As you would expect, Essex County Council have several pages on their website with information about cycling, and there are several route leaflets to download free of charge as well as information about similar publications from other organisations.

To find out more visit Essex County Council

Cycle Essex is a guide featuring 9 cycle routes throughout the county, and has been produced by the official tourism organisation - RealEssex. A sample of one of the maps is available to download online, but for the others you will need to buy the complete guide for £5.50 including postage and packing.

To find out more visit Cycle Essex

The tourism board for the East of England has produced a number of cycle routes which spread out throughout Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. These are available to download from the site, along with useful information about accomodation and cycle hire.

To find out more visit Visit East of England

Cycle 'n' Sleep is a website with information about cycle touring and long-distance riding in the UK. On the Essex page there is a list of local trails and routes (with distances) and links so that you can get a copy. There is also a comprehensive list of country parks in the region with contact telephone numbers.

To find out more visit Cycle 'n' Sleep

There are a growing number of sites which allow you to plot your own routes using Google Maps and share them with others. Route-Map.com is one that I stumbled across recently, and it features a number of routes for Essex - although you have to sign-up (free of charge) to view them properly.

To find out more visit Cycle-Route.com