COVID-19 has left its mark on 2020, but we’re always looking on the bright side here at seaskipr.com and now open again. To whet your appetite, here are some other ideas for things to do on Mersea Island.

Sea, sand, wind, waves, sun, shingle and fossilised sharks’ teeth make great recipes for adventure, and the place to cook it all up is Mersea Island.

The fun starts when you get here – we’re linked to the mainland by the Strood causeway, which occasionally floods at high tide, so you might be a castaway until the waters recede and the road is high and dry again.

But that’s no problem, because we’re a real treasure island of exciting things to do – including our personal top ten favourite ways to have an awfully big Mersea adventure.

1. Sailing

Join us at seaskipr.com for an unforgettable sailing experience around a coastline of outstanding natural beauty.

Whether you’re a complete novice looking to find your feet on deck or you have your sea legs and seek new adventure, jumping aboard with our friendly crew guarantees a great day on the water.

Trips are available to Rowhedge or Osea Island and we’re also now booking for Clacton Air Show cruises (Thursday 27 and Friday 28 August), for prime viewing of this airborne spectacular.

2. Paddleboarding

Fun, sociable and easy, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) is one of the world’s fastest growing sports, and Mersea is a terrific place to try it out, with myriad creeks and small islands to explore. Added bonus: SUP is abs-olutely fabulous for your core strength and fitness, too!

3. Windsurfing

West Mersea is something of a hub for mastering and practising this exciting sport, with flat waters and a safe, shallow beach for beginners and breezy open waves close by for enthusiasts. There are often informal evening races, and if you relish a challenge, it’s a two-mile crossing to Bradwell Power Station. Check out Mersea Kitesurfers and Windsurfers on Facebook for more info.

4. Mersea Week

Usually you can get your adrenaline flowing in Mersea Week , with exhilarating sail races to compete in from August 16-22. Unfortunately cancelled this year because of COVID-19, It generally culminates on the Saturday in the colourful West Mersea Town Regatta, with rowing, sculling and swimming events plus the infamous Walking The Greasy Pole competition – have a go only if you don’t mind getting your feet (and everything else) wet! Fireworks at dusk wraps up an event packed day.

5. Sea fishing

Sheltered in the Blackwater estuary, Mersea is a great spot for sustainable, year- round sea fishing. Take a day trip with a local fisherman and you can look forward to catching anything from bass, skate, sole, cod and mackerel to Blackwater herring – plenty of fish in the sea around here ;).

6. Kitesurfing

We’re one of the top kite-surfing venues places on the east coast, with conditions from easy to challenging, and the waters aren’t crowded, either. Check windfinder,.com for maps and wind forecasts, and find out more about the local scene in item 3.

7. Sea Kayak

Kayaks were invented by the Inuit thousands of years ago, although the ones you can hire on the island are considerably newer… West Mersea is a great place to give this easy and enjoyable sport a try, with sheltered conditions and fairly shallow waters even at high tide.

More of a landlubber?

8. Running, swimming & cycling

Island races, voted the third best triathlon competition in the UK covering almost every part of the island’s eight square miles. Alternatively, for something slightly more sedate - actually not really, the nearly 100 year old Round the Island all terrain running race used to ply the winners with sausages and beer, now everyone gets a medal!

9. Fossil hunting

Rewind 300,000 years on the foreshore at Cudmore Grove Country Park, where fossils including sharks’ teeth and the bones of beavers, wolves, bears, rodents, monkeys and even hippos can be found with a bit of luck and a keen eye. There’s also more recent history to explore, including World War II pillboxes and the remains of a 17th century blockhouse fort, plus a rather shipshape adventure playground for the kids.

10. Aerial adventures

Set in over 60 acres, Essex Outdoors packs in high-octane activities for the whole family, including an 80m zip-wire, climbing, and high and low ropes, plus activities like archery for those who like to keep their feet on the ground or caving for those who prefer going under it. There’s also a new lake opening this summer for water sports, including wild swimming.

Did we say 10 Adventures? Well here’s a bonus..

One of life’s greatest adventures is launching your own business. We’ve done it, quite literally, with our seaskipr.com sailing experiences, so have our friends at The Deck – a cracking spot for amazing seafood in West Mersea, just down the road from Essex Outdoors. Pop in for a gastronomic adventure!

Mersea Island is off the east coast of Essex, about an hour from Stansted Airport by car, an hour from London by train and just under two hours from Heathrow or Gatwick Airports. Join us at seaskipr.com – stay, sail and enjoy great adventure on Mersea Island.

See our booking page for further details.

• If you’ve never sailed before but want to, we at seaskipr.com can help you to take those first steps onboard.

• If you’re looking for new adventure, we at seaskipr.com can show you a different, calmer side to Essex.

• If you’d just like to relax on board and soak up the atmosphere, we at seaskipr.com can sail you and your party on a memorable journey up and down the Blackwater.

• Make it a stay and sail mini-holiday by booking our fully appointed West Mersea located accommodation