‘I visited a pretty seaside town you can’t enter for at least 2 hours every day’

There are many in the UK but none of them are as unique as . 

I live in , just a 15 minute drive from the island, which is sometimes completely inaccessible for two hours, depending on how the tide is feeling.

Visiting Mersea has become somewhat of a habit for my wife and I – be it sunset walks or picnics in the summer.  

The island has so much to offer from incredible views of the to amazing scenery with plenty of wildlife. 

The road that leads to Mersea from Colchester is also somewhat of a treat. It’s called the Strood and is fantastic to drive on (maybe not during rush hour) with gorgeous views of what I can only describe as sand dunes. 

Well, that depends on when you’re driving to the island because sometimes those dunes are covered by four metres of water.  

Whenever I visit Mersea I have to check the tide times before travelling across. The high tides sometimes completely engulf the Strood and make it impossible to enter Mersea. 

High tides are twice daily and when they’re at their highest, the island quite literally becomes an island. 

I’ve made the mistake of not checking once and even though I made it onto the island and had a lovely seaside walk, I couldn’t get back home. I was tempted to drive through but it was way too deep and not advised.

Visit Mersea Island strongly urges people to “not attempt to cross the causeway if the road is covered”. The visitor website says that they “see breakdowns very often, and this can result in a car being abandoned in the sea, or the occupants having to be rescued by the emergency services”. 

In good news, the water will only cover the road when the tide reaches 4.5m or higher. This is typically for 30 minutes either side of high tide, meaning sometimes for at least two hours of the day, you can’t drive across the road.

Now that we have getting onto the island covered, I can tell you what’s on it – and it’s definitely worth the effort to get there. 

Mersea is very quiet with friendly locals, many of whom work in Colchester. The island offers peaceful walks on the beach filled with colourful beach huts. 

There are cafes on the island and sea food restaurants that are famous for their oysters. As a matter of fact, Mersea itself is well-known for its oysters that are distributed across the UK and even Europe. 

There is also the gorgeous parish church in West Mersea Village which is of Anglo-Saxon Origin. What’s more, there is a lot of military history on the island with some World War 2 observational posts along the beach. 

The island is also fantastic for swimming, paddleboarding and kitesurfing in the summer. I often take my inflatable paddle board out there and float on the water for hours.

All in all, it’s a fantastic place to visit whether you’re looking for a stunning seaside walk or a swim.