Kelling Heath
| Kelling Heath | |
 Kelling Heath |
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  Kelling Heath |
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| OS grid reference | TG101420 |
|---|---|
| Civil parish | Kelling |
| District | North Norfolk |
| Shire county | Norfolk |
| Region | East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
Coordinates: 52°56′06″N 1°07′33″E / 52.935021°N 1.125772°E
Kelling Heath is an area of heathland on the coast of North Norfolk, England, between Holt and Weybourne. It has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and is described by Natural England as 'a fine example of oceanic heathland'.[1] The SSSI covers some 90 hectares.
Geology
Kelling Heath lies on the Cromer Ridge, a glacial moraine formed by retreating glaciers at the end of the last Ice age.[2] Together with nearby Salthouse Heath, it is one of two distinct outwash plains dating from different halt stages of the same glaciation. Kelling Heath provides perhaps the best example of a glacial outwash plain in England. Both sites have steep ice-contact slopes and are dissected by deep dry valleys, and are geomorphological sites of national importance.
Natural history
The vegetation is typical of dry, acid heath and is dominated by heather, bell heather, western gorse, gorse and bracken, with areas of mixed woodland. A wide variety of heathland birds nest on the site, including nightjar, whitethroat and tree pipit. The dry conditions are favourable to reptiles such as common lizard and adder
The heath is bisected by the North Norfolk Railway, which has a Kelling Heath Halt. There is a Holiday Park adjoining the heath.
References
- ↑ http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002812.pdf
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2005/06/21/coast05_iceage_feature.shtml
External links
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