Oh Lord, have Mersea: The Island in the streams by way of Essex

Mersea Island off the Essex coast is connected to the mainland by the Strood causeway, which the sea swallows twice a day. Incorrect timing can leave visitors stranded either on the island or on the wrong side. West Mersea is where most people live and gather, while East Mersea is wilder, emptier, and largely inaccessible, with salt marsh and mudflats. A 13-mile coastal trail loops around East Mersea, and visitors should bring water. West Mersea offers an easier beach walk past multi-coloured beach huts. The Company Shed, operating since 1876 in a former oyster purification shed, serves fresh seafood with simple service and native oysters available from September through April.

"Mersea Island, sitting off the Essex coast about an hour and a half from London, is connected to the mainland by a single road - the Strood - a narrow causeway that the sea swallows whole twice a day. Get your timing wrong and you're either stuck on the island or stranded on the wrong side of it. High tide doesn't linger too long, though, and once you're island-side you can take advantage of the abundance of seafood, island walks and all that fresh sea air."

"The island splits roughly into two: West Mersea, where most people live, eat, drink and park their wellies; and East Mersea, which is wilder, emptier, and largely inaccessible - a tangle of salt marsh, mudflat and bird-thick skies. Where to Wander Given how close it sits to London, it's surprising that walking around East Mersea still feels so remote. Even on a sunny weekend we saw only two other people making the full loop."

"It's a 13-mile (21km) coastal trail and once you're East-side there's nothing but fields, sheep and the sea, so be sure to take water. If the full loop feels like too much, the West-side beach is an easier reward: potter along the shore past rows of multi-coloured beach huts that will, should you ever fancy buying one, set you back considerably more than they look."

"The Company Shed Built around a former oyster purification shed dating back to 1876 and still run by the Haward family, The Company Shed has been a Mersea institution for over forty years. The formula hasn't changed much: fresh seafood, plastic tablecloths, no frills; though unlike the old days you'll now need to book by email. Bring your own bread, and if you want wine, the shed pours a few whites from the Mersea Island Vineyard. The native oysters, available September through April, are by all accounts extraordinary."

Read at London On The Inside