The authoritative guide to Mersea Island

Activities | Beaches | Day Trips | Kids

a great day out to walk around the island

When I speak to people on Mersea Island, the majority of them, even those who have lived here for years, have never challenged themselves to walking the circumference of the Island. For those who are physically fit and able to do so, it is a great day out and a great achievement! I myself have lived on Mersea my whole life and until I took on the walk last Summer, I had never seen most of the North part of the Island. I started the walk from home in the centre of West Mersea Village and met the beach at the Two Sugars Café on Victoria Esplanade. I commenced the walk with a friend along the beach, passing the beach huts and holiday parks along the front, making use of the sea wall where possible, walking on sand is hard on the calves!! At Cudmore Grove, we stopped for our picnic & admired the view across the water to Brightlingsea & St Osyth. We continued on, tummies full and bags a little lighter, along the sea wall, past the Golf House and fisheries and on to the North side of the Island. The view from here are amazing and, other than a few sheep that needed to be negotiated along the way, we never saw another soul for at least an hour. When we got to the strood, a quick dash across the road and up the hill took us to the final stretch of sea wall round to the Dabchicks sailing club. A stop off at the Blackwater Pearl for a well-deserved ice cream was followed by our final weary walk home, making sure we did not venture in-land until we reached our starting point. Our GPS device recorded a healthy 13.8 miles door to door. We were both exhausted but it was well worth the effort!! I would suggest you give it a try!