19 Islands to Explore in England

Brownsea Island is the largest of the islands in Poole Harbour in the county of Dorset, England. The island is owned by the National Trust. The island sits in the middle of Poole Harbour, with dramatic views of the Purbeck Hills. Thriving natural habitats, including woodland, heathland and a lagoon, have created havens for wildlife, such as the red squirrel and a huge variety of birds, including the sandwich tern.

Burgh Island is an iconic South Devon landmark, located directly opposite Bigbury on Sea beach. The island is accessible at low tide by a strip of sand which at high tide is completely covered, leaving a ride on the unique sea tractor as the only means of access. It is mainly known for two remarkable features: the fantastic, if expensive Art Deco-style Burgh Island Hotel and the unusual means by which the hotel gets its visitors to the island when the tide is high.

Hayling Island has over 3 miles of beaches along the seafront facing the Solent and many more miles of shore around the Harbours of Langstone and Chichester. The three main beaches of the Island have won both the European Blue Flag and the Keep Britain Tidy Group – Seaside Award Flag for cleanliness and management.

One of the beautiful locations for walking in Wirral, or spotting rare and endangered wildlife. The islands are an archipelago and classed as one of just 43 unbridged tidal islands in the UK that can be reached on foot from the mainland. It is also important as a stopping-off point for the twice-yearly migration of birds along the west coast of Britain. On the island is the Hilbre Island Bird Observatory.

Holy Island is situated off the Northumberland coast in the north east of England, just a few miles south of the border with Scotland. The island is linked to the mainland by a causeway which twice a day is covered by the tide. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD; it was an important centre of Celtic Christianity under Saints Aidan of Lindisfarne, Cuthbert, Eadfrith of Lindisfarne and Eadberht of Lindisfarne. After the Viking invasions and the Norman conquest of England,

The Isle of Portland is the Jurassic Coast’s most southerly point, and is joined to the mainland by just a thin strip at the southern end of the sweeping arc of Chesil Beach. Its isolated location and beautiful scenery make it a real explorer’s island, while the comparatively mild climate enables a wide variety of flora and fauna to thrive.

The Isle of Purbeck is a peninsula located in south Dorset. The area is home to some of the country’s most well-loved towns and landmarks including Swanage, Lulworth Cove, Corfe Castle, and Durdle Door. One of the unique attractions in this area and it is a nice place to Relax on the beach, explore the South West Coast Path, hunt for dinosaur fossils, or just sit back and enjoy the views of the world-famous Jurassic Coast.

A beautiful unspoilt island that was home to a fascinating array of wildlife amidst dramatic scenery. It is 400ft at its highest point, is the largest in the Bristol Channel and quite possibly the most unique. The Island creates a rich diversity of animal and plant life loved by walkers, climbers and wildlife enthusiasts alike. As the UK’s first Marine Conservation Zone, the waters also play host to a spectacular array of marine wildlife

Northey Island is an island in the estuary of the River Blackwater, Essex. It is a Site of special scientific interest with a large area of undisturbed Saltmarsh. It is also the site of the Battle of the Maldon in AD991 making it Britain's oldest recorded battlefield site. Guided tours can be organised only by prior arrangement.

Osea Island, formerly also Osey, is an inhabited island in the estuary of the River Blackwater, Essex, East England. It is approximately 380 acres in size and is connected to the north bank of the river by a causeway, covered at high water. The population of the Island is included in the civil parish of Heybridge. It is accessible only via a winding tidal causeway, or helicopter.

This small fifty-acre island off the coast of Barrow in Furness can be accessed by passenger ferry from Roa Island or by guided walks across the sands at low tide and hosts its very own King, Castle, and Pub, all steeped in history waiting to be discovered by you. The island is within the administrative boundaries of the mainland town of Barrow-in-Furness and is owned by the people of the town, having been given by the Duke of Buccleuch in the early 20th century.

Ray Mill Island is an island in the River Thames in England at Boulter's Lock near Maidenhead, Berkshire. The island is now a park administered by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. The Island has an adventure play area suitable for children between 3 and 8 years, an aviary and guinea pig enclosure, and wooden animals dotted around for an imaginative play.

Havergate Island is the only island in the county of Suffolk, England. It is found at the confluence of the River Ore and the Butley River near the village of Orford. It is a marshy nature reserve run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and is known for its population of avocets and terns. It is part of the ecologically important Alde-Ore Estuary and has protected conservation status as part of a national nature reserve, SSSI, SAC, SPA, Ramsar Site and is also a part of the Suffolk

St Michael’s Mount is a tidal island and as there are no boats running this year, all visitors must access it by foot. At low tide the causeway opens and all ticket holders can walk across to the island and stay there until the tide comes back in again around four hours later. The harbour village, shops, castle lawns and takeaway outlets will be open for ticket holders to enjoy.

Spike Island is an international center for the development of contemporary art and design, home to a gallery, café, and working space for artists, designers and so more. Spike Island offers visitors a year-round program of exhibitions, events, and family activities in the expansive, well-lit gallery spaces, as well as providing artists’ studios and commercial workspace for both new and established designers and creative businesses.

St Mary’s Island is a tidal island located off Curry's Point to the north of Whitley Bay, accessed by a causeway at low tide. During medieval times it was known as Bate's Island and was occupied by a small chapel dedicated to St. Helen, which burned a lamp to warn mariners of the rocks. The main feature of the island is St. Mary's Lighthouse which was built in 1898.

Thorney Island is a peninsula which juts out into Chichester Harbour, driving a wedge between the Emsworth Channel and Thorney Channel. It was bet known for its military airbase, but before the airbase was built there was a small but thriving village here. A coastal public footpath, part of the Sussex Border Path encircles the island, but public access to the south of the island is limited to the footpath and the church of St Nicholas at West Thorney.

Wallasea Island is a magical landscape of marshland, lagoons, ditches and sea. Much of the island is farmland, and wheat is the main crop. A small settlement at its western end is linked by road to the mainland and is home to a campsite and marina. It is linked by a ferry to Burnham-on-Crouch.

Walney Island, juts out into the Irish Sea off the west coast of England and is connected to Barrow in Furness by Jubilee Bridge over Walney Channel. Walney is the largest island of the Furness Islands group and has a population in excess of 10,000. The island remained rural until the growth of Barrow-in-Furness' industries in the nineteenth century. In particular, the development between 1867 and 1881 of docks at Barrow Island, in Walney Channel opposite Walney, encouraged the growth of Walney