The Telegraph has pulled together and ranked the best islands in Britain, and here is why Mersea Island made the list.

The beach is lined with rows of pretty pastel ... Our bellies satisfied, a tiny foot ferry from Mersea Stone took us to Brightlingsea on the other side of the River Colne, a ten-minute crossing.

Mersea Island is now home to 125 new beach cabins. They are painted in pastel colours which contrast to the traditional, older huts painted green, brown and blue further along the seafront.

There is just one way to Mersea Island which is via The Strood causeway but you can't access it during high tide. However, most people visit for the day to the sand-shingle beach - and the 125 ...

It is strongly advised to consult the tide-table for the Colne Estuary, as the water level dictates where you can walk on the seawall or at the bottom of the cliff on the beach. Along the way you ...

Mersea itself is also a sought after area and was named as one of the best places to live by the Sunday Times earlier this year. Its beach is also extremely well regarded by reviewers who say it ...

It also has a stone tiled bathroom with a power shower. Shaldon Beach Hut 5, Shaldon ... Named Dotty, Betty, Percy, Hattie, and Bertie, these Mersea Island huts look like grown-up Wendy houses ...

My wife and I had spent the afternoon at nearby West Mersea beach with our children and her parents, enjoying the riotously coloured huts, crabs galore and paddling-friendly waters. Having left ...

"The adjoining beach is sandy and gives access to the Mersea Stone, the launching point for the foot ferry to St Osyth and Brightlingsea. "Others may enjoy a stroll along the fishing village area of ...