.
Scolt Head Island

 

Scolt Head Island: a barrier island

Scolt Head Island is a classic example of what geographers refer to as an offshore barrier island. It was leavened from wind and tide in the geological blink of an eye – around a thousand years ago is the latest estimate – and it probably started life as a spit of sand that spread westward over a shingle skeleton. It would have been colonised by marram grass seeds blown on the wind or transported by birds or the tide. Once the grasses take hold, their creeping roots hold the sand together and in this way dunes begin to develop. Now the island is four miles long and growing, reaching from Burnham Overy Staithe at its eastern end to Brancaster at its western, this eyebrow of dunes and shingle atop the North Norfolk coast contains four significant habitats: shingle, intertidal mud and sand flats, sand dunes and saltmarsh.

http://www.theislandreview.com/scolt-head-island/

 

 

Scolt Head Island is a fine example of an offshore barrier island in the UK.
It is 6 ½ km long, over 700 hectares in area and it is continuing to grow
westwards.

The three main habitats are:
1. shingle,
2. dunes,
3. saltmarsh.

It is now thought that the island has been formed about a 1000 years ago and is composed of glacial shingle overlaid with sands and silts.

The island’s vegetation includes many typical coastal flora, such as sea campion, bird’s-foot trefoil, sea bindweed, sea holly and shrubby sea blite.

.

.

.

. This image was taken from the western end.
You see the curved sand bank, tidal marshland and river.
The succession of old sand banks is being consolidated into an area of continuous land above
.. sea level
.

Near the western edge of the reserve. The picture is taken from up the dune.
The Warden's Cottage. The roof is made of cedar wood tiles.

Zie voor verdere info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scolt_Head_Island