Mersea Island

First of all I must thank everyone who left a comment on my last post wishing me a happy 50th birthday, I was overwhelmed by all the lovely comments and good wishes, thank you so much. We all had a lovely few days away on Mersea Island just off the Essex coast and I had a wonderful birthday made all the better by being in the company of my family.

Mersea Island is the most easterly inhabited island in the UK and lies off the coast of Essex, about nine miles southeast of Colchester. It covers about seven square miles and is connected to the mainland by The Strood, a causeway that can flood at high tide.

The island is split between East Mersea, which is predominantly farmland, and West Mersea, the main inhabited area containing the jetty and marina.

Oysters have been harvested on the island since Roman times and are shipped worldwide. There are various seafood eateries to choose from, though we gave them a miss as most of the family weren't keen.

We stayed in a lovely bungalow in West Mersea, it was a really good base for our few days away and Archie loved the garden. It happened to be West Mersea Town Regatta on the day we arrived but it was quite late by the time we got there so we didn't join in with the festivities, which was a bit of a shame as the programme of events looked like lots of fun. Instead, Saturday evening was spent catching up with each other over something to eat.

The weather was really good during our stay so on Sunday we headed off to East Mersea where there was a lovely sand and shingle beach.

Daniel's girlfriend, Jasmine, comes from Colorado so she hasn't spent much time at the seaside before. Living in the UK, we can head off for a day at the beach without thinking about it but Denver, where Jasmine comes from, is about a thousand miles away from the ocean.

Wherever you are on the island, you look out to sea and you can see boats.

Monday morning was spent opening presents, I received so many lovely gifts as well as money and vouchers, some of which came from special bloggy friends so thank you so much, and Mick surprised me with an iPad. We headed off to spend a bit of time in Clacton-on-Sea but I'm still hobbling around with my broken toe so we didn't stay long.

We headed up the coast a little to Walton-on-the-Naze where we found a lovely sandy beach. The weather was so good again, we really struck lucky.

Archie enjoyed snoozing in the shady spot he found, I think he was a little worn out by this time.

We spent the evening out having a meal, which was very nice, and then when we got back to the bungalow they all sang happy birthday whilst presenting me with a birthday cake adorned with sparklers in the shape of 50. I completely forgot to take a photo of this.

All too soon it was Tuesday morning and time to leave. We called in at Daniel and Jasmine's new house on the way home, it's a rental property which is newly refurbished, they're moving in this weekend.

It was a lovely way to celebrate my 50th birthday and I shall have special memories of the few days we spent on Mersea Island.

I haven't forgotten about my 50 Before 50 list. For those who have asked, I shall be sharing the results in my next post.

Don't forget, if you haven't already entered my giveaway, you've got until midday on Tuesday the 11th of September 2018 to do so. Just leave a comment on my Eighth Blog Anniversary Giveaway And A Little Getaway post.