Ray Island


Ray Island, also known as the Ray, is a 40.5 hectare nature reserve west of Mersea Island in Essex. It is owned by the National Trust and managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust.

Wildlife

The site is a sandy hill which rises out of an area of saltmarsh. It has rough grassland and a shingle foreshore. There are saltmarsh plants such as lax flowered sea-lavender, sea rush and golden samphire, and breeding birds include oystercatchers and shelducks.

''Mehalah''

Ray Island was the setting for the novel Mehalah by Sabine Baring-Gould, who was the rector of East Mersea. Baring-Gould describes it thus in the first chapter:

Access

Access is by boat and is restricted to trust members. There is an old pathway from The Strood that winds through the maze of salt marsh for one kilometre to reach the island, but parts may have been washed away.
Camping is banned by the trust.