Let’s Visit Some Tiny Islands in Essex!

You don’t really associate Essex with islands, do you? But with England’s second-longest coastline, there are quite a few of them. Not all are inhabited by humans, but a few are!

If at the coast, read about how to keep dogs safe by the seaside. Never walk on sand dunes, to protect nesting birds, seal pups and other wildlife. Also keep dogs away, especially in breeding season. 

Mersea Island is the most easterly island in England (inhabited by humans), connected to the mainland by The Strood, a tidal causeway that floods at high tide (so check tide times, to avoid getting stranded). The name comes from old English for ‘sea island’.

Popular since Roman times as a holiday destination, today it’s a popular sailing resort. Just five miles long and two miles wide, there is even an annual round-island race with local boats.

Canvey Island is a seaside resort on the Thames estuary, heavily influenced by Dutch engineers who helped to build its sea defences, you’ll still find historic Dutch cottages there today, with views of the Kent coast. In the first part of the 20th century, this was one of England’s most popular seaside holiday resorts.

• Bridgemarsh Island lies in the River Crouch, and supported a small community in the 19th century. After the flood of 1953, it was abandoned for good, and nature quickly took over.
• Cindery Island sits in the Blackwater Estuary, southeast of Osea. It’s a low-lying patch of saltmarsh, with waders and wildfowl feeding on the mud. You can only reach it by boat, and only at certain times.
• Foulness Island sits northeast of Southend, shielded by wide saltmarshes. It’s the second biggest island in Essex, and owned mostly by the MOD that uses it for weapons testing. Countless wading birds rest here on their journeys.
• Great Cob Island is a slim, sandy spit off the coast of Mersea, in the Blackwater Estuary. It’s surrounded by mudflats and saltmarsh, visited by birds and seals, and an important migratory route.
• Osea Island his not far from Maldon, an Edwardian retreat where you can still book self-catering cottages.
• Wallasea Island lies where the Crouch and Roach rivers meet. Home to Europe’s largest coastal wetlands restoration. Keep well away, due to sinking mud.