Depends on your budget. The area north of Southend up to Maldon is much nicer in parts. Worth getting your bike out and having a ride around the area to get a feel. The only downside is the length of time it takes to get out of Essex if you want to visit somewhere else.

Still looking for houses, would it also be worth looking further East (I don’t mind up to an hour drive), but staying North of the River, as a couple of guys from work, have had horrendous journeys this week, and I’d rather give that a miss.

There’s lots of works planned for the A13…lane widening and the new crossing, traffic will be a part of your day, you could drive a bit and cycle the last 10mls or so.
Glad you had a decent ride, and you discovered Nth Hill.. that’s about as hilly as Essex gets!