Your living landscape. Your living seas. living Your landscape. living Your

www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk

Sandwich tern©MarcodeJager No.633098 guarantee by limited company A No.239992. Charity Registered

[email protected] 671390, 01622 Fax: 602012, 01622 Tel:

Empowering people to make a difference a make to people Empowering

3BD ME14 Maidstone, Sandling, Barn, Trust,Tyland Wildlife Kent Office: Head

places wild and species rare Saving

wildlife for win to development Influencing

wildlife sharing and people Inspiring

for wildlife. for

60 nature reserves managing some 4000 hectares of land land of hectares 4000 some managing reserves nature 60

five visitor centres and over over and centres visitor five

days), toilets, free annual events programme. events annual free toilets, days),

Medway. The Trust has has Trust The Medway.

mile of easy access coast path, open-air café (operates most most (operates café open-air path, coast access easy of mile

charity in Kent and and Kent in charity

Design & Print by www.arccreative.net

Nature trail with information panels, birdwatching hide, one one hide, birdwatching panels, information with trail Nature leading conservation conservation leading

Facilities and activities at Pegwell Bay Country Park Country Bay Pegwell at activities and Facilities Wildlife Trust is the the is Trust Wildlife

Founded in 1958, Kent Kent 1958, in Founded

dusk if earlier. A fee is charged for parking. for charged is fee A earlier. if dusk

Pegwell Bay Country Park opens 8.30am, closes 7.30pm or or 7.30pm closes 8.30am, opens Park Country Bay Pegwell Group Partnership. Group

Opening times Opening on behalf of a Steering Steering a of behalf on

Trust manages the site site the manages Trust

Council. Kent Wildlife Wildlife Kent Council. OS Ref OS - Country Park: TR342635. Sandwich Bay: TR357591. Bay: Sandwich TR342635. Park: Country -

and Thanet District District Thanet and Sandown Road (Tel: 01304 612061 for current charge). current for 612061 01304 (Tel: Road Sandown

National Trust, RSPB RSPB Trust, National signs to the golf courses, entry is via a toll gate at the end of of end the at gate toll a via is entry courses, golf the to signs

Kent Wildlife Trust, Trust, Wildlife Kent between and Sandwich. For Sandwich Bay, follow follow Bay, Sandwich For Sandwich. and Ramsgate between

Kent County Council, Council, County Kent

By car By Cann © Tom – the country park is signposted from the A256 A256 the from signposted is park country the –

The NNR is owned by by owned is NNR The at village. Cliffsend at

Wildlife Partnership Wildlife By bus By – numbers 87 & 88 from Sandwich or Ramsgate stop stop Ramsgate or Sandwich from 88 & 87 numbers –

Sandwich Bay is 2 miles from Sandwich station. Sandwich from miles 2 is Bay Sandwich

By train By – the country park is 3 miles from Ramsgate station. station. Ramsgate from miles 3 is park country the –

How to find us find to How

P

Chalk cliffs Chalk

(800m)

0

1/2 mile mile 1/2

shrubs and trees and shrubs

Grassland & scattered & Grassland

(www.nekmpa.org.uk) Sand dunes Sand

Protected Area Area Protected

N.E. Kent Marine Marine Kent N.E. Dune pasture Dune

Reserve is part of the the of part is Reserve

The National Nature Nature National The Saltmarsh

PEGWELL BAY PEGWELL

Mudflats

Other footpath Other

SVW = Valley Stour = SVW

Access Restricted Access TCP = Thanet Coastal Path Coastal Thanet = TCP

Long distance trails distance Long

Route 15 Route

Regional Cycle Cycle Regional

Dogs on leads on Dogs England Coast Path Coast England

Local Nature Reserve Nature Local

Princes Beachlands Princes PEGWELL

CLIFFSEND

Boundary Country Boundary

Country Park Country

Path Reserve Boundary Reserve

National Nature National England Coast Coast England

Dogs on leads on Dogs

National Nature Reserve Nature National

Access Restricted Access

POINT

SHELLNESS

RESERVE

NATURE NATURE

leads and observing the access restrictions as shown on the map. the on shown as restrictions access the observing and leads

Pegwell Bay Pegwell STONELEES BAY

rest. Please take great care not to disturb them by keeping dogs on on dogs keeping by them disturb to not care great take Please rest. S A N D W I C H H C I W D N A S

vulnerable to disturbance and need a safe haven in which to feed and and feed to which in haven safe a need and disturbance to vulnerable

