Seaside attractions of Southend

Southend is probably most well known for its seaside attractions. These include the beaches, famous pier, fairgrounds and the amusement arcades.

Beaches

The beaches stretch all the way from Leigh-on-Sea in the West to Shoeburyness in the East - many regularly meeting and exceeding the European standards for cleanliness. The beaches are mainly man-made with imported sand. But this does not deter the thousands of visitors who come to bathe every year. I can find no record of when the sand was first imported.

As the sea is tidal in this part of the Thames estuary, one popular pastime is to walk out onto the mud left when the tide is out - a walk of approximately 1 mile.

Southend Pier is described in the walks section.

Fairgrounds

Peter Pan's Adventure Island is Southend's most high-profile permanent fairground. It boasts plenty of rides including the traditional big-wheel and newly added log-flumes as well as fast and exciting rides reserved only for the brave. Rides can also be found at other locations along Southend's seafront.

Amusement Arcades

The seafront at Southend has many Amusement Arcades with all the most up-to-date video games. Prices can vary so its worth strolling the length of the 'Golden Mile' (actually 200-300 metres) and taking in all the atmosphere. You will encounter a number of pubs along this stretch as well - all very lively venues for the enthusiastic drinker. More details on the pubs can be found in the pubs section.

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Tim.copsey@cableinet.co.uk

Copyright © 1997 Tim Reeves