Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Spurn

It is well worth the journey to this fascinating, curving spit of land, which stretches for three-and-a-half miles across the mouth of the mighty River Humber. Spurn has good facilities with car parks, visitor centres, tea room and hides. It has fine views, sand dunes and bracing walks. Formed 10,000 years ago after the retreat of the ice cap, the peninsula is made up of debris washed down, by the action of wind and water, from the soft clay cliffs to the north. It is constantly being eroded and re-formed.

Its fragile nature means that, to a great extent, it is inhabited by wildlife that thrives on or exploits the changing conditions; marram grass, for example. There is much botanical interest. Sea buckthorn dominates; lyme-grass, marram, sea-holly and sea rocket are among the hundreds of species recorded. On the Humber mud, cord-grass is found. As a place to observe and study birds and their migration, Spurn is incomparable. As well as migrants there are large numbers of wintering and passage waders and wildfowl and the ever-present likelihood of rarities. It is important nationally for many species of insects. There is much more to Spurn; its geomorphological importance, for example, and a long and fascinating history rivalling that of any other site in England.

Reserve Management

• The Trust’s aims include working with nature to allow the peninsula to move naturally, and, so far as is possible, encourage its rebuilding on the estuary side.
• Management includes the cutting back of invasive sea buckthorn and grazing with Hebridean sheep to prevent its regeneration and to encourage a diverse plant life.
• Spurn was purchased by the Trust in 1960 and was designated a National Nature Reserve (NNR) in 1996, 17.5 hectares of farmland are outside the NNR. The Trust reserves of Welwick Saltmarsh and Hodgson’s Fields are only a few miles from Spurn.

• Please note: No dogs are allowed on this reserve - this is to prevent disturbance to sensitive birds.

Printable PDF

A printable PDF giving information on the reserve and a map of the site can be downloaded by clicking here.

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