Spurn

Spurn
Spurn in May 2005, showing the lighthouse and sand-dunes.
Spurn is located in East Riding of Yorkshire
Spurn
Spurn
Location within the East Riding of Yorkshire
Population50 (approx)
OS grid referenceTA399108
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townHULL
Postcode districtHU12
Dialling code01964
PoliceHumberside
FireHumberside
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
53°34′33″N 0°06′41″E / 53.575955°N 0.111454°E / 53.575955; 0.111454

Spurn is a narrow sand tidal island[1] located off the tip of the coast of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England that reaches into the North Sea and forms the north bank of the mouth of the Humber Estuary. It was a spit with a semi-permanent connection to the mainland, but a storm in 2013 made the road down to the end of Spurn impassable to vehicles at high tide.[2]

The island is over three miles (five kilometres) long, almost half the width of the estuary at that point, and as little as 50 yards (45 metres) wide in places. The southernmost tip is known as Spurn Head or Spurn Point and was, until early 2023, the home to an RNLI lifeboat station and two disused lighthouses.[3] It forms part of the civil parish of Easington.

Spurn Head covers 280 acres (113 hectares) above high water and 450 acres (181 hectares) of foreshore. It has been owned since 1960 by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and is a designated national nature reserve, heritage coast and is part of the Humber Flats, Marshes and Coast Special Protection Area.

  1. ^ May, V. J. "Spurn Head" (PDF). defra.gov.uk. Geological Conservation Review. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  2. ^ Ratcliffe, Roger (29 October 2016). "Letting nature take its course: Why they're no longer defending Spurn Point". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  3. ^ "Nostalgia on Tuesday: Point of interest". The Yorkshire Post. 20 November 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2020.