Living on Mersea
If you're thinking about coming to live on Mersea Island, here's a few pointers you may need to make your decision.
Mersea Island is a unique place and it isn't that big, so expect property to be a more expensive here than other areas.
Despite the slightly higher costs, you'll be benefiting from living somewhere special with a very low crime rate and a great community. Find an Estate Agent in our Business Directory.
The Strood is the causeway which connects Mersea with the 'mainland'. The causeway itself is only around 1000m long. The Strood will get covered by the tide a few times a month and make it inpassable (unless you happen to have an amphibious 4x4 or a helicopter). Don't worry though, it's usually only for an hour and our Tide Tables will help you avoid getting stuck. Expect very high tides and high winds to keep you stuck longer than usual.
Finding work on Mersea can be hard due to it's size, but the neighbouring large town, Colchester offers a great source of employment and a tiny commute (around ten minutes drive).
Colchester benefits from a direct train line into London Liverpool Street, which is ideal for commuters looking to work in the city.
With the exception of a secondary school, Mersea could not be any more ideal for families. The island has strong and reliable transport routes, a primary school (featuring a pre-school), several local activities such as the Youth Camp, Dance Classes and countless events at the MICA Centre. You'll find Mersea not just a great place to live, but a great place to bring your family together. Mersea also has a Football Club and a Rugby Club.
Mersea benefits from a doctors surgery, dental surgery, several alternative health services, churches (Church of England and Methodist), fuel station, police and fire station (both part-time) and local coastguard.
The Mersea Centre is a venue in the centre of West Mersea where events are held and clubs run; everything from keep-fit to sports teams.
The island is an outstanding area of natural beauty, along with the many beaches Mersea has a large country park - Cudmore Grove. Opening times vary throughout the year.
You'll also find the Fingringhoe Nature Reserve nearby (a five minute drive).
