In England, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are designated by Natural England, which is responsible for protecting England's natural environment. Designation as an SSSI gives legal protection to the most important wildlife and geological sites.[1] As of May 2020 there are 163 SSSIs in Norfolk,[2] out of which 123 are biological, 25 are geological and 15 are both biological and geological.
The common has a thin layer of glacial sands and gravels over chalk. Habitats include bracken heath, scrub, woodland and ponds, together with species rich grassland in former chalk quarries. An old lime kiln is used by bats and a wide variety of birds breed on the site.[13]
This site in the valley of the River Ant is described by Natural England as the "finest example of unpolluted valley fen in Western Europe". It has a network of dykes which support a diverse variety of aquatic plants, and its fenland invertebrate fauna is of national importance.[19]
This area of spring-fed fen and grassland in the valley of the River Tud has tufa hummocks formed by the deposit of calcium carbonate. It has an exceptionally rich fen community with a carpet of moss on wet slopes with many unusual plants. There are overgrown dykes with flora including narrow-leaved water-parsnip and water dropwort.[24]
This grassland and heath common has diverse habitats and a rich flora, including several nationally rare plants. There are nearly a hundred species of birds, including sixty which breed on the site, and a wide range of invertebrates.[30]
This site has till dating to the Quaternary period, unsorted glacial sediments, with a depth of up to five metres. It is separated from the main East Anglian till sheet, and it is the type site for the Bawsey Calcareous Till.[33]
This 20-metre (22-yard) deep Pleistocene exposure exhibits a sequence of glacial till, sands and gravels associated with the melt phase of the ice sheet.[44]
The common has diverse habitats, including wet calcareous fen grassland, acid heath, tall fen, alder woodland and a stream. Wet hollows are floristically rich and there are a variety of breeding birds.[54]
This valley in a tributary of the River Wissey is covered by tall fen over most of the site, together with areas of scrub which provide a habitat for breeding birds. There are many uncommon species of moths, including the rare Perizoma sagittaria.[56]
The site is composed of two disused gravel pits which are important for the study of the Lower Pleistocene. Bramerton Common Pit is the type site of the Norwich Crag Formation and Blakes Pit is the type site of the Bramertonian Stage. Both pits have yielded rich, mainly marine vertebrate fossils.[60]
The site is designated an SSSI for its internationally important population of stone-curlews. These birds nest in March on bare ground in cultivated land with very short vegetation. Fields with sugar beet and vegetables and no recreational disturbance are preferred.[62]
This inland tidal estuary has large areas of mud at low tide, and it provides an ample food supply for migrating and wintering wildfowl and waders. There are nationally important numbers of several species of wintering wildfowl, including rare species.[71]
The dominant plants on this dry acidic heath are heather and wavy hair-grass. There are also areas of scrub and woodland. The site supports many species of breeding birds, including common curlews and nightjars.[75]
These unimproved meadows have areas of tall herbs and grassland grazed by cattle and sheep. There are also areas of woodland and several ponds. More than 140 flowering plants have been recorded, including green-winged orchid, black knapweed and pepper saxifrage.[77]
This site's diverse habitats include fen, carr woodland, open water and fen meadows. The open water includes ponds which were dug to attract wildfowl, a stretch of the Dilham Canal and dykes. Aquatic plants include bladderwort and white water lily.[82]
This site exposes rocks dating to the Wolstonian glaciation between around 350,000 and 130,000 years ago. It provides the only surviving exposure of the Broome Terrace, the flood plain of an ancient river. Ice wedges and fossils of Arctic flora and fauna indicate a tundra environment.[86]
Most of this site is dry acidic heath on glacial sands, but there are also areas of wet heath, fen and carr woodland. Several unusual mosses and lichens have been recorded in wetter areas.[88]
This is described by Natural England as a "nationally and internationally important wetland complex", which is situated on fenland peats in the floodplain of the River Bure. A notable feature is an extensive area of swamp alder carr on unstable peats and mud. There are a number of rare bird and butterfly species.[94]
The Muck Fleet, a tributary of the River Bure, runs through this wetland site, which is traditionally managed by grazing and mowing. Habitats include tall fen, fen meadows and drainage dykes. There are rare plants and invertebrates, such as the swallowtail butterfly and the freshwater snail Anisus vorticulus.[96]
