The Wash-Over - Spurn Head, UK
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member dtrebilc
N 53° 36.574 E 000° 08.728
31U E 311163 N 5943870
Spurn Head is a narrow spit of land with the Humber estuary on one side and the North Sea on the over that is susceptible to storm damage.
Waymark Code: WM1506V
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/21/2021
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member greysman
Views: 0

This narrow spit of land is a National Nature Reserve and apart from the reserve vehicles no motor traffic is allowed. This information board tells how the land was flooded in a storm in December 2013 and some of its previous history.
THE WASH-OVER

The wash-over is the legacy of the december 2013 Storm surge. The sea rose by 2 metres on top of a high tide and washed the temporary road away. This natural event resulted in Spurn being cut off from the rest of Holderness and on certain high tides it is now the UK's newest tidal island.
Wildlife responded to this sudden isolation and the waders of the Humber Special Protection Area are using the relative safety of the beaches south of the wash-over to roost at high tide. During the autumn and winter months the area just to the west of the wash-over is frequented by brent geese. The geese feed on the eelgrass beds present. Bait digging is restricted here to allow the eelgrass to thrive. Please keep to the seaward side of the wash-over to avoid disturbing wildfowl and waders on the mudflats.

Looking out to sea, notice the old decaying sea defences. Evidence of past efforts to 'Hold the Line' at Spurn. these defences were started in Victorian times and have artificially held the peninsula's position.
Hard concrete walls were built to defend the military road during and after the Second World War and yet the North Sea has changed this landscape resulting in tracks, from the old military railway, apparently heading out to sea! Can you find these as you walk along the narrows?

Imagine a thriving town with a market, three mills, grand houses and one of the busiest ports at the time. This was the medieval town of Ravensor Odd. This port rivalled Grimsby and Hull and was perfectly positioned for easy trade. However it was vulnerable to coastal erosion and when sea levels changed in the 13th century, increased coastal erosion slowly devoured the town. it existed near to the Chalk Bank are.
Type of Historic Marker: Stand alone information board

Historical Marker Issuing Authority: Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

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Age/Event Date: Not listed

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