Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
between
Walton-on-the-Naze
Walton-on-the-Naze is a seaside town on the North Sea coast and (as Walton le Soken) a former civil parish, now in the parish of Frinton and Walton, in the Tendring district in Essex, England. It is north of Clacton and south of the port of Ha ...
and
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-on- ...
in Essex. The site is a tidal inlet which has marsh grasslands, creeks, mud and sand flats, salt marshes, islands and beaches. It is described by
Natural England
Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...
as "of international importance for breeding
little tern
The little tern (''Sternula albifrons'') is a seabird of the family Laridae. It was formerly placed into the genus ''Sterna'', which now is restricted to the large white terns. The genus name is a diminutive of ''Sterna'', "tern". The specific '' ...
s and wintering dark-bellied brent geese, wildfowl and waders, and of national importance for many other bird species." Rare plants include hog's fennel and
slender hare's-ear
''Bupleurum tenuissimum'', the slender hare's-ear, is a coastal plant of the family Apiaceae
Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carr ...
. The main invertebrates are worms and thin-shelled molluscs. The largest island,
Horsey Island
Horsey Island is an island in the parish of Thorpe-le-Soken, Essex. It lies in Hamford Water and is part of the Hamford Water National Nature Reserve, managed by Natural England. Permission is required to visit.
Geography
The western section o ...
, can be reached on foot at low tide across The Wade from
Kirby-le-Soken
Kirby-le-Soken is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Frinton and Walton, in the Tendring district of North East Essex, England, which is mainly agricultural, but increasingly residential, near Frinton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the ...
.
It is also a
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
Special Protection Area
A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cert ...
, a
Nature Conservation Review
''A Nature Conservation Review'' is a two-volume work by Derek Ratcliffe, published by Cambridge University Press in 1977. It set out to identify the most important places for nature conservation in Great Britain. It is often known by the initial ...
Essex Wildlife Trust
The Essex Wildlife Trust (EWT) is one of 46 wildlife trusts which cover the United Kingdom. The EWT was founded in 1959, and it describes itself as Essex's leading conservation charity, which aims to protect wildlife for the future and the people ...
.
Most of Bramble Island (now part of the mainland) is used by Exchem for explosives testing.
The area was used as the basis for
Arthur Ransome
Arthur Michell Ransome (18 January 1884 – 3 June 1967) was an English author and journalist. He is best known for writing and illustrating the ''Swallows and Amazons'' series of children's books about the school-holiday adventures of childre ...
's novel ''
Secret Water
''Secret Water'' is the eighth book in Arthur Ransome's ''Swallows and Amazons'' series of children's books. It was published on 28 November 1939.
This book is set in and around Hamford Water in Essex, close to the resort town of Walton-on-th ...
''.
See also
*
Beaumont Cut
Beaumont Cut was a canal linking Beaumont Quay, in the parish of Beaumont-cum-Moze, Tendring, Essex, England, with Hamford Water and the North Sea. It was opened in 1832 but fell into disuse and was closed at some time in the 1930s.
History
...