West Mersea

West Mersea isn't a big hotel town — its accommodation leans towards guesthouses, B&Bs, self-catering cottages and characterful spots near the water rather than large chain hotels, which suits a place that's really built around its harbour, oyster sheds and yacht club rather than a conventional seafront strip. Staying in the town itself puts you within walking distance of the Company Shed, the Oyster Bar, the yacht club and the hard where dinghies launch, making it easy to soak up West Mersea's working-boat atmosphere without needing a car for the evening.

Further out towards Cudmore Grove and the quieter eastern end of Mersea Island, options tend to be more spread out, trading some of the town's bustle for proximity to the beach, country park and sea wall walks. Wherever you base yourself, it's worth booking ahead for summer weekends and regatta week in particular, when the island's relatively limited stock of rooms fills quickly, and double-checking arrival times against The Strood's tide tables, since the causeway can be impassable for a window either side of high water and there's no alternative route onto the island.

West Mersea is small, but there's plenty to fill a day or a long weekend, from the beach to the island's wilder eastern end.

• West Mersea Oyster Bar and The Company Shed — two of the town's best-known seafood spots, both serving Colchester rock oysters and Mersea natives bred and processed on site, a few yards from the water.
• Cudmore Grove Country Park — a 102-acre park at the island's eastern end where the Colne and Blackwater estuaries meet, with sandy beach, grazing marsh, sea wall walks, WWII pillboxes, the remains of a 16th-century blockhouse, and eroding cliffs that have given up 300,000-year-old fossils.
• The Strood and Mersea Island Museum — the causeway itself is a spectacle at high tide, and the small local museum tells the story of the island's oyster fishery, boatbuilding and wartime history.
• West Mersea Yacht Club — founded in 1899 and now one of the East Coast's principal racing clubs, with immediate access to the Blackwater, Colne and Thames Estuary; visiting sailors and non-members alike can usually get a meal in the clubhouse.
• West Mersea Town Regatta — an annual sailing regatta dating back to 1838, with around a hundred boats racing off the town in a variety of classes each summer.
• Round-the-island walk — a roughly 13-mile circuit of Mersea Island's sea wall, taking in saltmarsh, mudflats, oyster beds and views across the Blackwater, achievable as a long day out for fit walkers.
• Mersea Island Vineyard — a working vineyard on the island offering tours and tastings of its own wines, a change of pace from the boats and beaches.

Seafood is the reason most people come to eat in West Mersea. The Company Shed is a byword for simple, fresh shellfish served during the day, while the West Mersea Oyster Bar offers a fuller evening menu built around oysters bred in the creeks around the town. The Sandbank Pub & Restaurant on Seaview Avenue has beachside seating and regular live music, and the Island Art Cafe on Coast Road combines a well-reviewed café with a small gallery. For a drink with a view of the racing, the West Mersea Yacht Club is open to visitors most days of the week.

Camping on Mersea Island means low, open Essex coastline: flat saltmarsh, tidal creeks, oyster beds and long views across the Blackwater and Colne estuaries rather than dramatic scenery, but with genuinely big skies and excellent birdwatching. As with anywhere in England, wild camping is illegal without the landowner's permission, so stick to established sites, several of which sit within a short walk or drive of West Mersea town and the beach at Cudmore Grove.

The terrain is gentle and largely flat, which makes for easy walking and cycling around the sea wall, but it also means the island is exposed to wind coming off the North Sea, so a sturdy tent and secure pegging are worth the effort even in summer. The ground can be soft near the marsh edges after rain, and midges and mosquitoes can be persistent close to the creeks in still, warm weather, so pack repellent.

Late spring through early autumn, roughly May to September, is the most reliable window for camping here, with the longest daylight, the best chance of settled weather, and the island's regattas and oyster festivals in full swing. Facilities-wise, expect a mix of simple, family-run touring and tent pitches close to the town and beach, plus a handful of more comfortable options with electric hook-ups for caravans and motorhomes. Glamping has a growing presence on this stretch of the Essex coast too, with shepherd's huts, safari tents and static beach huts offering a step up in comfort while keeping the same views over the water — a good option if you'd rather not pitch a tent but still want to fall asleep to the sound of the tide.

Whichever site you choose, keep half an eye on the tide tables for The Strood, the single causeway road linking the island to the mainland: it floods for an hour or so either side of high water, and campers arriving or leaving the island need to plan around it rather than around the campsite's own opening times.