Thursday 6 September 2018

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.

46 comments:

  1. Sorry to have missed leaving best wishes on your last post but you seem to have had a wonderful birthday anyway so accept my good wishes for you fifty first year and sixth decade!

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    1. Thank you. Sixth decade, now that does sound scary. It was a lovely birthday celebrated with my lovely family.

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  2. What a great birthday you had! We should have visited Mersea Island when our son was at university in Colchester but he's not there now, it looks really nice.

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    1. I'd never heard of Mersea Island before but it's a lovely place, somewhere I'd definitely visit again.

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  3. That looks a lovely way to spend your biggish birthday. The area looks lovely and the weather was a bonus. Looking forward to seeing your list.

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    1. I couldn't have spent my birthday in a better way than with my family. We struck really lucky with the weather, it was beautiful all weekend.

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  4. Lovely post and pictures. It's good to see that you enjoyed the weekend and your birthday. xx

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    1. We all had a lovely weekend. It was nice for all the family to be together and it was such a lovely place.

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  5. It sounds like a perfectly lovely holiday, with family.

    So true about you being within traveling distance, to the ocean. Where we in the US, can be a zillion miles from such.

    I love the name of the place, Mersea. "Sea" said in 2 different ways, and placed together. :-)

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    1. We don't live near the coast but it's accessible for day trips. It seems strange to think of much larger countries having places so far away from the sea. Mersea is derived from the Old English word Meresig, which means island of the pool.

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  6. I couldn't think of a nicer way to spend a birthday. I've never heard of Mersea Island before but being by the sea is always a pleasure (Archie certainly seems to think so). I couldn't imagine living so far from it like Jasmine.
    Looking forward to the 50 before 50 update. X

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    1. It was a lovely way to spend my birthday. It's always nice to be beside the sea, especially when the weather is so nice, I just wish I got a fix of sea air a little more often than I do but then I think of people like Jasmine who live so far away. At least we can manage day trips every so often.

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  7. Sometimes it's nice to go away to somewhere different especially by the sea with sandy beaches. It looks as if you had a lovely relaxing birthday with family. Archie must have enjoyed being part of the fun with a lovely garden and the beach to explore.

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    1. Being somewhere different, especially with beautiful beaches, made my birthday extra special. Archie loved the garden and I even saw a red squirrel in it on our last day.

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  8. Glad that you had a happy birthday - the sixtieth decade is nothing scary wait ’til you are in the seventieth!

    I’d not heard of Mersea either and I would be with you as to seafood - not my thing at all!

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    1. I'm hoping that this decade slows down, the last one went far too quickly for my liking. I love seafood, it's the rest of the family who aren't keen.

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  9. Sounds a perfect way to spend your birthday, the weather did you proud too, you managed to cram alot into your break away, thanks for sharing xcx

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    1. We did seem to cram quite a lot into a couple of days. I think you're more aware that you have to make the most of it when you're not there for long. I was really pleased that the weather was good.

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    1. We did. I'm sure we'll be visiting again now that Daniel's living there.

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  11. Those beaches look just so inviting!
    Love the sound of the cake and sparklers.
    So pleased you had such a wonderful time with your lovely family. Special times.
    Lisa x

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    1. We really enjoyed it and being able to spend time on the beaches made it even better. Definitely a birthday to remember.

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  12. Belated Birthday wishes, seems like you had a wonderful few days away creating some amazing memories.

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    1. Thank you. We had a lovely time, I couldn't have wished for a better birthday.

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  13. It looks like you had a wonderful time away with all your family close, Jo. :o)

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    1. I did. Having all the family together made my birthday very special.

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  14. What a lovely way to spend a birthday - esp. your 50th! I'm so glad that you had a wonderful time. Looking forward to seeing your progress on your bucket list :)

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    1. I'm really not one for a big fuss on my birthday so this little getaway was perfect. It was a lovely weekend.

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  15. So glad you had such a special time Jo:)
    Lovely photos I could almost feel the sea breeze x

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    1. We had such lovely weather the whole time we were there, perfect beach weather. We had a great time.

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  16. Looks like it was a WONDERFUL trip. Archie is ADORABLE!!!

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    1. Archie loves spending time on the beach, but he's getting old now and is soon worn out. It was a lovely weekend.

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  17. Oh my … you did strike it lucky with the weather!
    Your photographs are just lovely.

    I am so pleased you had a wonderful 50th and extra special that you spent it with family … such special memories.

    Have a lovely weekend - where has this week gone!!!

    All the best Jan

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    1. I was surprised that the weather was so good, we were very lucky. My birthday was very special, I love spending time with my family and it was in such lovely surroundings too.

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  18. So glad to hear that your birthday went well & you all enjoyed your time together. I've had i'net & computer problems, so am really catching up on all this. I've not forgotten you. It all looks lovely where you were & I've actually eaten fish'n'chips at Clacton-on-Sea as K's best friend lives in Weeley. Look forward to your post on the 50 before 50. Take care.

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    1. We all had a wonderful weekend, it was so nice to be together and the area where we stayed was just lovely. It made my birthday all the more special.

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  19. Belated birthday greetings, welcome to the 50's

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    1. Thank you. I'm hoping the years don't pass by so quickly now that I've reached my 50's.

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  20. That sounds like the perfect way to celebrate a birthday - time spent with family in the fresh sea air. When I read posts like this I do wonder how on earth I ended up in London - I really miss the coast now that my parents are no longer with us. Best belated wishes, Jo - and remember, age is just a number! Caro x

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    1. Thank you. I do sometimes wish that I lived closer to the coast, especially as it would be lovely to walk Archie on the beach more often as he really loves it. We're lucky that we can go off for day trips though and longer holidays too for that lovely seaside fix.

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  21. What a lovely place and weekend. I love how Archie is always included. Time sure flies doesn't it...I have seven years on you! xxx

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    1. Archie would hate to be left at home, he goes wherever we go, pampered pooch. Time does fly, I'm just hoping that it slows down a bit now that I've hit 50.

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  22. Glad you had a good break, looks like you caught the last of the good weather. Mark built a swimming pool at a holiday park in Walton-on-the-naze, it was quite a few years ago now but i went down there to him for a few days and really enjoyed it, I especially l Liked Frinton which is just up the road really. I remember I bought a chair from a charity shop and Mark had to bring it home with him the next weekend, lol, I've still got the chair :-)

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    1. We were so lucky getting the sunshine for the weekend, it's been dull and cold ever since. I've never visited that part of the country before but I really enjoyed what I saw of it. Mersea Island is lovely and I enjoyed the other parts of the coast which we visited too, somewhere I'd definitely go again.

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  23. Sounds like the perfect way to spend your special birthday, such fun.
    We had a lovely time when we were at Walton-on-the-Naze and Clacton, its a nice place to visit. Lots of sea glass on the beaches can be found, I have a lovely bottle of it to remind me of our visit to Essex.

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    1. It's the first time I've been to Essex and I really enjoyed it. I'm sure we'll be back now that Daniel's living there. It was a lovely way to spend my birthday.

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