Burnham is the largest town on the Dengie Peninsula and as such is the predominant tourist attraction. It is a historical, riverside town often referred to as the ‘Cowes of the East Coast’ due to the popularity of sailing both here and in North Fambridge, Bradwell on Sea and St Lawrence. The Dengie Peninsula hosts a variety of festivals including Tillingham and Southminster Flower Shows, Burnhams month long music festival in June, the large and popular carnival in September and the famous Burnham Week Regatta in August. Each year ‘Burnham Week’ attracts sailing enthusiasts from all over the country to descend on the 15 mile stretch of water from the town to the open sea in what is arguably the longest running annual yacht regatta on the mainland of the UK.
The Dengie Peninsula has a number of leisure and sporting facilities. Besides the yacht and sailing clubs, it has a cinema, sports hall, golf courses, local history museum and a railway museum with working trains. The area has several historic sites, including Bradwell Bay Secret Airfield, which was used during World War II by aircraft that were unable to return to their original base. St Peters on the Wall Chapel in also in Bradwell on Sea and is one of the earliest Saxon churches in England built in the 7th century by St Cedd on the site of the old Roman fort of Othona. It is still used for worship and a place of pilgrimage for Christians. A riverside walk along Burnham quay will take in various nautical attractions and is lined with beautiful old houses. The rivers Blackwater and Crouch are internationally important for their nature conservation value making the sea walls around the Dengie Peninsula a popular choice for bird watching and picturesque walks. | 
Tourism
