We recently experienced a lovely day out by the seaside on Mersea Island on the Essex Coastline. The weather was ever so kind to us for February half term– bright sunshine all day! How lucky we were.

Mersea Island is 9 miles southeast of Colchester and is the most easterly inhabited island in UK. It is a fascinating place covering approximately 7 square miles and can be reached by a causeway from the main island.

It is famous for its fishing port, sailing, nature reserves, crabbing opportunities and native oysters. There is also a lovely beach where you will find rows of brightly painted traditional beach huts, four of which are owned by The Little Beach Hut Company.

The Little Beach Hut Company

We were looking for a simple day out away from the capital’s daily grind and all the noise of modern day gadgets.  With the Little Beach Hut Company, we found a true respite in these quirky little hideaways, perfect for a day’s relaxation in the soothing sea air.

Their award winning, pretty and very homely huts are affectionately named Betty, Bertie, Peggy and Kitty, who can be hired for a full day or longer if so required. This was our third visit to the huts on Mersea Island and on this occasion hired the attractive red and white striped hut named Kitty.

Little Beach Hut Company - Kitty

Kitty was a finalist in The Beach Hut of the Year Award 2017 and you can understand why.  Following a classic seaside theme, it is decorated beautifully inside and out, accessorised to the finest detail with seaside mosaics and cheerful bunting around the doorframe.  

Inside the beach hut

It has everything you need to enjoy a perfect day by the seaside; there are deck chairs, blankets, beach toys and games to play with, as well as a kettle, cups, plates (and tea!) supplied for a truly British seaside experience.  The fully functioning kitchen with gas rings and solar lighting is a real blessing, allowing the huts to be enjoyed all day and in all weathers.

The site has lots of amenities to use too, so if you came unprepared, there is always the little café right by the huts, a playground, public toilets and a water tap.

Things to Do on Mersea Island

You can ‘check in’ to the huts from 10.30 am – we arrived a little later and quickly got settled.  The kettle was on straight away, deck chairs placed on the sand and before you knew it, we were enjoying our first cup of tea and a biscuit while the children discovered the beach.

Sorbet towels by the sea

It wasn’t long before the fresh air had started to make us all feel a little peckish, so we all walked up the beach to buy our ‘fish and chip’ lunch from a local restaurant/take-away.  Of course, we brought the food back to the hut to eat (much more fun) and sat around the table eating and enjoying the view…

Lunch by the sea

After lunch we pulled on our wellies ready for a beach walk, making sandcastles along the way and playing some ball games.  It was so rejuvinating to indulge in some simple fun with no smart phones interrupting all day long!

As the sun started to go down we decided to get nice and cosy inside the hut. We were delighted to discover Kitty had solar lighting as it meant we could stay right until ‘check-out’ at 8.00pm – we didn’t need torches and camping lights.

Tea making facilities at the beach hut

We had brought afternoon tea with us so we all mucked in together to make the sandwiches, lay out the cakes and buns, not forgetting to put the kettle on once again…instant hot chocolate all round!

We closed the huts doors to keep warm (well it was February!) and enjoyed our treats followed with some traditional board games, more warm drinks and lots of laughter…

Sun goes down by the beach

Thank you Little Beach Hut Company – it was a very special day out and we WILL be back!