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Blakeney Point (officially called Blakeney National Nature Reserve) is a National Nature Reserve situated near to the villages of Blakeney, Morston and Cley next the Sea on the north coast of Norfolk, England. Its main feature is a 6.4 km (4 mi) spit of shingle and sand dunes, but the reserve also includes salt marshes, tidal mudflats and reclaimed farmland. It has been managed by the National Trust since 1912, and lies within the North Norfolk Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest, which is additionally protected through Natura 2000, Special Protection Area (SPA), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Ramsar listings. The reserve is part of both an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and a World Biosphere Reserve. The Point has been studied for more than a century, following pioneering ecological studies by botanist Francis Wall Oliver and a bird ringing programme initiated by ornithologist Emma Turner. The area has a long history of human occupation; ruins of a medieval monastery and "Blakeney Chapel" (probably a domestic dwelling) are buried in the marshes. The towns sheltered by the shingle spit were once important harbours, but land reclamation schemes starting in the 17th century resulted in the silting up of the river channels. The reserve is important for breeding birds, especially terns, and its location makes it a major site for migrating birds in autumn. Up to 500 seals may gather at the end of the spit, and its sand and shingle hold a number of specialised invertebrates and plants, including the edible samphire, or "sea asparagus". The many visitors who come to birdwatch, sail or for other outdoor recreations are important to the local economy, but the land-based activities jeopardize nesting birds and fragile habitats, especially the dunes. Some access restrictions on humans and dogs help to reduce the adverse effects, and trips to see the seals are usually undertaken by boat. The spit is a dynamic structure, gradually moving towards the coast and extending to the west. Land is lost to the sea as the spit rolls forward. The River Glaven can become blocked by the advancing shingle and cause flooding of Cley village, Cley Marshes nature reserve, and the environmentally important reclaimed grazing pastures, so the river has to be realigned every few decades. ==Description== Despite the name, Blakeney Point, like most of the northern part of the marshes in this area, is part of the parish of Cley next the Sea. The main spit runs roughly west to east, and joins the mainland at Cley Beach before continuing onwards as a coastal ridge to Weybourne. It is approximately 6.4 km (4 mi) long,〔 and is composed of a shingle bank which in places is 20 m (65 ft) in width and up to 10 m (33 feet) high. It has been estimated that there are 2.3 million m3 (82 million ft3) of shingle in the spit,〔Bridges (1998) p. 39.〕 97 per cent of which is derived from flint.〔Steers, J A in Allison & Morley (1989) p. 24.〕 The Point was formed by longshore drift and this movement continues westward; the spit lengthened by 132.1 m (433 ft) between 1886 and 1925.〔 At the western end, the shingle curves south towards the mainland. This feature has developed several times over the years, giving the impression from the air of a series of hooks along the south side of the spit.〔Tansley (1939) pp. 848–849.〕 Salt marshes have formed between the shingle curves and in front of the coasts sheltered by the spit,〔 and sand dunes have accumulated at the Point's western end.〔 Some of the shorter side ridges meet the main ridge at a steep angle due to the southward movement of the latter.〔Steers, J A in Allison & Morley (1989) p. 19.〕 There is an area of reclaimed farmland, known as Blakeney Freshes, to the west of Cley Beach Road.〔〔 Norfolk Coast Path, an ancient long distance footpath, cuts across the south eastern corner of the reserve along the sea wall between the farmland and the salt marshes, and further west at Holme-next-the-Sea the trail joins Peddars Way.〔〔 Retrieved 7 June 2012.〕 The tip of Blakeney Point can be reached by walking up the shingle spit from the car park at Cley Beach,〔 or by boats from the quay at Morston. The boat gives good views of the seal colonies and avoids the long walk over a difficult surface.〔 The National Trust has an information centre and tea room at the quay,〔 Retrieved 16 August 2012.〕 and a visitor centre on the Point. The centre was formerly a lifeboat station and is open in the summer months.〔Dorling Kindersley (2009) p. 214.〕 Halfway House, or the Watch House, is a building 2.4 km (1.5 mi) from Cley Beach car park. Originally built in the 19th century as a look-out for smugglers, it was used in succession as a coast guard station, by the Girl Guides, and as a holiday let.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Blakeney Point」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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