🌳 OutdoorEducational
Facilities
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St John's Abbey Gate is the only standing remnant of the Benedictine abbey of St John the Baptist, set on St John's Green just south of Colchester town centre. The two-storey gatehouse is decorated with East Anglian flint flushwork panels and has a vaulted interior, and its battlemented roof still shows the damage it took during the 1648 siege of Colchester. Visitors can walk around the gate and read the story of the abbey, its last abbot and the Dissolution, which suits older children interested in castles, monasteries and local history. The site is outdoors and the structure is small, so a visit is quick and works best as part of a wider walk through the town. There are no visitor facilities on site, so families should plan refreshments and toilets in the town centre beforehand.
Stuff to take with you
The things people wish they’d packed for a day out like this one.
Refillable water bottleMost places will fill it for free.
Snacks that survive a rucksackCheaper than the café, and buys you twenty minutes.
Wet wipes
Small first aid kitPlasters solve more days out than anything else here.
Sun cream
Refillable coffee cupA lot of cafés knock money off.- Zip-lock bagsThe shell collection, the wet swimming costume, the half-eaten sandwich.
Spare shoesOne puddle and the day is decided otherwise.- Painkillers for grown-ups
Lip balm
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Photos: 維基小霸王, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Renée Kools, CC BY 4.0 · Missvain, CC BY 4.0 · I AM GIFTY, CC BY 4.0
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