This site has areas of dry acidic heath on glacial sands, but the main ecological interest lies in the mire along the valley of a small stream. There are a number of rare relict mosses, liverworts and fungi, together with some uncommon invertebrates.[99]
This site provides the best exposure of the late Campanian Beeston Chalk, around 75 million years ago. It is very fossiliferous, with many molluscs and sea urchins.[103]
This site in the Yare valley is mainly species-rich grazing marsh with areas of wet alder carr and tall herb fen along the river bank. Invertebrates include two nationally rare dragonflies. The marshes have several important breeding bird species and an internationally important population of wintering wigeon.[111]
This unimproved grazing marsh on the banks of the River Nar has diverse grassland habitats, and the marshy conditions provide nesting sites for several wetland bird species. There are acidic flushes where springs emerge from sands in the bottom of the valley.[113]
This Cretaceous site exposes rocks dating to the late Campanian, around 75 million years ago, and it is the type site for the Catton Sponge Bed. Its well preserved fossils include many undescribed sponges and important ammonites.[116]
These heaths are dominated by heather, and they have diverse flora including a rich variety of lichens. Many species of heathland birds breed on the site, including tree pipits, whinchats and nightjars.[118]
This spring-fed site in the Yare valley has a variety of fen habitats, including a nationally rare calcareousmire community of fen flora. There are also areas of tall herbs, scrub and improved pasture.[122]
This former lake has swamp woodland, grassland, tall fen and a network of ditches and pools. It has a diverse range of wetland plants and insects, especially butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies. Large areas are covered with Sphagnum mosses.[126]
This former army camp in the Breckland is now grassland, and it has a high value both entomologically and botanically. It has four Red Data Book insects and three Red Data Book plants. Rabbits help to maintain areas with diverse flora and invertebrates.[128]
This marsh is in the valley of the Crostwick Beck, a tributary of the River Bure. It has areas of damp grassland, tall fen, species-rich fen grassland, alder carr, scrub and dykes. There is a variety of breeding marshland birds.[130]
These traditionally managed grazing marshes and dykes are a nationally important wetland site. Their ecological significance lies mainly in the dykes, which have several uncommon water plants and a great diversity of aquatic invertebrates.[132]
This area of wet carr woodland, fen, reedbeds and open water, is spring-fed. It has a number of rare Arctic–alpine mosses, such as Cinclidium stygium and Camptothecium nitens, which indicate only minor disturbance since the end of the last ice age. There is a network of dykes which have clear spring water and a variety of water plants.[134]
This is an area of grassland and alder carr in the valley of a tributary of the River Wensum. The site has diverse habitats and it is traditionally maintained by grazing by horses. It is subject to flooding in winter.[136]
This is the largest and most intact acid valley mire in East Anglia, and it is of ornithological and entomological interest. Part of the site, Dersingham Pit, is important for establishing the rock sequence in the Lower Cretaceous in Norfolk.[143]
This unimproved area of wet grassland is in the valley of Carleton Beck, a small tributary of the River Yare. There are species rich fen and fen grassland communities in areas around springs on the side of the valley. The grassland is maintained by light summer grazing and it has a number of uncommon plants.[149]
The importance of this site lies in its pingos, periglacial ground ice depressions, and it has many scarce species of beetles. There are also areas of chalk grassland and floristically rich fen.[151]
The foreshore exposes Lower Pleistocene sediments, including large blocks of glacitectonic (transported by ice) chalk. There are many fossils, including extinct horse, rhinoceros, and elephant.[155]
These commons have periglacial depressions separated by chalk ridges. The habitats include chalk grassland, springs, open water and scrub. The grasses and herbs are diverse with up to thirty-two species per square metre, and the rich invertebrate fauna includes seven Red Data Book and seventy-nine nationally rare species.[160]
This site is mainly wet acid heath on peat, and it is dominated by heather and cross-leaved heath. There are many wet hollows, which have diverse fen and mire flora, and areas of young woodland.[163]
The principal ecological interest of this site lies in areas of Breckland grassland and two meres, which are supplied by ground water, and fluctuate irregularly. These conditions have led to unusual plants communities which are tolerant of alternate wetting and drying, such as reed canary grass and amphibious bistort.[167]
These former chalk mines are used by hibernating bats and the site has been monitored over a long period for research into bat ecology. Up to 40 bats use the mines and the main species are Daubenton's, Natterer's and brown long-eared bats.[169]
