Mersea Island Strood

The causeway that connects Mersea Island to the mainland is one of those bits of Essex that catches you off guard. This long, straight road - the Strood - floods regularly with the tide, and that's rather the point. It's not a monument or a visitor attraction in the usual sense; it's just a working piece of infrastructure that's been doing the same job since Roman times, give or take a rebuild.

Walking or driving across it on a clear day is genuinely pleasant, with water meadows either side and decent views across the salt marshes. The real appeal is the sense of approaching somewhere genuinely cut off - Mersea Island proper only fully detaches during high tide, which lends the whole experience a bit of theatre. Stop midway and you'll understand why locals have such affection for this place.

There's nothing to "do" here in the traditional sense, which means it works best for walkers and photographers rather than families after a structured outing. Time your visit for an hour or so before high tide if you want to catch the water at its fullest. The Strood is free and always accessible - no opening hours to worry about.

If you're staying at Eastland Meadows Country Park just outside Colchester, this makes a solid afternoon drive: twenty minutes or so gets you here, and the island beyond has a decent beach and decent fish and chips spots. Bit of a pilgrimage, but one that actually pays off.