The  Wash with the Humber 
Estuary above

A shallow bay of the North Sea, The Wash is the largest estuarine system in the UK, measuring 15 miles long by 12 miles wide. It's fed by the rivers Witham, Welland, Nene and Great Ouse that drain much of the East Midlands of England. 

The Wash comprises very extensive saltmarshes, major intertidal banks of sand and mud, shallow waters and deep channels. It once extended as far inland as Peterborough and Cambridge but was largely filled in by silt from rivers and coastal currents.

It's a unique and fascinating natural world. The estuary still offers flooding dangers and seawalls have been built to protect the low coastal lands. At low tide the river waters reach the sea through shallow creeks between the banks of sand and mud, and some of the larger channels, the Boston and Lynn deeps, provide anchorage for small vessels visiting Boston and King's Lynn.

The intertidal flats have a rich invertebrate fauna and colonising beds of Glasswort which are important food sources for the large numbers of waterbirds dependent on the site. The Wash is also of outstanding importance for a large number of geese, ducks and waders, both in spring and autumn migration periods, as well as through the winter months.

The sheltered nature of The Wash creates suitable breeding conditions for shellfish, principally mussel, cockle and shrimps, which are important food sources for waterbirds such as oystercatchers. The Wash is always just a few miles from the cycle route in its central section and an interesting detour if you have time.

Information Alan Trewick