By plane
Heathrow Airport is about two hours drive via the M25 London Orbital Motorway and the A12 dual carriageway (eastbound) motorway. Alternatively the Heathrow express train service (running every 20 minutes) connects with Waterloo London to Heathrow Airport Terminals 1, 2 and 3. Connection can easily be made from Chelmsford via London Liverpool Street; expect the total journey to take slightly over two hours. Dot2Dot run shuttle buses from Heathrow to Liverpool Street station. National Express can be used from Chelmsford but the journey must be made via London or Cambridge – with a 40-60 minute wait at the interchange (there is not a direct bus service to Heathrow Airport).
Gatwick Airport is about an hour and a half drive away via the M25 motorway (anti-clockwise) and A12 dual carriageway (eastbound). Alternatively a complicated rail and underground combination from Chelmsford connects with the main London to Gatwick rail service at London Liverpool Street station; expect the total journey to take slightly over two hours.
Stansted Airport is about half an hours drive away via the A414 national route, then the M11 (nothbound') motorway. Taking the Stansted Express train is indirect and expensive, requiring a change at London Liverpool Street or Stratford. Instead, express coach X30 take 30-45 minutes from Stansted Airport to Chelmsford Bus Station and run hourly from around 4:00am-midnight.
 

By train
Chelmsford Station is the busiest train station in the country for through passengers; so the service and regularity is very good. London's Liverpool Street is 35 minutes away, where the line terminates. Trains to London run every 10 minutes, while northbound services run to Braintree, Colchester, Ipswich and beyond. There's an hourly intercity service to Norwich (90 minutes). Like many major stations near London, you need a ticket to enter/exit the platforms as there are automatic barriers by the platform entrance. As the station is elevated there's only 2 platforms - all southbound services go to London but if heading north several trains going to different destinations will arrive within minutes of each other so keep an eye on the information screens and PA announcements to make sure you don't board the wrong train. This situation becomes worse if there's delays as there is only 2 tracks through the station and trains will easily become backlogged. The station has a WHSmith convenience store on the lower level and a couple of cafes on the upper (platform) level.
 

By bus
Chelmsford's new bus station is located on Duke Street adjacent to the rail station and is a hub for both urban and interurban bus services which connect to most towns within Essex as well as a frequent shuttle service to Lakeside Shopping Centre in Thurrock, and non-stop coach services to Stansted Airport. The station has real-time departure information screens so finding your bus is relatively easy. Facilities include toilets, ATMs, a pharmacy, a Subway sandwich shop and a Tesco Express convenience store. There's currently 1 Park&Ride line serving a car park in Sandon, just off the A12 south of Chelmsford.
 

Chelmsford Cathedral, Hylands House and Park, Riverside Ice and Leisure Centre, Football, Cricket

Chelmsford Cathedral
Located directly behind The Shire Hall. The church of St Mary the Virgin in Chelmsford was probably first built along with the town 800 years ago. It was rebuilt in the 15th and early 16th centuries, with walls of flint rubble, stone and brick. There is also a tower and spire with a ring of thirteen bells. The nave was again rebuilt in the early 19th century, after it had partially collapsed.
Enclosed in beautiful gardens which offer a haven for the local populace, especially summer lunchtimes, the Cathedral is open year-round and entry is free.

Hylands House and Park
Hylands House and Park just to the west of the town is a country house and parkland, saved from dereliction and purchased by the local council in 1966 after the death of the last private owner. Much damaged by fire and vandalism by the time of the sale, the house has now been completely restored by Chelmsford Borough Council. The house dates originally from 1730, and the park (currently 574 acres or 232 ha) was landscaped by Humphry Repton. Open to the public and used for a wide range of community events, it is also available for weddings and other private hires including conferences etc. The park has in recent years been the site of annual music festivals, such as the V Festival and the ill-fated Council-run Chelmsford Spectacular. It has been chosen as the site for the 21st World Scout Jamboree in 2007 and has already hosted Eurojam in the summer of 2005.

Riverside Ice and Leisure Centre This rather ugly complex features Olympic sized and two smaller pools as well as Diving Facilities and provisions for indoor sports such as basketball, 5-a-side football, tennis, badminton and squash. Courts must be pre-booked and swimming is around £3 for a morning or afternoon session. You can even have an ice skating session as well, but make sure you wear gloves, it can hurt a lot if you fall over and land hard on the ice with bare hands.

Football Despite its standing as the County Town of Essex, Chelmsford does not have a professional football team. Chelmsford City F.C play in the Conference South and in 2007 narrowly missed out on promotion. They play at the newly built Athletic Stadium in Melbourne, around ten minutes from the centre of town, which was upgraded to international athletic standards in 2006 and can host around 5,000 people. Tickets to Chelmsford City F.C cost around £8, whereas athletics can be free, depending on the event.

Cricket Essex County Cricket Club play their games at the County Ground, located in highly prominent position off Parkway in the town centre. Stars such as Graham Gooch, Nasser Hussain and Darren Gough have plied their trade for the club. The stadium holds around 10,000 and was used in the 1999 cricket world cup for two of the group games. Tickets are around £10 for a day or evening 20-20 match, although the roof of the nearby multi-story car park may suit just fine. There is a wide amateur cricket scene in Chelmsford and numerous parks in and around the town have facilities to play, although you may need to head further afield to find organised matches.
 

January - March
October - December

Information not available

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