England Coast Path

Welcome to Haverigg’s most heavenly habitat.

Haverigg Hawes is home to one of the UK’s rarest seabirds – the little tern. In summer they join ringed plover and oystercatcher to nest on the shingle beaches.

Winter Warmth.

The beach and foreshore seaward of the England Coast Path is very sensitive all year round.

In winter, birds need to eat lots and store every bit of energy and warmth they can. When disturbed they move, and this costs energy.

Please keep a good distance from feeding and resting birds.

Alongside an illustration of a happy golden retriever dog on a lead and a photo of a very well camouflaged nest in shingle:

Spot the nest.

Predators like birds of prey and foxes struggle to see them, which is great – but so do we! Dogs especially can cause unintentional nest disturbance.

In a box with simple icons representing each item:

One good tern…

Avoid walking on shingle, saltmarsh and low dunes beyond the top of the beach.

Stick to the paths. Bird roosts come very close to the mainland two hours either side of high tide, and delicate habitats are easily trampled.

Keep dogs under close control – preferably on a lead – to prevent disturbance. And always pick up their poo.

Never take your vehicle on the beach. Help to protect birds, and this special place, by reporting vehicle activity to the police.

In the background of the sign is an illustration of a slightly birds’ eye view of the shore, showing ridges of sand and shingle fanning out into the sea. Overlaid are the following species illustrations with bite-size bits of information attached:

Curlew and redshank with photo of bird footprints in the mud: Mud glorious mud! Curlew and redshank probe mud for food with their super long beaks.

Sandwich tern: Little, common and Sandwich terns dive for fish and eels at sea.

Little tern: Little terns are one of the UK’s rarest seabirds. Sadly, attempts to nest often fail due to disturbance.

Oystercatcher and ringed plover: Terns, ringed plovers and oystercatchers need to nest on shingle.

Sea holly: Did you know? Young sand dunes and vegetated shingle have plants like marram grass, sea holly, sea beet and many more.

In an emergency, please dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.