There’s always something dramatic about crossing a causeway to get to an island, hopefully, the tide won’t rush suddenly and wash you away. This is the only access to the car, and there are times when it is completely covered by the sea.
Marcia is the easiest habitable island in the United Kingdom, five miles long and two miles wide. There are no hotels here, just a few rooms and caravans, many of them.
We have been here many times but always camp. Now we have been upgraded to a caravan, luxury grade in East Marcia, courtesy of Away Resort.
It comes with a fully equipped kitchen, two bedrooms, an en-suite, a bathroom, and a large lounge. Add central heating, a few TVs, free Wi-Fi, and a veranda for later evening drinks and everything we need. We can’t see the sea, but the beach is only five minutes away and there is also a heated swimming pool.
Cudmore Country Park is right next to the caravan site, ideal for wild dogs or even children. The beaches in Marcia are not great – at low tides, they reveal a long drawn mud with most of the sand disappearing at high tides. Still, the waters of the Blackwater estuary are warmer than the ocean and if you get your time right, it’s great for swimming.
Since the sea is generally calm, water sports are great here – choose between paddleboarding, windsurfing, kayaking or jet skis. There is even a six-acre inland lake where you can learn to sail.
Part of our island is the quiet edge. West Marcia, on the other hand, has pubs, shops, cafes, and even a jetty where fishing and sailing boats are moored.
Here you will find sandy beaches with rows and rows of pastel-colored bath huts and bathrooms sheltered behind bathrooms.
Her big attraction here is food, especially seafood. Marcia oysters are some of the best we’ve ever tasted, and crabs aren’t bad either. Typically, you can take samples of this seafood at the company shed, a typical hut by the sea, where you bring your own bread and wine and sit at the communal table. Unfortunately, the Kovid restrictions meant it was off so we ordered them a nice seafood plate and took them back to our caravan.
And we also discovered Marcia’s own vineyard, hidden in the center of the island. Their glossy white wines made from German grapes go well with oysters and they also make their own gin and beer. You can eat here and they have a handful of rooms.
A small foot ferry, with only twelve people, is the only way to get off the island.
Thinking of a day trip, we crossed the Cullen River and headed for Brightlingsea.
It was once a busy fishing port with a wide oyster bed but it all went away long ago.…