Pegwell Bay & Stonelees

The estuary of the river Stour runs into Pegwell Bay (TR346637) producing a fertile mudflat with saltmarsh adjacent to a reclaimed rubbish tip. It is a part of Sandwich and Pegwell Bay NNR a wildlife partnership jointly owned and managed by Kent County Council and Kent Wildlife Trust.

There is a pay and display car park at the Pegwell Bay Picnic Site which is equipped with toilets and here you can join the Thanet Coastal Path and walk alongside the saltmarsh to the south. Here you will see common shelduck, oystercatchers and ringed plovers throughout the year.

In the summer, the grass is dotted with wildflowers such as orchids and broomrapes.

In the winter, the foreshore and mudflats attract thousands of wading birds, including dunlin, sanderling, and grey plover. Birds of prey, such as merlin and peregrine falcon, can also be seen at the site. Birdwatchers can use the public bird hide, which is also accessible for disabled visitors.

There are excellent opportunities to explore beyond the park using the Public Rights of Way, especially using the Saxon Shore Way which passes through the site. Walking south brings you into the Stonelees area of scrub. Here there are southern marsh orchids, pyramidal orchids, and marsh helleborine orchids.

The wooded scrub here is particularly good for breeding warblers, finches, and other passerines. Golden orioles are sometimes seen in the poplars bordering the sportsground and these are migrants as are the occasional nightingales that sing in the spring.

The park is a Ramsar Site of International Importance and is a wonderful place to explore.

The main access to the reserve is through the Pegwell Bay Country Park reached via the A256.
The nearest train stations are in Ramsgate and Sandwich. Bus services between Sandwich and Ramsgate along the A256 are provided by Stagecoach East Kent; Bus 43.

The reserve is on Route 15 (the Viking Coastal Trail) of the Sustrans National Cycle Network and is on the Thanet Coastal Path (part of the Saxon Shore Way) and the Stour Valley Walk.