Donna Nook NNR
According to legend the reserve is named after a ship called 'The Donna', part of the Spanish Armada, which sank off the Nook (a small headland) in 1588.
County: Lincolnshire
Main habitats: Coastal
Area: 341.4 Ha
Site map: Nature on the Map.
Although most NNRs are managed by Natural England, 88 are wholly or partly managed by other bodies approved by Council, under Section 35 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Donna Nook NNR is owned by the Ministry of Defence and managed by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.
Donna Nook is immediately to the north of another coastal reserve, Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes NNR.
The reserve is made up of dunes, slacks, saltmarsh and inter-tidal areas. The area is rich in bird life. In summer, breeding dune birds include red-legged partridge, dunnock, whitethroat, linnet, skylark, yellowhammer and tree sparrow; while the mudflats provide a winter home for substantial numbers of brent geese, shelduck, twite, lapland bunting, shore lark, knot and dunlin, and a wide variety of other wading birds. In addition, Donna Nook has one of the largest and most accessible breeding colonies of grey seals in the UK.
Location and access
The reserve is a 10 km coastal strip stretching from Saltfleet in the south, to Somercotes Haven in the north, the point where a waterway, the Seven Towns South Eau, enters the sea.
By car the reserve can be reached via tracks and minor roads from the A1031. There are parking facilities at (from north to south): Stonebridge, Howden's Pullover, Sea Lane, Saltfleet and Saltfleet Haven. All offer access to the reserve.
The nearest train stations are in Cleethorpes (20 km to the north) and Skegness (25 km to the south).
There are bus services from Cleethorpes to Saltfleetby and from Skegness to Mablethorpe, see Lincolnshire County Council's Bus Travel.
Please note that, while most of the dune area is accessible, the Ministry of Defence maintains part of the area as a bombing range. Under no circumstances should anyone enter the bombing area when red flags are flying.
There is limited disabled access at Stonebridge.
Facilities
The nearest toilet and refreshment facilities are in local towns and villages. There are information panels on the reserve and an information hut open during daylight hours from mid-November to the third week in December when the grey seals are on shore.