COUNTRY PARK COUNTRY

PEGWELL BAY PEGWELL PEGWELL BAY PEGWELL

refuge for many species of wildfowl and waders. These birds are are birds These waders. and wildfowl of species many for refuge P Sandwich & & Sandwich

The mudflats here are of international importance, providing a vital vital a providing importance, international of are here mudflats The

N

PICNIC SITE PICNIC

VIKING SHIP VIKING of Sandwich & Pegwell Bay Pegwell & Sandwich of

P

PEGWELL

CLIFFSEND

Help protect the amazing wildlife wildlife amazing the protect Help RAMSGATE

Sandwich and Pegwell Bay Tidal Habitats Coastal Habitats National Nature Reserve Mudflats Beach, sand dunes & dune pasture The National Nature Reserve (NNR) is home to an amazing variety of plants and animals making it nationally and At low tide large areas of mud and sand are exposed. A few ringed plover nest on the beach but little terns

internationally important © John&IrenePalmer It may look bleak and inhospitable to us, but this harsh no longer breed, probably due to predation and human for wildlife. You can Waders in flight environment is home to vast numbers of shellfish, worms disturbance. Named after the town, its close cousin the and other marine animals. Particularly in winter, these Sandwich tern can be seen throughout the summer. In find more habitats here attract spectacular July, numbers of this than anywhere else © BenRing flocks of feeding © MarkCarmody species swell as they Sanderling Lizard orchid in the southeast. The and roosting stop to feed and rest mudflats, saltmarsh, waders and before returning to their beach, sand dunes, wildfowl. winter quarters off the coastal scrublands coast of Africa. and cliffs are home to Many of the birds dozens of rare species. that visit the The roots of plants such nature reserve as sea sandwort, sea

have travelled vast couch and marram grass Bog Asphodel Pegwell Bay Country Park distances. Some help to bind and stabilize breed within the the shifting sand dunes. Arctic Circle and fly Together with the ancient thousands of miles to dune pasture further The country park is an ideal starting point from which to spend the winter here. The bountiful food and mild winter inland they form one of explore the NNR. It’s hard to imagine now, but for many climate make these amazing journeys worth the effort. the finest dune systems years the country park was a landfill site! Since the late in Britain. Several of the 1970s, careful management and livestock grazing have Wading birds like oystercatcher, ringed plover and plants growing here are seen it flourish and it’s now a haven for wildlife. redshank use the site throughout the year and a few nest. scarce elsewhere, including © JasonMitchell

© Tony Flashman Sanderling, turnstone, golden and grey plover visit for the marsh helleborine, lizard orchid Highland cow Burnet moths on pyramidal orchid winter in nationally and internationally important numbers and bedstraw broomrape. Bright wave and restharrow are

but return to their Arctic breeding grounds for the summer. © BrettLewis two rare moths associated Sand lizard with this habitat. © JasonMitchell Sea aster and glasswort © Tony Flashman Turnstone

Fens © Terry Longley/www.seeing.org.uk Fens Redshank

Oyster fungus

At the far end of the country park you can find the Stonelees Nature Reserve. This rare ancient dune pasture was a sand dune a matter Sea cliffs of centuries ago. Today, slacks (damp hollows), sandy, Saltmarsh & rocky coastline calcium-rich soils and livestock grazing provide ideal conditions for a wide range Beyond the range of most Kent contains more than of plants, including bee, Bee orchid © JasonMitchell tides specially adapted salt- a third of Britain’s coastal chalk and the cliffs at Pegwell pyramidal, common spotted tolerant plants form saltmarsh. A relative newcomer to are particularly important. They comprise many striking and southern marsh-orchids. our shores, common cord-grass dominates large areas but geological features including sea caves, stack pillars and This abundance of wild there are many other plants growing here. Look for the tunnels along with numerous fractures, faults and cracks. flowers attracts a huge distinctive mauve, daisy-like blooms of sea aster, purple At their base, wave-cut platforms often host feeding and variety of insects, including carpets of sea lavender, and the eye-catching yellows of roosting flocks of turnstone, making the Thanet coastline over three hundred species golden samphire. Although less colourful, glasswort, sea of international importance for this bird. Warm, south- of moth. blite and sea purslane are other typical saltmarsh plants. facing sections are home to solitary bees and wasps which dig nest burrows into the soft rock.