Getting around

By train

Great Bentley has its own railway station on Station Road, with Greater Anglia services connecting the village with Colchester and the Tendring coast.

On weekdays there are up to two trains per hour towards Colchester, with services also running towards Clacton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze.

The station is unstaffed but has a ticket machine, cycle storage, limited free parking and step-free access to both platforms.

If you’re travelling on certain 10-carriage trains, be aware that not every carriage fits alongside the platform, so check the onboard announcements before arriving.

Getting around by bus

Great Bentley is served by several local bus routes connecting the village with Colchester, Brightlingsea, Clacton and St Osyth.

76 — Colchester & Clacton

Runs between Colchester and Clacton via Great Bentley. In Great Bentley it serves stops along Colchester Road including Great Bentley Corner and Ravens Green Lane. The route also serves the University of Essex.

77 & 77A — Colchester & St Osyth

These services stop at Great Bentley Railway Station and Sturrick Lane and provide direct connections towards Colchester and St Osyth / Aingers Green.

78 — Brightlingsea & Clacton

A particularly useful local route running Brightlingsea → Great Bentley → St Osyth → Clacton. It serves Sturrick Lane and Great Bentley Railway Station. The published timetable has services roughly every two hours Monday–Saturday.

C9 — Colne School

A school-focused service connecting Great Bentley with Brightlingsea and Colne Community School, operated by Stephensons of Essex.

There are essentially two bus corridors through Great Bentley:

• Colchester Road: 76
• Railway Station / Sturrick Lane: 77, 77A, 78, C9

By car

Great Bentley is well positioned for reaching Colchester and the surrounding Tendring villages, with Brightlingsea, Wivenhoe, Alresford, Thorrington and Clacton all within the wider local area.