Natural Coast

Discover a different coast where sloping sand dunes embrace mile upon mile of golden sands, a place where nature thrives.

So, it's no surprise that much of it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It offers one of the best places in Britain to see breeding grey seals. While each year around a million birds from across the globe migrate along its sandy shoreline.

Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve (Visitor Centre and café) can be found just south of Skegness, and is also a SSSI. Here, a network of paths will guide you through the intertidal habitats, freshwater marsh and seashore. Managed by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, the site provides a key habitat for a number of important species.

Further along the coast, Chapel Six Marshes is home to the Sound Tower which forms part of the Structures on the Edge project, developing a gallery of artistic architecture along the coast. Located on the sea front, the landmark focuses people's senses and amplifies the windy nature of the site.

With a beautiful stretch of sandy, unspoilt beach, Anderby Creek is as delightful as the name suggests and amongst the sand dunes you will find another 'Structure on the Edge'; the Round and Round House is designed for all-year round bird watching. This is also where you can take a seat at the Cloud Bar, the UK’s first purpose-built cloud viewing platform where you can sit back and enjoy the natural shapes of cloud formations as they drift across East Lincolnshire’s big skies.

Stretching along the coast from Sandilands to Chapel St Leonards, and inland to Hogsthorpe, Mumby, Anderby and Huttoft, the Lincolnshire Coastal Country Park has stunning sandy beaches, wildlife packed nature reserves and an extensive network of public rights of way. A great way to explore this stretch of coast is by taking part in one of the many events that takes place throughout the year, including walks, open days, nature trails, art workshops, Shoresearch activities and more.

Located between the coastal strip and the Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty you’ll find the Lincolnshire Coastal Grazing Marshes. This nationally threatened habitat supports a diverse variety of wildlife and the distinctive wetland landscape is steeped in a rich cultural history. Various walking and cycling routes have been developed to help you explore the area's hidden heritage, picking out key points of interest along the way.

Travel a little further up the coast and Donna Nook National Nature Reserve covers more than 10 kilometres of coastline between Grainthorpe Haven in the north and Saltfleet in the south where it borders Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe National Nature Reserve. The reserve is rich in bird life and is renowned as the site where a colony of grey seals return to shore each winter to give birth to more than 1,000 pups. The site is popular with visitors throughout November and December and special viewing areas make it possible to observe the seals at close quarters while protecting both the seal and the public.

You can discover what wildlife to look out for each month along the coast in our monthly Wildlife Watch!