Summer holidays: (One of the)10 of the best places for under-fives

The Essex commuter belt is not the obvious place to look for a secret island untouched by time, but that's what makes Osea so exciting. Until last year, this private island in the Blackwater Estuary near Maldon was run as an exclusive rehab clinic and recording studio. In January, it opened to the public for the first time in more than 100 years as a low-key holiday retreat offering self-catering accommodation in a collection of stylish weatherboarded 18th century cottages, a couple of beach houses and a grand Edwardian manor house which can sleep up to 20.

Sailing and fishing trips can be organised, but the emphasis is on simple pleasures: beachcombing, foraging for berries and samphire, swimming, birdwatching and nature walks. Young children will love the chance to collect eggs from the hens, pick fruit from the orchard and visit the island's two resident donkeys. Osea can be reached by road just twice in every 24 hours, when the waters recede to reveal a causeway built by the Romans across the rocky river bed. Although you are really just a 90-minute drive or a 40-minute train ride from London, when the tide comes in and the causeway disappears, the sensation of being cut off from the rest of the world is complete.

To read the article, as published on The Guardian's website, click here.