About

Stiffkey, which is situated just across the water from Blakeney National Nature Reserve, is home to one of the country's richest saltmarshes for wildlife. Flooded daily by the tide it is an important conservation area for breeding birds.

The picturesque Stiffkey marshes forms part of Blakeney National Nature Reserve ad is a remarkable landscape protected by many national and international designations.

The saltmarshes are formed from unique ecosystems created over decades. Mud and silt is deposited along this sheltered part of coastline where the waves are gentle, providing the perfect conditions for these wetlands to form. The daily tidal flow is what makes saltmarshes so important for biodiversity. They are a rich source of sustenance for a wide variety of magnificent marine and land creatures - and the tides deliver a regular supply of sediments, nutrients and water to a community of striking plants.

Seablite forms a shelter for vulnerable birds at the edges of the craterous pools. Sliver-coloured Sea Purslane glints on the edge of the creeks where its branches provide refuge for fish. And most famous of all is the deep purple lavender, bursting across the marshes in the summer and it is here that Samphire grows in the open mud.

Designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, much of Stiffkey’s saltmarsh is carefully managed by the National Trust. Just along the coast, at Morston Quay, the National Trust Visitor Centre provides more information on the saltmarshes.

To get to the Stiffkey Marshes from Stiffkey Village, you can take a signed footpath from the free car park at the west end of the village. Turn off the A149 into Green Way at the west end of Stiffkey Village then take the lane to the end of the road to reach the free car park. In the left corner of the car park, you will find the signed footpath that heads west towards Wells-next-the-Sea. Follow the path along the edge of the marshes.