The other side to Essex with sandy beaches and biggest pleasure pier in the UK

CAN I let you in on a secret? There is another side to Essex that does not often get shown.

In fact, it is the opposite to the flashy TV show — sleepy, picturesque villages, miles of sandy beaches and even a colony of seals who live there all year round.

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You can hunt for fossils, walk on historic piers and gaze out to sea from the top of an 18th-century tower?

At the end of a weekend away there, I felt a bit ashamed for having been so blinkered.

Walton-on-the-Naze could not be further from the teeming high streets of Towie fame.

There are no flashy nightspots here.

Instead, there’s an internationally recognised site for heritage, geology and ecology due to the 55million-year-old fossil-bearing cliffs.

And it is the fossil hunting that is the real attraction if you are on a family day out.

With some expert help from Essex Wildlife Trust and local legend Max Nicolic, my ten-year-old daughter Martha was able to uncover a 50million-year-old whale ear bone and my seven-year-old, Lyla, some five-million-year-old fossilised wood.

I was reassured that although these beaches get very busy come summertime, there is still room to escape the sunseekers and hunt for shark teeth.

Make sure you check out the Naze Tower, built in 1720 and used during the Napoleonic Wars as a lookout, beacon and signalling station.

Now it is an all-weather visitor attraction, housing tea rooms, a museum, art gallery and viewing platform.

Not for the faint-hearted, it is an 111-step climb up a very narrow old Victorian spiral staircase to the 86ft-high viewing platform.

But the views from the top are worth it.

And there’s a multitude of places to stay while you are in the area.

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We went for a wooden lodge at Lee Wick Farm, which offers cottages and glamping options in St Osyth.

The fourth-generation family-run farm is set by the coast, giving guests a wonderful view across a nature reserve as you relax in a wood-fired hot tub.

It has a wide range of accommodation and welcomes families, couples and dogs.

We were cosy in our Lushna Mezzanine lodge, complete with floor-to-ceiling glass through which to enjoy the panoramic views.

If you fancy a walk, there is a stunning coastal trek back to the Naze, or you can walk along to Clacton-on-Sea.

And what a place Clacton is. It is full of old-fashioned, kiss-me-quick seaside charm and has a pier dating back to 1870.

It also has one of the most jam-packed event lists I’ve ever seen at a British seaside resort, whether it be live music, free fireworks, face-painting, or an Armed Forces weekend.

With rollercoasters and rides galore, it is like the smaller sister of Brighton.

There is also soft play, adventure golf, bowling, arcades, a huge bar, go-karts. And coming this year . . .  a Jurassic Park ride.

It is happy, busy, colourful chaos and the perfect place to head when you have finished with the fossil-hunting.

So if you just don’t fancy the razzle-dazzle of the Towie towns, this is the other way to see Essex.