a customs site at Horsley Cross – which will see an estimated 13,500 jobs created over the coming years, particularly in the clean energy, logistics and supporting supply chain industries.

Superfast broadband is available across the town, either commercially or through the Superfast Essex scheme, which means that working from home is a viable option – as well as being great for households using multiple internet devices. Similarly, businesses that are reliant on a fast internet connection can have confi dence in establishing themselves in Frinton. The town is served by its own railway station, with hourly trains to Colchester – for onward connections to London Liverpool Street, Ipswich or Norwich – or direct trains from Thorpe-le-Soken railway station fi ve miles away. Nearby stations at Kirby Cross and Walton-on-the-Naze also serve as alternatives depending on your chosen location within Frinton.

For those using private transport, Frinton is well-connected to Colchester and beyond via the B1033, A133 and A120; while those with a maritime interest can make use of facilities at nearby Titchmarsh Marina and the Walton and Frinton Yacht Club. Frinton is also only 15 miles away from Harwich International Port.

There are an estimated 146,000 people living in Tendring, with around 20,000-plus residents in Frinton, Walton, and the neighbouring villages of Great Holland, Kirby Cross and Kirby-le-Soken.

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