Heathrow Airport 1 hr 9
RSPB Rainham Marshes (19 min)
Bird-rich former marshland firing range with accessible boardwalks and a modern visitor centre. Tilbury Fort (21 min)
Riverside fort built to protect London, with bastions, moats and a magazine house, plus a gift shop. Hall Place & Gardens (26 min)
Stately Tudor mansion with antique furniture & formal gardens featuring whimsical topiary bushes. Thorndon Country Park (15 min)
Trails through a landscape of ancient oak trees, marshes & meadows, with birdlife & grazing cattle. Hainault Forest Country Park (29 min)
Walking trails in a forest park with adventure play area, fishing lake and varied zoo with a cafe. Old MacDonald's Farm & Fun Park (19 min)
Small, homespun farm with the usual zoo suspects, plus alpacas, wallabies and owls, and kids' rides. Hall Place (26 min)
Garden, river, and architecture Red House (30 min)
National Trust-run house and gardens of the founder of the arts and crafts architectural movement. Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker (28 min)
Large underground bunker with self-guided tours, a Cold War history museum, canteen & ropes course. The Thames Barrier (41 min)
Among the largest movable flood barriers in the world, this landmark dam offers a visitor center. Crossness Pumping Station (38 min)
Guided tours of an ornate 1865 pumping station with red columns, arches & wrought-iron decoration. Barleylands Farm Park (18 min)
Family-friendly attraction featuring farm animals, craft workshops, rides, play areas & more. Weald Country Park (17 min)
Historic 500-acre park with a visitor centre, cafe & paths, plus fallow deer & a shop selling feed. Epping Ongar Railway (32 min) Danson House (30 min)
Public tours are offered weekly of this Georgian mansion built in 1766 & surrounded by Danson Park. | 
