The Wash National Nature Reserve is one of the last truly wild coastal areas in Britain. It features a vast expanse of saltmarsh, mudflats, sandbanks, tidal creeks and shallow water, offering unbroken views across Britain's largest estuary and out to sea. This otherworldly landscape is home to one of the largest common seal populations in England. Vast numbers of migratory waders and wildfowl also feed and overwinter here between November and March, including pink footed and brent geese, bar tailed godwit and shelduck. Birds like curlew, oystercatcher, knot and dunlin regularly roost on the saltmarsh, while aerial hunters like the marsh harrier can be spotted wheeling overhead.
The NNR also encompasses the Outer Trial Bank, a circular artificial island created in the 1970s as part of an unsuccessful experiment to create freshwater storage and since abandoned to nature. This unique feature, now a key site for breeding seabirds, is accessible only at low tide. The NNR extends to 8,880 ha. and can be accessed from several areas across the south of The Wash: Kirton Marsh, Terrington St Clement Marsh, Point Green and North Wootton Marsh. Coastal footpaths, mostly along the sea wall, offer excellent access to the southern reaches of the site. Much of the wider saltmarsh and mudflats are inaccessible by vehicle and on foot, maintaining the bleak but beautiful nature of this location and safeguarding its wildlife and tranquillity.