This is coppice with standards ancient woodland on acidic sands and gravels. Oaks which have been coppiced in the past have stools which are so tall that the wood resembles high forest. It is surrounded by ancient boundary banks.[171]
This area of open space has grassland with a rich flora. There are a number of uncommon plants, including the nationally endangered field wormwood and the nationally scarce sickle medick and tower mustard. There are two mature Scots pine hedges.[173]
Ancient trees in this wood have more than fifty species of lichen, including several which are rare in East Anglia. Many of them are indicators of ancient undisturbed woodland. The trees are mainly beech which have been pollarded many years ago, and have massive stools and boles.[178]
This light sandy grassland site is maintained by rabbit grazing and it has a rich variety of flora. There are also areas of ungrazed grassland and oak and hawthorn woodland.[180]
Springs emerge from this chalk valley of the River Tas, resulting in a species-rich calcareous fen, including the very rare narrow-mouthed whorl snail. On higher ground there is chalk grassland, which is traditionally managed by grazing, allowing the survival of many locally rare plants.[182]
This site in the valley of the River Tas has a variety of grassland types due to variations in soil and wetness and a long history of management by non-intensive grazing. There are also ponds and areas of scrub and alder woodland.[184]
This is the largest area of ancient woodland in the county. The flora is diverse, with more than 250 species recorded, and invertebrates include several rare butterflies, such as the purple emperor and white admiral.[192]
This damp acidic meadow common is traditionally managed by light cattle grazing. Scattered ancient trees have a wide variety of epiphytic lichens, including some which are locally rare. There are a number of natural ponds with diverse invertebrate fauna.[194]
This ancient wood on poorly drained chalky boulder clay has coppicedhornbeam, ash and hazel with oak standards. The ground flora is especially diverse around the hornbeams and on wet rides.[196]
This is a working quarry in the valley of the River Glaven. It has a complex sequence of deposits formed by Pleistocene glaciers, with till, lacustrinecalcareous silts, sands and coarse gravels, which throw light on the glacial history of the area.[201]
This site is important because it has mounds of gravel and till which can help to show whether the North Norfolk till plain is the result of Pleistocene glacial deposition or is the residue of the erosion of a former more extensive area of gravel.[204]
This sandy site has soils which range from acid to calcareous, resulting in a variety of grassland types. There is a pit at the north end which has flora including cowslips and the uncommon purple milk vetch.[206]
This calcareous spring-fed valley has a variety of vegetation types, ranging from dry unimproved grassland on high slopes to tall fen where the springs emerge at the valley bottom. There is a diverse range of flora, including some uncommon species. Plants in the valley bottom include water mint and southern marsh orchid.[208]
These beaches have a complete succession of dune vegetation types, from foredunes to very extensive dry acid dune grassland. The site has the largest breeding colony of little terns in Britain.[211]
This Breckland heath site has diverse plant communities. In the northern part there are parallel strips of heather and acid grassland, which are thought to have been formed periglacially during the last glacial period. Five species of bat use re-excavated Neolithic flint mines for winter roosting.[215]
This former quarry is described by Natural England as "a nationally important site for dating the constituent facies of the Lower Cretaceous in north Norfolk". It has yielded ammonites which date to the Hauterivian age around 130 million years ago.[218]
This artificial lake has the largest flock of post-breeding gadwall in Britain, and more than 500 birds have sometimes been recorded in September. Wintering wildfowl include teal, mallard, shoveler, shelduck and goosander.[220]
This area of unimproved fen grassland and dykes is grazed by horses and cattle. It has diverse flora, including many orchids. The dykes have a rich variety of aquatic plants and invertebrates, including the nationally rare freshwater snailSegmentina nitida.[222]
These traditionally managed grazing marshes have a system of intersecting dykes, and they have a wide variety of aquatic ditch communities, including pondweeds of international importance. There are many bird species, with wintering Bewick's swans in internationally important numbers.[225]
Most of this ancient wood on boulder clay is hornbeamcoppice with oak standards, but the wet valley bottom has ash, maple and elm. The diverse ground flora includes some uncommon species.[235]
This small wood has a nationally important breeding colony of grey herons, with around forty nests each year in larch and ash trees. Nearby drainage dykes on The Fens provide feeding grounds.[237]
