The Naze

Mouse over links for pictures; click for detail page.

The Naze (Old English naes, meaning a nose) is a headland roughly three miles long and one mile wide, stretching northwards from tWalton-on-the-Naze. Behind it is Hamford Water, an area of international importance for birds which it shelters from the North Sea. At its southern end is a hill that is being eroded, with the result that 20-metre high cliffs rise directly from the beach – unique on the Essex coast.

The cliffs are important geologically because of a spectacular exposure of a sandy deposit called Red Crag, formed about 3 million years ago when the sea covered most of Essex and containing large numbers of fossils. Red Crag erodes easily. Two concrete pillboxes lying out on the beach show how quickly erosion is occurring: they were built on the clifftop during World War II.

The public open space on top of the cliff consists of rough grassland with a scattering of large gorse bushes and elder scrub, providing cover for small birds such as whitethroat, linnet and goldfinch. During migration periods it is a prime birdwatching site.

Essex Wildlife Trust manages a visitor centre at the southern end near the Naze Tower. The section of cliff nearby has a viewing platform, from where you can view the North Sea - with a chance of seeing harbour porpoises - and the eroding cliffs.