The closest you'll get to true wilderness in Essex
Don't worry if you've never visited Northey Island in the Blackwater estuary before. Here are some suggestions to help you make the most of your time with us, having booked your visit in advance.
A remote island in the Blackwater Estuary and cut off at high tide, visiting Northey is a unique pleasure.
Northey was to become the oldest recorded battlefield in Britain when Viking raiders used the island as a base during the Battle of Maldon in AD991, an encounter also mentioned in England's earliest known poem.
Today the island's a little more tranquil and is a peaceful haven for wildlife, which can be seen and heard from our waymarked trail. Having arranged access, crossing the causeway at low tide is still an exhilarating experience. In winter the estuary and the surrounding fields on our farm are teaming with thousands of waders and wildfowl. These can be seen and heard from the river wall as access is restricted to the island, when our pastureland shelters up to 5,000 Brent geese, along with redshank, curlew and plover.
An island at the heart of the new Marine Conservation Zone designation, we're also a pioneering site for managing coastal change in East Anglia.
Please note: To help us care for Northey, all access is by arrangement only; please email northeyisland@nationaltrust.org.uk to arrange a permit to visit. Northey House and outbuildings are let on a private lease and are not open to visitors. No vehicular access or parking on South House Chase. Public car park at Promenade Park.
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Most of our places run the Gift Aid on Entry scheme at their admission points.
Under this scheme, if you're not a member you have the choice of two entry tickets:
If the place runs Gift Aid on Entry, we'll offer you a clear choice between the Gift Aid Admission prices and the Standard Admission prices at the admission point. It's entirely up to you which ticket you choose.
Gift Aid Admission includes a 10 per cent or more voluntary donation. Gift Aid Admissions let us reclaim tax on the whole amount paid - an extra 25 per cent - potentially a very significant boost to our places' funds.
An extra £1 paid under the scheme can be worth over £3 to the National Trust as shown below:
| Gift Aid | Standard | |
|---|---|---|
| Amount paid by visitor | £11.00 | £10.00 |
| Tax refund from Government* | £2.75 | £0.00 |
| Total received by the National Trust | £13.75 | £10.00 |
*Gift Aid Admissions let us reclaim tax on the whole amount paid - an extra 25 per cent - potentially a very significant boost to our places' funds.
