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Fishermen's Cottages |
VISITORS AND TOURISMWelcome to the lovely island of Mersea, nestling in the Blackwater Estuary - |
| Welcome to Mersea Island and the riverside town of West Mersea - a town that thinks its a village. Despite the ongoing march of development, the rash of houses and bungalows, Mersea still manages to retain some of its former island magic. At full moon and new moon the waters of the Pyefleet slowly creep over the Strood causeway, and we are, for a while, truly an island, cut off from the mainland. The marshes, may seem desolate to some, but they can be amazingly beautiful. Just off the shoreline are forgotten backwaters, seal haunted creeks where curlew and oyster catcher probe the mud for food at low tide for food. The Island has been a settlement for 2000 years, party due to an abundant supply of fresh water from natural underground springs. Our earliest mention occurs in the writings of no less a person than Julius Ceaser himself. West Mersea village sits at the western end of the island - to the east lies the small hamlet of East Mersea. They are two distinct communities. The island is situated on the East Coast of England, nine miles south of Colchester and is (allegedly) the most easterly inhabited island in Britain. It is bordered on its northern shore by the Pyefleet Channel and on the western side by the Strood Channel. Mersea Island is five miles long by two miles wide and has a land mass of 2,683 acres . It faces south to the Blackwater Estuary the largest estuary between the Thames and the Wash. At East Mersea two rivers, the Blackwater and the Colne merge. The Colne runs nine miles north until it reaches Colchester "Britains' Oldest Recorded Town". Colchester was once a Colonia. a Roman garrison, and remains a Garrison town today. In Roman times Mersea Island became a retirement retreat for Veteran Officers of the Roman legions. There is evidence indicating that there were once several splendid Roman Villas on the island. If you were a Seagull you would know that Mersea is shaped like a bean and that it rises along a central ridge to about seventy feet, (which is what passes for a hill in this part of England). The Island sits on a bed of London Clay producing a heavy loamy soil interspersed with patches of sandy gravel. In conservation terms the Blackwater is one of the top ten estuaries in Western Europe, a large section of it being a triple SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest. Mersea saltmarshes form part of the Eastern Atlantic Flyway a migration route for millions of seabirds stretching from Siberia to South Africa. Mersea has a dry healthy climate with a rainfall of approximately twenty inches per year. Residents are famous for their longevity (we have the highest number of ninety year olds in the Colchester Borough area). Mersea men are also well known for their virility - apparently it's the zinc in the oysters what does it! Mersea is also a seaside resort. However - If you are you on of them types what likes to spend your hard earned savings in gambling arcades or enjoys waiting around for hours in a Theme Park queue for a five minute white knuckle ride, then don't come here. On Mersea, we are more kind of laid back and peaceful folk, favouring the simple pleasures of life like building sand castles, healthy walks along the beach, and lazing about making tea in beach huts. West Mersea has a long sand and shingle beach and very clean bathing water. If you do decide to take the plunge (and it can be a bit nippy early season) don't wait around too long because, at low tide, the water disappears way into the distance. Low tide is the time to venture out across a long gritty sandbank to search for shellfish, paddle in warm pools and let the tiny tiny crabs crabs run over your toes! Mersea has the largest inshore fishing fleet between Lowestoft and Brixham. The main catch being, sole, skate, bass and mullet in summer and herring and cod in winter. Second only to this comes oyster farming, Mersea is famous for it's native oysters. The finest specimens find their way to the tables of some of the most prestigious eating places in Europe. Until the turn of the century oysters were farmed and dredged under sail and you can can still see some of our, lovingly preserved, antique fishing smacks, out on the water in all their glory. In summer many take part in Smack Races up and down the east coast rivers, quite a few are sailed by local "lads" descendents of the orginal Smack fishermen. As well as the serious sailing fraternity there are many who (like Toad!) love "simply messing about in boats" and there are craft of all kinds forever sailing or chugging up and down the river (we have over one thousand boat and yacht moorings). But we mustn't forget to mention the Windsurfers and Kitesurfers, two sports, apparently, popular with the newly retired. They can be seen out on the water in all seasons - even Christmas Day - and, on windy days, reach surprising speeds. We welcome all Visitors to Mersea - just one word of warning - watch out for the killer mozzies and giant jellyfish! (only joking) and the locals of course - we're all a bit odd! Please click on any of the tabs in the LEFT hand column for more information. You can try this external link too. www.localplaces.com WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MERSEA ISLAND? or read a book about Mersea! or perhaps find out what famous people have lived in Mersea! Click on to HOME and then to left hand column where you will find More About Mersea and Mersea Connections Below are some pictures of our island - to see more Click on to IMAGES |
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entrance to Seaview caravan site |
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part of Waldegraves Caravan Site |
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Sailing Barge - a familiar sight on the Blackwater River |
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The beach beyond between Seaview Avenue and Waldegraves |
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West Mersea from the air approaching from The Strood and Wellhouse Hill - clearly showing the fishing lakes at Wellhouse Farm on right |
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Carriage rides at Waldegraves |
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Beach Cabins on Seaview Beach |
| Tourers at Seaview |
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getting ready for an evening sail |
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West Mersea from the air |
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Empress Avenue West Mersea has lots of long avenues leading down to the sea |
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One of Mersea's many pretty gardens |
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Car Boot Sale every Sunday in summer at Waldegraves |
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flowerboat on the Esplanade |
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Windsurfers |
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Mersea's Cafe Society! |
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Jet Ski-ing |
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Kitesurfing on the Estuary |
| Thames Sailing Barges at rest in the river |
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Start of Fishing Smack Race off Osea Island |
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sun rising over the Strood channel |
West Mersea Colchester Essex, CO5 8JD Telephone and Fax 01206 382128 E-mail: westmerseatc@aol.com |