Baggers be Bagging 2013: A Long Day Out in Essex!

After a long and pointlessly cold and wet winter, we finally got around to arranging a trip to try to draw us closer in to the magical three figures, only twelve islands to go to get to the hundred. The trip didn't start well, Liam was supposed to be driving from Bristol to Milton Keynes to stop over and get an early start, but after setting off without either a map or a particularly good understanding of the way, and at least two phone calls from roundabouts in Oxford, he finally turned up just before midnight, so it wasn't quite the early night we were expecting.

So it was at seven we weren't exactly bright eyed and bushy tailed, but we got a good start down the M1 and around the M25 into Essex, where we arrived at the easiest and least interesting island either of us had visited in a long time, Canvey Island (1). Knowing that we had a long day ahead of us, we only stopped long enough to park up at a leisure centre and dash across a busy roundabout to what was probably the best thing about Canvey, it had a really good island sign. It's difficult to see that there is much difference between island life and that on the mainland when there are such good (multiple) bridges across the marshy gap, no feeling of isolation or dependence on the sea, although admittedly we didn't spend a lot of time searching for the true heart of Canvey. One to tick off rather than one to remember.

Canvey Island

We had come with only vague plans of where we were headed, no proper map, and only my smartphone with patchy reception to show us where we might find some offshore delights, so it was perhaps with a bit of luck that we managed to navigate our way to Leigh-on-Sea, and the flat, marshy nature reserve of Two-Tree Island (2), joined by a bridge and home to an RC model club, who were flying tiny aeroplanes overhead as we arrived. Most of our time here was spent discussing the difficulties faced in island bagging in this part of the world. Rather than these being individualistic landmasses with cliffs and well defined borders, we seemed to be traipsing over muddy flats with water snaking in and up and around in all different directions, so much so that it was difficult to tell what was connected to what, what would be covered by the tide, and whether any of it was really an island at all. After scouting around the edge of a particularly labyrinthine bit of marshland we gave up, agreed that Two Tree Island would definitely only count as one island, and headed back to the car to travel on to our first disappointment of the day.



Two Tree Island

We knew before we left that we might have difficulties reaching Foulness Island, owned as it is by Qinetiq on behalf of the MoD, and maintained as a live firing range, but the available info online was conflicting, some of it said that we couldn't go at all, some said that there might be some places we could access and some we couldn't, and we figured the best way to find out would be to rock up at the entrance and ask.

Apparently not, was the answer, though we tried to blag it as best we could, apparently no we couldn't phone people living on Foulness at random and ask them to invite us to visit, nor could we just run over the bridge, take a photo and run back again, nor could we get a lift with the security guards when they did their security patrol and pop out to grab some pictures. I don't particularly want to criticise an agency who possess massive guns in an open post on the internet, but come on, it was hardly like we were going to infiltrate the camp and commit some military espionage (though that would have been pretty exciting too!) - suffice to say, we got a leaflet for the open day, first Sunday of each month (which it wasn't) and said we'd come back then (which we will!)

The biggest disappointment was that to get across to Foulness we would have been able to cross New England and Havengore islands, and had the guards been particularly kind, nearby Potton and Rushley islands also form part of the forbidden archipelago of south east Essex. We'll get you all one day. Still, we'd been out since half seven, it was nearly lunchtime, and we'd only been to two islands. It was starting to feel like a bad day's bagging, and it was a while before it got much better.

Next up was Wallasea (3). Apparently they are planning on turning it into a bird sanctuary. It has a marina with a cafe and a farm with big warehouses. We weren't sure if it was an island because there are ditches everywhere but no obvious channel, and also because there aren't any signs that say Wallasea Island, and we needed a sign to take a photo in front of to prove we'd been there, in the end we had to make do with an address on the sign at the marina. Pretty uninspiring. I can see the argument that there is a quiet beauty in the bleak landscapes and flat horizons, it's just not very exciting, is it.

Wallasea Island

Wallsea Island Sign

We also didn't get a particularly welcoming impression from the people of Essex. I'm sure there are lots of lovely people in Essex, but on previous visits to more far flung destinations we've explained our mission to people we've met and they've been only too keen to help us out, point us in the right direction and give us a hand. Essex was full of blank faces and signs that said private. Maybe because the islands around the coast of Essex are so easy to get to, the people haven't developed a sense of kinship with visitors in that they've both had to make the same efforts to get there, there's no secret accomplishment shared, just a bridge over a ditch. Again, sorry good people of Essex, but you weren't the most encouraging (apart from one notable exception, but we'll get to her later.)

Stuff at Wallasea

Next came a long drive around the coast, got a bit lost in Rayleigh, up the A12 to Chelmsford and on to Colchester, where we took increasingly smaller roads to St Osyth and further to Lee-Over-Sands. Without knowing why, both me and Liam had independently of each other got the impression that there was an island off the coast here, called Ray Island, apparently according to Wikipedia it's popular with picnickers and daytrippers. I think we must have got it wrong, as this was easily the most unwelcoming place we had ever been. I have never been to a settlement before where you have to pass so many no entry signs to get there. How does the postman cope, can you get online shopping delivered? The road to Lee-Over-Sands stops being tarmac a long way before you get there, and the atmosphere on the two streets was something similar to the set of a gritty London gangster film, and this was the desolate place where the hero finds himself when the bad guy opens the boot of the car holding a shotgun. Or something like that. We couldn't find any island (indeed we couldn't make it to the coast, we got scared by one no entry sign too many), and not wanting to interrupt the one or two people going about their business, we left to take the trip back up to Colchester and back down to Mersea Island. No idea about that Ray Island.