This is one of the largest areas of ancient, semi-natural woodland in the county. It has many rare species, especially of bryophytes, and there are ponds which have populations of great crested newts, a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.[239]
According to Natural England, this is the best site displaying the Hunstanton Till, a glacial deposit dating the last glacial period, between 115,000 and 11,700 years ago. This is the furthest the ice reached in East Anglia during the Last Glacial Maximum, around 26,000 years ago.[242]
This meadow in the valley of the River Wensum has a line of calcareous springs which supports fen grassland which has diverse flora. The unimproved meadow is maintained by seasonal grazing. There are also areas of tall fen and dry grassland with many anthills.[244]
This site is mainly dry and sandy heath in the valley of the River Glaven, with a mire along a tributary which runs through the heath. Ground flora includes wood horsetail at its only known location in East Anglia.[247]
This site has a long history of traditional management. The diverse habitats include fen meadow, herb-rich wet grassland, acidic flushes, dry calcareous grassland and wet alder woodland, which has carpets of Sphagnum mosses.[252]
This ancient coppice with standards wood on boulder clay has exceptionally diverse ground flora with several rare species. There are scattered mature oaks and the main coppiced species are hazel, ash and maple. The ground flora is dominated by dog's mercury on heavy soils and bramble on lighter ones.[254]
These eroding cliffs expose a mid-Cretaceous sequence from the Albian to the succeeding Cenomanian around 100 million years ago, with exceptionally rich Albian ammonite fossils. Biological interest is provided by a colony of breeding fulmars on the cliff face.[260]
This is a 1.5-kilometre (1-mile) esker, a long winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel dating to the glacial Devensian period, between 115,000 and 11,700 years ago. This is an uncommon landform in central and southern England.[263]
This stand of mature oaks has the largest breeding colony of grey herons in the county, with about eighty nests occupied each year. There are several other populations of woodland birds, such as the great spotted woodpecker.[265]
The heath is described by Natural England as "a fine example of oceanic heathland". 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. The dry conditions are favourable to reptiles such as common lizard and adder.[267]
This is a quarry which has a sequence of deposits dating to the Middle Pleistocene, with the base of gravels laid down by a confluence of rivers, with glacial gravels above, and then a sequence of chalky sands probably also laid down by glaciers.[272]
These fens have extensive heaths and areas of wet acidic grassland, and there are smaller areas of damp woodland and species-rich calcareous grassland. There are many ant-hills on Derby Fen.[274]
This area of unimproved fen grassland in the valley of the River Yare has a network of dykes. The soils vary from alluvial clays in the valley bottom to poorly drained peats higher up. The meadows are species-rich with some uncommon plants. Aquatic plants in the dykes include the nationally rare sharp-leaved pondweed.[276]
This is described by Natural England as "both a nationally important wetland site and one of the richest areas of traditionally managed grazing marsh and dykes now remaining in Broadland". The principal conservation lies in the aquatic flora and fauna of the dykes, especially the dragonflies.[281]
This calcareous valley fen has several springs and a wide variety of types of grassland, including both wet and dry communities. There are uncommon flora such as adder's tongue and yellow rattle, and the breeding birds are diverse.[286]
This key Pleistocene site has the only interglacial deposit of a raised beach in East Anglia. It is believed to be Ipswichian, dating to around 125,000 years ago, and is overlain by glacial deposits of the late Devensian Hunstanton Till.[291]
The cliffs on this site display some of the best marine and freshwater deposits dating to the Cromerian interglacial, and to the early stages of the succeeding Anglian glaciation, which started around 478,000 years ago.[294]
This nineteenth-century embankment is probably the most ecologically diverse chalk grassland site in the county, with many flowering plants which attract a wide range of butterflies. There is also a variety of mosses and molluscs.[297]
This unimproved grassland is traditionally managed by grazing. It has the largest colony of green-winged orchids in the county, and there are a stream and pool which have aquatic plants.[300]
This large site has a range of coastal habitats, including the best coastal marshes in Britain and among the finest in Europe. The breeding birds are of international importance, including one twelfth of the world population of sandwich terns and the largest colony in western Europe of little terns.[316]
This area of heath is maintained by rabbit grazing. It has some areas of grassland and others dominated by lichen and moss. There are two nationally rare moths, Noctua orbona and Scopula rubiginata, which are almost confined to the Breckland region.[318]
