Secretive UK island you can only visit 6 times a year – with no pub, a tiny shop and England’s most dangerous footpath

THERE'S an island in England that's owned by the military, which holidaymakers can only visit on select days of the year.

Foulness Island, which sits just off the coast of Essex, is home to just 150 residents.

There are roughly 80 houses on the island, which are spread through two villages.

Even though only a couple of hundred people live on the island, it is thought that a Romano-British Settlement once occupied its shores.

The island was also a notorious route for smugglers too, thanks to its deserted coast and countless creeks.

But at the beginning of the 20th century, in 1915, Foulness Island was passed into the hands of the War Department.

The island, which is owned by the Military of Defence, is allegedly used to test munitions like missiles, torpedoes and ballistics - although the exact nature of this work is classified under the Official Secrets Act.

While the island is still owned by the British Army, it is managed by QinetiQ, a defence technology company based in Hampshire.

Despite the military presence, Brit holidaymakers can visit the English island on the first Sunday of every month.

In order to step foot on the island, visitors will need to complete a registration form on the Foulness Island Heritage Centre website in advance of a visit.

The first opened in 2003 inside a former school, which closed to students in the late 1980s.

Inside the Heritage Centre visitors will be able to view artefacts and pieces of memorabilia covering 2,000 years of the island's history.

While visitors to the island aren't allowed to freely explore, there are other organised excursions, including a visit to the church.

These are the only landmarks that tourists can visit as the George and Dragon pub closed its doors in 2007, according to .

Holidaymakers cannot visit other parts of the island, including the tiny shop that doubles as a Post Office.

Foulness Island and the neighbouring mudflats of Maplin Sands are also considered to be wildlife havens too, with wading birds and Brent Geese calling the island home in the winter months.

The tiny island is also famous for having one of the most dangerous footpaths in the country.

Stretching across Maplin Sands, the route is only accessible when the tide is out.

Brit holidaymakers can visit Foulness Island on the first Sunday of the month from April to October, with the next open day taking place on April 7, 2024.

The Foulness Island Heritage Centre is open from 12pm until 4pm.

Foulness Island is connected to the mainland by a road via the Landwick Security Gate.

Anyone coming onto the island will need to get a visitor pass and register their name, phone number and vehicle registration number at the entrance.

Foulness Island is free to visit and there is no charge for car parking.

From Southend, it's a 30-minute drive to Foulness Island, while it's a 50-minute drive from Chelmsford.

The English island has been praised by holidaymakers on TripAdvisor.

One person wrote: "This is a unique place, isolated from the rest of the world by its position in the middle of a military firing range.

"Visits are restricted to once a month, for a few hours, but are well worth the effort to attend."

While another added: "This is the equivalent of going back 50 or more years in time."

A third person wrote: "A rare chance to visit here as the place is only open once a month.

While there's not much to see, it's a good experience to tell your friend."

This isn't the only unusual island in the UK either.

Piel Island, which sits just off the coast of the Furness peninsula in Cumbria, is home to just 10 residents one of which is a king.

Each time the pub gets a new landlord, they're crowned "King" of the island.

Last year, Aaron Sanderson, 33, became the owner of the Ship Inn and the "King of Piel".

In addition to the pub and its royal landlord, Piel Island also has a 600-year-old castle.

Meanwhile, there's one unspoilt British isle where people travel by horse-drawn carriage.

Here's another UK island that's like Cornwall from the 1970s.

And an island in Scotland has been dubbed the "Hawaii of the North".