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This is all that remains of a large area of common and rough grazing stretching from Southend to Shoebury, consisting of a barrier beach and spit backed in some places by marshland. It used to be part of the MoD rifle ranges and therefore is untouched by agriculture.
It is mainly grassland, divided by ditches and dykes lined with reed, and with patches of dense scrub and clumps of trees. This combination makes for good bird and insect life in summer. Goldfinches, linnets and whitethroats nest in the scrub, and kestrels and barn owls hunt over the grassland. It is also a good place to see unusual passage migrants in autumn and spring.
Visiting
Entrance in Campfield Road, Shoeburyness, just beyond the end of the A13.
10 minutes walk from Shoeburyness rail station. Buses run from Southend centre.
Accessible at all times.
May to August for birdsong and insects; autumn for passage migrant birds.