Sheppey is Kent’s very own Treasure Island. It nestles at the mouth of the Thames 50 miles from London directly opposite Southend and is probably the county’s best-kept secret – there are absolutely no signposts to it although there are directions to the main town of Sheerness.

For years motorists fretted in jams as the distinctive ‘four-poster’ lift-bridge closed the only road onto the island for cargo boats to pass beneath.

Now the island has a fixed-link high-rise Sheppey Crossing with commanding views over marshes and stunning Elmley Nature Reserve.

Sheppey is nine miles long, five miles wide and has a population of nearly 40,000 which doubles during the summer when visitors flock to the award-winning beaches. Many holiday parks offer top entertainment during the season.

But Sheppey is also steeped in history. The first aeroplane in the UK took off from an airstrip in Leysdown in 1909 and the Short Brothers built the first British aircraft factory on the Island. The former Sheerness Naval Dockyard, frequented by Samuel Pepys, boasts the world’s first ‘skyscraper’ and Henry Vlll visited the imposing Shurland Hall at Eastchurch.

The Romans and Saxons dubbed it the Isle of Sheep although Islanders are now affectionately known as Swampies.

Don’t miss: The Criterion Theatre is part of the Blue Town Heritage Centre and home to a regular old time music hall. The complex is an Aladdin’s Cave of odd artefacts and historical facts. While in Sheerness, pop into the Cottage of Curiosities museum in Rose Street.

Time to explore: Queenborough with its wide high street was once so important it returned two MPs. It also has the dubious claim of being captured by the Dutch in 1667 and not officially handed back until 1967! It now has many fine watering holes, a fresh fish shop, picturesque harbour, moorings for visiting yachts and superb sunsets famously captured by JMW Turner.

Best-kept secret: The Aviation Annexe hidden within the Eastchurch prison complex is open to the public and packed with memorabilia from the early days of flying.

Getting there: Easy access by road from the A2, M2 or M20 via the A249 dual-carriageway. Free parking of up to 20 minutes in Sheerness High Street and plenty of car parks within a short walk of the shops and seafront. By train, the end of the line is Sheerness-on-Sea (change at Sittingbourne) which takes you to the main town and seafront. There is also a station at historic Queenborough.