Guided walks are just the start in new Coastal Ranger’s bid to increase appreciation of Cleethorpes

Cleethorpes’ new Coastal Ranger, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, is determined to encourage more people to care about this important eco-system, and has kicked off his role by leading the public on several guided walks to appreciate the coastline, the sand dunes and our very own saltmarsh.

Josh Forrester’s nature walk began behind the Leisure Centre, at the start of the Cleethorpes Nature Reserve. Here, within just feet of each other, lie the sand dunes, the scrubland and the saltmarsh – a diverse habitat that is home to a variety of birds, wildlife and flora and fauna, some of which is in serious decline in the UK.

Across this area, plants such as Yellow Rattle, Sea Buckthorn, Sea Milkwort, Sea Aster and Southern Marsh Orchids all grow in abundance, delicately managed by a small team of North East Lincolnshire Council ecologists to ensure that one species does not overwhelm the other. The plants are for the most part left to thrive and provide a home for thousands of unusual insects and, in the autumn, a migrating population of more than 100,000 birds.

Just feet into the dune grassland the raucous calls of Linnets, Starlings and under-threat Greenfinches (now a Red List Species) can be heard – most of which, at this time of year, have nesting young here crying out to be fed.

The migrating bird population that frequents this area of Cleethorpes and along the Humber Estuary is so important that it is designated as a Special Protected Area, Special Area of Conservation, a European Marine Site, and is recognised by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands as a wetland of international importance.

Cleethorpes Nature Reserve begins behind the Leisure Centre but is also the starting point for a nature reserve that covers more than 30km of the Lincolnshire coastline. The first ever Lincolnshire Coronation Coast National Nature Reserve (LCCNNR) is a special landscape covering an area equivalent to 4,000 football pitches, and containing a rich variety of sand dunes.

All of this sits alongside Cleethorpes as a tourist resort, giving Josh the challenge of persuading residents and visitors of the vital need to protect and preserve this land whilst still enjoying it as a holiday resort.

Whilst there is no marked delineation between the wild and the tourist area, Josh believes the key to success lies in making people care more for the coastline as a whole. “If we can explain a bit more about why this place is so special then I am sure that more people will appreciate its uniqueness as we do,” he said.

The 20 or so residents who joined Josh on the second of his guided walks agreed that being able to identify the unique features and species that live along our coastline increases their respect for it.

Along route, he pointed out ‘cobwebs’ in the scrubland created by Brown-Tail Moths – a species that can bring a nasty toxic rash if brushed against. He highlighted the reason why Sea Buckthorn is native only to the East Coast of the UK, and how its strong root system stabilises the dune system at Cleethorpes. It is particularly attractive for nesting birds because its thorns offer protection from predators.

Cleethorpes resident Lynne Ringrose said the walk had opened her eyes to the wide range of birds, insects and flowers that she walks past regularly but cannot necessarily identify.

“It is wonderful to have a Coastal Ranger who can pass on his expertise to us and show people like me the science behind a lot of the things I see down here but don’t necessarily pay attention to,” she said.

“I would encourage everyone to do a guided walk like this just to appreciate how lucky we are to have this right on our doorstep. It is so beautiful and accessible and knowing a little more about it makes me appreciate it more.”

The walks took place to celebrate National Nature Reserves Week, but Josh intends to continue them as often as possible to try and discourage the instances of recreational disturbance that pose a threat to the existence of this unique landscape. These include bird disturbance from paddleboarders and dog walkers, a lot of which takes place during the summer months.

Josh said: “A lot of recreational disturbance is unintentional, caused by paddleboarders going through the saltmarsh or people walking their dogs there. There is no intended malice, but the saltmarsh is a rare eco-system and it is under threat all over the world. Whereas some of the plants in the dune grass react well to being trampled, the saltmarsh is more delicate.

“Saltmarsh not only acts as a natural flood defence but also plays a huge role in carbon capture. My job is to sell the positives in the hope that more people can see why we should protect it. To encourage them to walk around it rather than through it. It is these small changes that will make the difference,” he said.

Cllr Henry Hudson, NELC Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said: “Having Josh on board to pass on his knowledge of the coastline is a wonderful addition to the protection and celebration of Cleethorpes.

“I hope that people will engage with him and listen to what he has to say because we are all so privileged to have these vital eco-systems on our doorstep, but if we want to keep them we must learn to protect them.”