Essex is home to more than 30 islands—here's where to go

Beyond the creeks and mudflats of England’s east coast, more than 30 islands fringe Essex in a ragged chain of marshland, shingle and tidal inlets. From Mersea to Wallasea, Osea to Horsey, they feel a world apart from the county’s commuter-belt towns — places shaped by brackish water, wide horizons and the pull of the tide. Some are home to beach huts, oyster shacks and storied pubs; others are given over to seabirds and grazing marsh. Together, they reveal a quieter, wilder side of Essex, best explored slowly and with the tide tables in mind.

Mersea Island

Pastel-painted beach huts line the shore, estuary air carries the scent of salt and seaweed, and fishing boats rock gently in the shallows: Mersea Island, reached via the Strood coastal path and just 15 minutes from Colchester, is one of Essex’s largest and most accessible islands.

Its cliff-backed beaches at Cudmore Grove reveal 300,000-year-old fossils and delicate oyster shells etched into the mudflats, while vineyards such as the family-run Mersea Island Vineyard trace their roots back to Roman times.

Food here is resolutely local. Flanked by beachside fishing boats, The Company Shed is low-key yet legendary, drawing elbow-to-elbow diners from across the UK for seafood platters piled high with cockles, salmon and prawns. Others leave clutching brown-paper parcels of freshly caught crab, ready to be seasoned with local Maldon salt — the famous flaky crystals are harvested just a few miles inland. At the heart of the village, the renovated, weatherboarded White Hart Inn draws locals on sunny days with estuary-fresh native and rock oysters served on the patio. Inside, there are six Sanderson-clad rooms and a light-filled bar-restaurant painted deep forest green.

Horsey Island

Part of the Hamford Water National Nature Reserve, Horsey Island is a 300-acre haven, home to grazing shaggy sheep and avocets wading through the marshland. Around a 15-minute drive from Frinton-on-Sea, it’s defined by quiet pleasures: rural walks, seasonal wildlife and kayaking through narrow creeks.

From the Victorian quay at Harwich, Seal Watching Harwich runs daily boat trips through the reserve, offering close-up views of the island’s most popular residents. Colonies of harbour and grey seals bask on the mudflats, while babies frolic in the shallows, their coats tinged red by iron-rich estuarine silt. You’ll likely hear them before you see them, their barking calls echoing mournfully across the water.

Staying overnight heightens the sense of isolation. At the island’s 19th-century redbrick, three-bedroom cottage — bookable through Cottage Choice — your only neighbours are migratory brent geese and seals sunbathe on the shore. Arthur Ransome’s Secret Water, part of his Swallows and Amazons series, was set here — and just like the intrepid children, after a day exploring you can savour life’s simple pleasures, from beachcombing to enjoying slices of homemade sponge cake baked by the owners.

Osea Island

Osea Island retains an air of mystery, its 400 acres a mix of wildlife-rich meadows and cool coastal retreats. It’s possible to visit in every season: cycling past Victorian clapboard cottages in spring, swimming in sun-dappled pools in summer, braving autumn waters as egrets watch curiously from the shallows and enjoying bracing walks along the windswept shore in winter.

Getting there never loses its thrill. The drive winds along the rough, rocky Roman causeway through the River Blackwater from Maldon, and access is dictated by the tide. The island is reachable only twice a day, though you can also arrive by water taxi — or even by helicopter from London — adding to the sense of seclusion.

There’s an unmistakable A-list edge, too. Music producer Nigel Frieda owns Osea and has turned it into a creative retreat, where artists such as Rihanna record and celebrities wed away from the spotlight. That same remoteness made the island the setting for HBO’s folk thriller The Third Day, starring Jude Law and Naomie Harris.

Lined with books, four-poster beds, Chesterfields and roll-top baths, Osea Island’s beach cottages are relaxed spaces to stay, where muddy boots are welcome after foraging walks along the shore. There are televisions, but you’ll likely find the muted calls of owls and a sky scattered with stars far more compelling.

Wallasea Island

Owned by the RSPB, Wallasea Island is a vast sweep of lagoons and marshland near the market town of Rochford, and one of the most ambitious coastal restoration projects in Europe. When rising sea levels destroyed the tidal islands migratory birds once relied on, a radical solution was found: more than three million tonnes of soil excavated from London’s Elizabeth line tunnels were used to recreate mudflats and salt marsh.

The result is 21 new islands that provide vital habitat for species from short-eared owls and common terns to teals. There’s no accommodation or cafe, but visitors are rewarded with some of the county’s best birdwatching. Circular trails trace the sea wall, with the East Flood and Jubilee Marsh routes offering rich sightings and wind-scoured views across the rivers Crouch and Roach.