The Washes are internationally significant for wintering and breeding wildfowl and waders, especially teal, pintails, wigeons, shovelers, pochards and Bewick's swans. The site also has rich aquatic fauna and flora, and areas of unimproved grassland.[328]
These soft cliffs are subject to falls and slumping, providing a habitat for species associated with disturbance such as the rare beetles Bledius filipes, Harpalus vernalis and Nebria livida. The cliff is geologically important for its succession of Pleistocene glacial exposures.[333]
This medieval barn has one of the few maternity colonies in Britain of barbastelle bats. This species is listed as a rare and threatened species in the British and European IUCN Red Lists of Threatened Species. The barn also has colonies of several other bats.[338]
This calcareous fen on the edge of the flood plain of the River Yare is spring-fed. It is managed by light summer grazing and the flora is diverse, with some uncommon species. There are also areas of tall fen and the site is crossed by dykes which have clear spring water and a variety of aquatic plants.[340]
These are valleys with calcareous fens on peat with an exceptionally diverse flora, including uncommon mosses and liverworts. Insects include the nationally rare small red damselfly.[344]
This grassland on damp and acidic peat soil is managed traditionally, and it has a rich and diverse flora with herbs such as tormentil and marsh cinquefoil. There is also a network of dykes with aquatic plants.[348]
This spring-fed valley at the head of the River Waveney has several different types of fen vegetation. There are aquatic plants such as bladderwort, fen pondweed and Charophytes, all of which are indicators of low levels of pollution. The site has the only known British population of fen raft spiders.[355]
This is a dry chalk valley which was carved out by glacial meltwaters. It is species-rich as it has never been ploughed, and it is the largest surviving area of chalk downland surviving in the county. The butterflies are diverse.[358]
The upper Nar has 78 river and bankside species of plants, including 5 pondweeds and 8 bryophytes. The lower reaches which flow through a flood plain are more sluggish. The most common fish are brown trout, pike, roach and eel.[360]
This river has been selected by Natural England as an example of an enriched, calcareous lowland river running through a relatively natural corridor. It has a rich invertebrate fauna and more than 100 species of flora. The SSSI also includes two tributaries, the River Tat and the Langor Drain.[363]
The common is described by Natural England as "one of the best examples in Britain of a lowland mixed valley mire". It has diverse habitats, including wet acid heath, calcareous fen and dry heath on acid sands. There are rare plants, birds and insects, including the black darter dragonfly.[371]
The principal ecological interest of this site lies in the swamp, fen and bog flora on islands in the mere and along the shore. The largest island, called Scoulton Heath, is mainly covered in Sphagnum moss, and other plants include the nationally rare crested buckler fern.[373]
This site throws light on sea level changes in the Holocene, the period since the end of the last ice age, 11,700 years ago. It is part of a network of Fenland sites which allows correlation across the area.[378]
This site in the valley of a tributary of the River Waveney is described by Natural England as "one of the most important areas of unimproved grassland in Norfolk". It has been traditionally managed by a hay cut followed by grazing for hundreds of years, and as a result its flora is rich, including uncommon species. There are also areas where springs make the grassland marshy.[385]
These commons have areas of dry heathland which have several species of breeding birds and reptiles, and wet fen in low-lying areas where there are springs. Calcareousmires have uncommon plants such as butterwort and bog pimpernel.[387]
This site consists of traditionally managed meadows with a variety of grassland types, ranging from permanently wet marshes on the valley bottom, where a stream runs through, to drier grassland on the slopes. There are several uncommon species of flora.[389]
These crumbling cliffs expose both Pleistocene sediments and a rich assembly of invertebrate fossils dating to the late Cretaceous. There are several rare beetles and the Red Data Book parasitic herbaceous plant purple broomrape.[396]
This spring-fed fen site is in the valley of a tributary of the River Ant. The diverse flora include several rare species, including the only known locality in the county for the moss Bracthythecium mildeanum. There is also an area of alder carr.[399]
This is the only known location in Britain for the micro-moth Nothris verbascella. Its host plant, hoary mullein, is abundant in areas of the quarry which are no longer worked.[401]
This is damp grassland and fen in the valley of the River Ant. There are several rare true flies characteristic of undisturbed wetlands, especially Pteromicra glabricula and Colobaea distincta, both of which have larvae which are parasitic on snails.[404]
