#195: The Wash

One area which would make a good focus for an investigation of natural history and landscape management would be the large estuary called The Wash. 

It is one of Norfolk's Natural Nature Reserves.

The reserve is a mix of open deep water, permanent shallow water, mudflats and saltmarsh, representing one of Britain’s most important winter feeding areas for waders and wildfowl.

The Wash NNR comprises Kirton Marsh, Terrington St Clement Marsh, Point Green and the North Wootton Marsh. It’s a valuable breeding zone for birds like the redshank and supports one of the largest common seal populations in England.

Main habitat: saltmarsh and mudflats
Area: 8,880 hectares

Source: Gov.UK

I lived on the shores of the Wash for twelve years, and could cycle to a beach where I could watch the sun set over the water, or the passing storms as above. I also had friends who lived up on the hill in Hunstanton before the present sprawl of housing estates cloaked the whole area and cut off the view. I remember evenings sat in their garden looking down towards the coast and Searles' beach huts and across to the twinkling lights of Skegness and other settlements on the other side of The Wash: a view now lost forever.

Somewhere in The Wash lies a great treasure waiting to be found.

According to this blog:

In October 1216 King John was travelling from Spalding, Lincolnshire, to Bishop’s Lynn, Norfolk, but was taken ill and decided to return. While he took the longer route around the Wash by way of Wisbech, he sent his baggage train, comprising horse-drawn wagons, along the causeway and ford across the mouth of the Wellstream, a route usable only at low tide, to arrive ahead of him.

The tide came in very high and the baggage train was too slow to beat the tide and was washed away. The baggage included the crown jewels. Their loss was a major disaster, which John didn’t have to deal with, as he died, probably of food poisoning, a few days later. He was recorded as staying the following night, 12–13 October 1216, at Swineshead Abbey, moving on to Newark-on-Trent, and dying of his illness on 19 October.

However, there are plans to change the area irrevocably, and impact on its natural history and wildlife. These include the Snettisham Spectacular - which happens when the tides are right.

Nothing but nothing is safe from those whose lives are defined by making money through destruction. The Wash is precious beyond words. We don’t need a marina, cruise ships and a barrage on one of the best wader habitats in Europe. It’s priceless. https://t.co/o96ADEv7xQ

— Mary Colwell (@curlewcalls) May 21, 2023

There have been several attempts to put a barrage over the Wash in the past to generate tidal energy. This always causes controversy and the plans were recently revived. This may be an issue worth following depending on how serious the plans get over the next five years or so. A public meeting was held in Hunstanton this week.

There is a thread here describing some of the contributions by those who spoke:

Thanks to everyone who came down to support Mike and defend the Wash! 💚 https://t.co/4VGfKtMfIo

— Norfolk Wildlife Trust (@NorfolkWT) November 6, 2023

It's over 70 years since they were discussed for the first (or more) time. This link is to a Hansard discussion in 1967.

There are several useful links:

Britannica Encylopaedia entry.

A website for those who want to Sail the Wash.

One of the places on the edge of the Wash is Wild Ken Hill. This was the location of BBC filming for some years and remains a location which will perhaps be part of the resources I put together on Norfolk as an extended case study, with reference to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, the Wash, Cley next the Sea and other key locations for investigating Natural History.

Images: Alan Parkinson - shared under CC license - the Wash from Snettisham beach