Mersea Island

Waiting for Stace on the pontoon

Mersea (4) was a proper island, crossed by the causeway known as "The Strood", with it's major settlement at West Mersea, predictably enough on the western side. We parked up next to a long row of grand looking houseboats stuck deep in the mud along the coast road, with long ramshackle gangplanks leading across to their open-decked sun terraces, nice spot in the sunshine. What we could also see, in the bay formed at the end of creeks, was at least one definite island, and probably some more. The closest we learned was called Cobmarsh Island, and it looked from a distance like only a little paddle would get us there. However as happens so often when we get hopeful, the closer we got, the wider and deeper the channel seemed to become. Liam was a little more gung-ho that I, maintaining that we would be able to swim there and back if we really went for it, but even he didn't actually get as far as dipping a toe in the water. Frustrated we toyed with the idea of 'borrowing' one of the rowing boats on the foreshore, but this would definitely be wrong, so we decided instead that we would try to find ourselves a ride in a more legal fashion.

Boats at West Mersea

Realising that no boats were going to come to us, we wandered up the road to the boatyard where we saw a sign advertising boat trips in the bay on the Lady Grace, twenty minutes, two quid each. Perfect, now if only we could hijack the route to include some landings! After an absolutely necessary stop at the pub (to get cashback, which they would only let us have if we bought a pint, oh well!) we spoke to Stacey who said she'd be more than happy to take us on a little trip, but we'd have to be quick as she had a wedding to go to. Already she had the "most helpful person in Essex" award in the bag, and we hadn't even got in her boat yet. Negotiating dozens of crabbers on the pontoon we climbed onto the Lady Grace and set off.

Cobmarsh Island

The Packing Shed at Packing Shed Island

First stop was Cobmarsh Island (5), though nothing more than a jump on and jump off, with no real landing place (or really any reason to land) Stacey had to try to draw her boat as close to the muddy shore as she could to avoid us getting wet. She then swung us around and carried on to Packing Shed Island (6), then Sunken Island (7) and finally further up the channel separating Mersea from the mainland to set foot on the very tip of Ray Island (8). Is this a different Ray Island to the one we were looking for earlier? It didn't look likely that there would be many daytrippers on this one, with the mud and seabirds pretty much ruling the roost, but it all remains a mystery. We tried to keep as much as the mud as possible from transferring from the islands to the boat, but this wasn't exactly easy, we're sorry again Stacey for dirtying your lovely boat! She dropped us off at the pontoon and we headed back to the car to see what other plans could be made.

Sunken Island

A Ray Island

On Board the Lady Grace

The time was about seven, we'd managed to turn a bad prospect into a good haul of islands visited, but we weren't ready to give up yet. Back along the Blackwater estuary towards Maldon are two more islands, separated by causeways from the mainland. It was soon after high tide and we weren't sure if they would be passable, but we wanted to have a look. The first was Osea Island, which is most definitely private. I've previously contacted them, told them about our quest and asked if we can pop over for a day, I was simply told no, you can only cross the causeway if you're willing to pay to stay in our properties. Hardly fair when all I want is a photo or two. Me and Liam were considering just dashing for it and hoping we didn't get seen, but when we encountered signs saying that trespassers would be prosecuted even before we could see the sea let alone the island, we decided against it. We will definitely go to Osea island one day, but perhaps it will need to be on their terms.

Northey Island (Tide=In)

Wading the channel

Just a bit further on through Maldon, however, leading from the most unassuming driveway in a gap between suburban houses on the edge of town, is the entrance to the road through a farm and down to the causeway leading to Northey Island (9). This one is national trust owned. Whilst we're both members, we were supposed to get a permit to visit. Sorry, we didn't, but we only stayed for five minutes! The causeway when we arrived was still fairly deeply under water, but a helpful couple walking their dogs told us that the tide would go out quickly, in less than an hour we'd be able to cross. Had we not known this, we might have given up, it was getting late and the light was starting to fade, but we persevered. Eventually tiring of waiting for the short causeway to dry out completely, I decided it was time for shoes and socks off, shorts on, getting wet. Liam was a little more reticent but we slowly made progress across the gap, it wasn't too deep but the pull of the tide rushing out made it tricky to keep going in a straight line. We definitely didn't want to leave the safety of the track and slip into the weeds, but we couldn't exactly see the bottom very clearly. Tricky going, but we made it in the end, took a quick photo for posterity, ran back again (in the five minutes we had spent on the island the tide had gone out significantly) and got back to the car in time for a trip back to Milton Keynes, getting home about ten.

On Northey

A long day, a bit of a mad scramble, nine islands, not a lot of inspiration or assistance, but we did draw ourselves so close to the magical hundred figure, only three more to go!



A Low Sun over the Blackwater Estuary