This site contains an extensive area of species-rich Breckland grassland and heath. Wetlands and pools have wildfowl and many rare invertebrates. Part of the site is the Devil's Punchbowl, which is geologically important for its deep depression formed by the collapse of Pleistocene glacial sands and boulder clays.[411]
This valley has a range of wetland habitats in the floodplain of the River Stiffkey. It has many species of breeding birds, including nationally important populations of avocets. Wintering wetland birds include bitterns, brent geese and garganeys, while marsh harriers and barn owls hunt throughout the year.[415]
Part of this site is spring-fed fen with diverse flora, including grass of Parnassus, marsh helleborine and several rare mosses. The fen is surrounded by wet woodland and grassland.[417]
This site has varied habitats including glacial sands and gravels, peat, dry and wet heath, woodland, grassland, ponds and a stream. There is a wide range of breeding birds.[419]
These ancient woods are almost certainly of primary origin, and they are regarded as one of the most important groups of woods in the country. The trees and ground flora are exceptionally diverse, and they include the nationally rare may lily.[423]
The common has heath and grassland areas in the valley of the River Tat. Pools on sand and gravel provide suitable habitats for five species of breeding amphibians, including the nationally rare natterjack toad.[428]
Dry grass heath covers much of this site but there are also areas of lichen and heather, with a diverse flora including uncommon plants. Horse Meadows has wet peaty areas have fenland plants and alder woodland.[431]
This grassland site in the valley of a tributary of the River Wissey has a number of pingos, damp and water filled depressions formed by the melting of ice at the end of the last glaciation. It also has a lake called Thompson Water which, together with its surrounding reed swamp, is important for breeding birds.[435]
This is one of the largest hornbeam woods in Norfolk. It is ancient coppice with standards, and the standards are oak, ash and hornbeam, and there are several uncommon species in the ground flora.[437]
The site is composed of five interconnected lakes in a side valley of the River Bure, together with reed swamp, wet woodland and fen. There are nationally important numbers of breeding wildfowl, and several nationally rare invertebrates, such as the swallowtail butterfly and two Red Data Book flies.[439]
This is one of the finest wetland complexes in Britain, and it is internationally important for its wetland plant communities and associated animal species. It has four lakes, Hickling Broad, Heigham Sound, Horsey Mere and Martham Broad, together with smaller water bodies, swamp, fen, woodland and grazing marsh.[446]
This is described by Natural England as "an outstanding example of unreclaimed wetland and grazing marsh". Its rich invertebrate fauna includes eighteen species of freshwater snail, and an outstanding variety of dragonflies and damselflies, including the nationally rare Norfolk hawker.[450]
This unimproved chalk grassland site is heavily grazed by rabbits and cattle. It has diverse herb species such as common rock-rose and squinancywort, and butterflies including the chalkhill blue.[453]
The Wash is very important as a breeding ground for common seals, and it is also very significant for wintering waders and wildfowl which feed on its rich supply of invertebrates. Saltmarshes provide birds with valuable breeding grounds.[460]
This grass and lichen heath is grazed by rabbits. It has a high density of breeding birds, including stone-curlews. One arable field is reserved for uncommon Breckland plants.[469]
This quarry has chalk grassland with large populations of orchids in areas which have not been worked for many years. The site is also geologically important as it exposes the glacial deposits of the Marly Drift till, which was formerly believed to date to the Anglian glaciation, but may belong to the more recent Wolstonian ice age.[472][473]
The cliffs are important because they expose a succession of warm and cold stages in the middle Pleistocene between about 2 million and 400,000 years ago. They show a succession of advances and retreats of the sea, and the site is the stratotype for the Cromerian Stage.[477]
Many wildfowl over-winter on these five man-made lakes, which have unusual aquatic flora. Plants on the lake margins include lesser reedmace, soft rush and sweet flag.[479]
This is the type locality for the Pleistocene 'Marly Drift'. This is a chalk-rich glacial till thought to have been deposited during the Anglian stage around 450,000 years ago, but its relationship to other deposits in the area is disputed.[486]
This common in the valley of a tributary of the River Wensum has diverse wetland flora on peat soils. There are also areas of wet alder woodland, fen and unimproved grassland, with grasses such as sheep's fescue and Yorkshire fog.[488]
