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Overview
An historic village on the 'coast road' A149, almost below sea level. The 13/16th century parish church of St Nicholas dominates the houses.
There is a variety of bird-rich habitats in the near vicinity: from shingle to marsh to meadow to wood to heathland.
Birds
Notable Species
It has a similar range of species to that seen at Cley, 2 miles to the west, even if there are no dedicated scrapes or extensive, managed marsh.
Rarities
Rarities (and the less common) include White-tailed Eagle, Eurasian Dotterel, Richard's Pipit, Desert Wheatear, Thrush Nightingale (1992), Icterine Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Marsh Warbler (latest 2010), Blyth's Reed Warbler (2007), Pallas's Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Great Spotted Cuckoo (2009).
Check-list
Birds you can see here include:
To do
Other Wildlife
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Site Information
History and Use
Two useful websites about the village and its history are:
http://www.salthousehistory.co.uk/
Areas of Interest
The Beach Road runs directly north from the A149 at the east end of the village, terminating in a shingle car park, with an emergency 'phone.
Either side are, variously, dykes, drains, fields and marsh. These hold, depending on the season and dry/wetness, geese, waders, gulls, wagtails, etc. The seasonal pools east of the beach road and south of the bridge have been called, unofficially, Salthouse Flashes, and can be very good for waders.
The Little Eye (from the Old Norse, meaning 'island') A small hill, 300m west of the Beach Car Park and much reduced over the centuries by coastal erosion. There is a (very) small area of bushes (elders and gorse) which holds passerines on passage- Goldcrest, phylloscs and other warblers- and regular Stonechat. The hill and, particularly, the east-facing slope, when in the lee of the south-westerlies of spring and autumn, is a favourite spot for Wheatears.
The grass area was further reduced by the incursion of shingle following the last major storm.
Gramborough Hill Slightly larger in area than the Little Eye and 300m east of the Beach Car Park, this was the site of a 2nd World War anti-aircraft gun emplacement and has been excavated to reveal Roman remains.
It has more grass than its neighbour to the west and three groups of bushes- elders, brambles and a mixture around the 'bunker' at the east end. A small, brackish pool immediately to its west, has seen ducks and waders.
This small area can hold a surprising number and variety of species, especially during 'falls' and has hosted notable rarities.
Falls have seen passerines in their dozens (Pied Flycatchers, Garden Warblers & Redstarts), or even hundreds (Goldcrests);
The Duck Pond is on the coast road and very popular with families with younger children, with an ice-cream van in more clement weather. It occasionally has seen Little Gull.
There are several footpaths through the village, parallel with the coast road. These can be useful at the right times for searching for passage migrants. One runs west to Cley, via Walsey Hills, giving good views over the marshes to the sea. The Churchyard sometimes holds Black Redstart. There is another footpath which winds up the slope of the coastal ridge all the way to Salthouse Heath.
Access and Facilities
On the A149 (the coast road), which runs west to east from Hunstanton to Cromer. Also, a minor road runs south inland, over Salthouse Heath, to Holt.
The Norfolk Green company's Coasthopper buses provide year round public transport: http://www.norfolkgreen.co.uk/
The Dun Cow is the village pub, just west of the Green. Its outside eating area has good views over the marshes. The post office/village shop has re-opened (summer 2010), with locally produced food (including scones baked daily), ice cream, newspapers, basic essentials, etc. There is a coffee van most days at the Beach Car Park, providing freshly-ground coffee (and chocolate, teas) of excellent quality. Wildsounds has its base in the village. The Church is a regular venue for concerts and exhibitions and has fine acoustics.
Contact Details
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