Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos

Yesterday, I had to visit deepest, darkest Essex, with my day trip taking in Colchester and the nearby Island of Mersea. Here’s a selection of photos from my journey.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Colchester has two stations – the main line Colchester and Colchester Town, at the end of a short branch that takes you into the centre of the town. It’s pretty grim around the main station.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

I liked this ‘All Buns Blazing’ advert for a snack bar.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Dented road sign.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

I wonder if Jamie is still in love with Anne Marie?

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Like a lot of towns in the UK, there’s no shortage of closed small businesses.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

I wonder if the owner wheels these washing machines in every time it rains?

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Selection of shops on North Station Road.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

The splendid façade of the Grade II listed Victoria Inn, a real ale-stuffed, multiple CAMRA-award winning pub dating back to the 17th Century, boasting a stripped-down ethos:

“In this day and age it was rather a novel idea, get a pub and then try to reinvent it – as a pub. Regular clientele, sensible music and so on. No thunderous disco, no plastic menus on the table, no cheap deals on electric blue vodka-based drinks and no men on the door sporting bomber jackets and earpieces.”

Martin Newell, East Anglian Daily Times

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

The eyes!

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Crossing the Rover Colne with old and new riverside developments.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

The River Lodge looks in need of a bit of attention.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Ian & Sam are thataway.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Looking up North Hill.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

The Grade II listed Marquis of Granby inn dates from around circa 1520, and boasts, “exceptionally fine carved detail, though much of the building was extensively restored in 1914.” []

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Meat Lasagna and Coffee special!

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Pushing the buggy up the hill.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Blue painted ’boutique hotel’ on North Hill.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Dental Repairs at No 4.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

The big arrow.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Loved this sign by the Culver Street Baristas.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Holy Trinity Church, Colchester, the tower of which is early 11th Century Anglo-Saxon and the oldest surviving church building in Colchester.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Ancient entrance.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

There’s some wonderful old buildings around the centre of town.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

A 30-minute bus ride took us to Mersea Island, which lies 9 miles (14 km) south-east of Colchester and is the most easterly inhabited island in the United Kingdom.

The island is split into two main areas, West Mersea and East Mersea, and connected to the mainland by the Strood, a causeway that floods at high tide. []

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

I was in Mersea for the funeral of a dear friend, where a moving humanist ceremony was held. This is the view from close to her resting place. RIP Maxine Craik.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

A mix of high tech and low tech informs passengers of timetable changes.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

A sign by the Mersea bus stop advertises the joys of Fish & Chip Friday.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

On the same noticeboard, Wednesday’s attraction was a toenail cutting service.

Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos, Essex, England

A last view of Colchester, as we waited for the train back to Liverpool Street at the single platform of the Town station.

Opened in 1866, the station was originally known as St. Botolph’s before being renamed as Colchester Town in 1991. Despite the one solitary platform, the station is a busy one, carrying 760,000 people every year. []

One Comment on “Fish & Chip Friday and Wednesday Toe Nails: Colchester and Mersea Island in photos”

  1. Thanks a lot for all these wonderful photos.
    The roadsign one is of particular heritage note, as the road to Cambridge hasn’t been called A604 for maybe about 20 years…

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