Arriva Herts & Essex route 59 Chelmsford - Harlow. An hourly service taking a little under an hour through some of the nicest and most rural parts of Essex. Swish modern single-deckers. See http://www.arrivabus.co.uk/default.aspx

Perhaps get to Harlow by 724 route listed under SE England also or 500/501 from Epping (for Tube from London). From Chelmsford there are lots of places to go: Maldon, Braintree, Colchester, Brentwood or Basildon perhaps? See Firstgroup website for these http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/