Snettisham

Two of the UK's great wildlife spectacles takes place here, on a 25 mile wide Wash looked after by the RSPB who provide 4 hides overlooking the pits, of which 2 are accessible to wheelchair users.

1. On big tides, as water covers the vast mudflats of The Wash, tens of thousands of wading birds are pushed off their feeding grounds and onto the roost banks and islands (lagoons) in front of the RSPB hides.

2. A dawn or dusk visit in the middle of winter, you may get to see the sight of thousands of pink-footed geese flying from their overnight roots inland to feed.

Graham Taylor  

The pits were dug out during World War II in order to provide shingle that was used to build concrete runways as the American Bombers were too heavy to land on grass. The pits stretch for over 2.5km and are split equally between the RSPB reserve and privately owned beach properties

The RSPB provide Bird Watchers' time tables so that you can plan your visit to coincide with the best tides for watching the wading birds.

The Wash provides a safe roosting site for the Pink-Footed geese during the winter months when on the annual migratory visit to our shores.

During the spring and summer months a few migrants visit, including Avocet, Marsh Harrier and a large number of Common Tern and black-headed gulls nest on the reserve, when there is a display of shingle flowers.

On a winter visit as well as the Pink-Footed Geese there are also large numbers of waders, particularly Knot, Oystercatcher, Redshank and Dunlin. As well as other species such as Brent Geese, Tufted Duck, Pochard and many more.

  Richard Cattel

All year round you are likely to see Redshank, Ring Plover and Oystercatchers.

Location: Snettisham, nr Hunstanton, Norfolk Grid Reference: TF650328 Ceremonial County: Norfolk Map Link: Multimap Aerial photo: Getting there: From the A149 at Snettisham take the beach road to the caravan and car park. Go past the holiday chalets to the reserve. Access: Via steps and a rough path. Two of the hides are accessed via a concrete level path and have large viewing flaps. Website: http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/s/snettisham/index.asp Other Useful Websites: Email: snettisham@rspb.org.uk Address: Postcode: Telephone: 01485 542689 Opening Times: Open All Year at all times Charges: Free - no charge Nearby Locations: Other Location Pages: Notes: Dogs allowed on public footpaths and bridleways only

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