Visit the oldest recorded battlefield in Britain

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be cast away on an island? Castaway weekends on Northey Island in the River Blackwater Estuary offer the experience of camping overnight completely cut off from the mainland. So you can experience nature close up in the Essex wilderness.

The island is a peaceful haven for wildlife, a bird watchers paradise and an excellent spot for twitching. In winter the pastureland becomes home to redshank, plover and 5,000 Brent geese.

Cut off at high tide, the island was an ideal encampment for the Vikings on their raid of Maldon in 991AD, celebrated in the famous Battle of Maldon poem. Now a more peaceful haven popular with walkers, artists and bird watchers, it is still an exhilarating experience walking across the causeway. The island can be visited with prior permission from the National Trust.

Content provided by Visit Essex