This site provides evidence for sea level changes during the Quaternary period, the last 2.6 million years. There are three peat layers, interspersed with fine-grained clastic rocks, and they have been studied with pollen and foraminifera analyses.[491]
This site has extensive dunes together with areas of grazing marsh and birch woodland. Invertebrates include a rare amphibian and a rare butterfly. The site is geologically important as it displays the processes which control dynamic dune development.[497]
This is a classic example of an esker, a glacial crevasse which has been filled in until it forms a narrow winding ridge. It has been very important for teaching, research and demonstration.[502]
This site consists of four natural lakes, Mickle Mere, Hill Mere, Rush Mere and West Mere, which provide a breeding habitat for wildfowl such as mallards, gadwalls, shovelers, tufted ducks and teal. There are also many wintering ducks.[504]
This site exposes layer across the transition between the warm Ipswichian and the colder Devensian around 115,000 years ago. It has the richest assemblage of early Devensian vertebrate fossils in Britain, including arctic fox, bison and woolly rhinoceros.[508]
This is a nationally important wetland site, with grazing marsh, open water, fen, carr woodland and peat. There are many nationally rare plants and many birds including nationally important wintering flocks of wigeon.[513]
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^"Bramerton Pits citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
^"Breckland Farmland citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
^"Breckland Forest citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
^"Breydon Water citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
^"The Brinks, Northwold citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
^"Broad Fen, Dilham citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
^"Broome Heath Pit citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
^"Buxton Heath citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
^"Calthorpe Broad citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^"Cantley Marshes citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
^"Castle Acre Common citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
^"Catton Grove Chalk Pit citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
^"Coston Fen, Runhall citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^"Cranwich Camp citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
^"Crostwick Marsh citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
^"Damgate Marshes citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
^"Decoy Carr, Acle citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
^"Dereham Rush Meadow citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
^"Dersingham Bog citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
^"Didlington Park Lakes citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
^"Ducan's Marsh, Claxton citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
^"East Harling Common citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
^"East Runton Cliffs citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
^"East Ruston Common citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
^"East Winch Common citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
^"East Wretham Heath citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
^"Eaton Chalk Pit citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
^"Edgefield Little Wood citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
^"Elm Road Field, Thetford citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
^"Felbrigg Hall". Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. Historic England. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
^"Felbrigg Woods citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
^"Flordon Common citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
^"Forncett Meadows citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
^"Foulden Common citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
^"Foxley Wood". Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
^"Foxley Wood citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
^"Geldeston Meadows citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
^"Glandford (Hurdle Lane) citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
^"Gooderstone Warren citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
^"Great Cressingham Fen citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
^"Grimes Graves citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
^"Grimston Warren Pit citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
^"Gunton Park Lake citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
^"Hall Farm Fen, Hemsby citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
^"Breydon Water". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
^"Halvergate Marshes citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
^"Hardley Flood citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
^"Heacham Brick Pit citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
^"Hedenham Wood citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
^"Hockering Wood citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
^"Holkham Brickpits citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
^"Holt Lowes citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
^"Honeypot Wood". Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
^"Honeypot Wood citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
^"Horningtoft Wood citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
^"Horse Wood, Mileham citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
^"Hunstanton Cliffs citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
^"Hunstanton Park Esker citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
^"Islington Heronry citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
^"Kelling Heath citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
^"Leet Hill, Kirby Cane citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
^"Limpenhoe Meadows citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
^"Mattishall Moor citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
^"Middle Harling Fen citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
^"Morston Cliff citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
^"Mundesley Cliffs citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
^"New Buckenham Common citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
^"North Norfolk Coast citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
^"Old Bodney Camp citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
^"Old Buckenham Fen citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
^"Ouse Washes citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
^"Overstrand Cliffs citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
^"Paston Great Barn citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
^"Pulham Market Big Woo citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
^"Ringstead Downs". Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
^"Ringstead Downs citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
^"River Nar citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
^"River Wensum citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
^"Roydon Common citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
^"Scoulton Mere citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
^"Sea Mere, Hingham citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
^"Setchey citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
^"Sexton Wood citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
^"Shelfanger Meadows citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
^"Shotesham Common citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
^"Trimingham (Mass movement)". Geological Conservation Review. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Archived from the original on 26 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
^"Smallburgh Fen citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
^"Southrepps Common citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
^"St James' Pit citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
^"Devil's Punchbowl (Karst)". Geological Conservation Review. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Archived from the original on 26 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
^"Stanford Training Area citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
^"Stiffkey Valley citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
^"Syderstone Common citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
^"Trinity Broads citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
^"Warham Camp citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
^"The Wash citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
^"Wayland Wood". Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
^"Wayland Wood, Watton citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
^"Weeting Heath". Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
^"Weeting Heath citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
^"Wells Chalk Pit citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
^"West Runton Cliffs citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
^"Westwick Lakes citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
^"Weybourne Cliffs citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
^"Weybourne Town Pit citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
^"Whitwell Common citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
^"Wiggenhall St Germans citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
^"Winterton-Horsey Dunes citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
^"Wiveton Downs citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
^"Wretham Park Meres citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
^"Wretton (Pleistocene Vertebrata)". Geological Conservation Review. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
^"Wretton citation"(PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
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