Shingle Street, Hollesley Marshes & Common (Day Trip)

Tour Code: GBR220

The fishing hamlet of Shingle Street and nearby Hollesley Marshes, a short walk to the north, which are both superb for birds throughout the year. Add in the special wildlife of Hollesley Common and this is a day walk not to be missed!

1 days from
£50 (land only)
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Highlights

Summary

Summary

Join one of our expert local guides for a leisurely exploration of this hidden part of coastal Suffolk. The small fishing hamlet at Shingle Street sits opposite the tip of Orfordness, and the beach, fields and Hollesley Marshes, a short walk to its north, are a haven for shorebirds, wildfowl and breeding birds. A mysterious place, said to be the location of a failed German invasion in 1940, Shingle Street is a super ‘hidden’ spot on the Suffolk coast to explore for birds and wildlife. It lives a precarious life on the volatile shingle landscape off the tip of Orfordness, but hopefully will hang around just long enough for a visit! A walk on the beach enables a check for migrants and views of the sea – with chances of Gannet, Scoter and Red-throated Diver, while the pools at Hollesley (managed by the RSPB) host numerous waders such as Snipe, Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit and Spotted Redshank, and wildfowl, such as Wigeon and Shoveler. Relocating a mile to the west, Hollesley Common is home to heathland birds such as Dartford Warbler and Crossbill. We will keep the itinerary fairly flexible to ensure the best use of the weather and recent sightings; the walk will be over easy ground (but sometimes muddy in winter, so bring wellies just in case). Covering up to 6 miles over the course of the day, we take our time to explore the reserve and its surroundings thoroughly, enjoying all the species we find. The car parks are both free. We operate this Day Trip throughout the year, so please click on our 'detailed information' below to discover the seasonal highlights.

  • The forgotten village of Shingle Street on the Suffolk coast
  • A walk along the beach and to Hollesley Marshes
  • Shorebirds include Avocet, Curlew and Wood Sandpiper
  • Birds of Hollesley Common include both Dartford Warbler and Woodlark
  • Migrants such as Wheatear, Whinchat and warblers

Spring

From Shingle Street village, after a quick check of the bushes and shingle to its south for migrants such as Greenland Wheatears, we take a relaxed walk north to the public footpath along the sea wall, which gives a fine view across Hollesley Marshes RSPB reserve. Flooded in winter, the water levels in spring can be perfect for waders such as Little Ringed Plover and Wood Sandpiper, breeding Redshank, Avocet, and many more. Marsh Harriers float across the marshes and looking across the river we will check out the large roost of Cormorants at the tip of Orfordness. Back at Shingle Street, we look for lingering Short-eared Owls across the fields. Moving to Hollesley Common for our afternoon stroll, singing Stonechat, Woodlark and Dartford Warbler will certainly be on the cards.

Summer

A host of summer breeders will have arrived and these include Sedge and Reed Warbler, Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat, Grasshopper Warbler, as Swift and House Martin chase insects. Marsh Harriers quarter the marsh, while Avocet, Lapwing and Redshank breed on the islands or visit from nearby Havergate Island. A small number of Turtle Doves are sometimes present and there is a chance of Spoonbill, too. Incredibly, autumn begins in July for shorebirds and on the shore pools we could well pick up the first returning Spotted Redshanks or Wood Sandpipers. On the heath, Stonechat and Dartford Warbler are busy feeding young and Hobbies chase the numerous dragonflies.

Autumn

As autumn draws in, the Suffolk coast is a haven for passage migrants as they head south. Wheatears and Whinchats dot the areas round the village, and finches, buntings and pipits move south. Commoner shorebirds include Ruff, Curlew, Little Stint and Common Sandpipers and there is always the chance of something more exciting. After the breeding season the bushes can be alive with warblers and late Hobbies and Short-eared Owls can be seen quartering the marshes.

Winter

In winter, good numbers of Shoveler, Teal and Wigeon gather on the coastal lagoons and marshes, alongside Black-tailed Godwits, Curlew and good numbers of Lapwing. Rock Pipits and Skylarks can be especially numerous along the beach and occasionally joined by Snow Bunting. Peregrine may come through searching the flocks of Lapwings. On the sea, the local Scoter flock reaches its largest and may hold Velvet Scoter. On a crisp winter’s day there are few better places to be.

DETAILED INFORMATION
Day Trip Location

Day Trip Location

Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2025

Departures Availability Cost
Fri 7th Mar – Fri 7th Mar 5 £50
Book Tour Show Details
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£50
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
David Walsh
David Walsh

Tour Leader: David Walsh

David has been a keen birdwatcher since his primary school days and still has his notebooks from the early 1970s to prove it! He ran bird clubs at his schools and is very proud of the fact that several of the boys who he inspired as 11-year-olds are now working in full-time conservation; he continues to encourage young birdwatchers whenever possible. David retired from full-time teaching in 2015 but continues to do part-time maths tutoring. In his spare time he enjoys singing in various local choirs.

In 2008 he used a sabbatical to spend three months in Southeast Asia, which included a successful quest to find the endangered White-eared Night Heron in Vietnam. At home in Suffolk, he puts his love of bird songs and calls to good use, running surveys to monitor breeding birds in the spring and searching out migrant passerines in the autumn. He also co-ordinates the submission of Suffolk’s records to the national Rare Breeding Birds Panel, knowing the birding sites in the county very well indeed having lived in Suffolk since 1992.

David has guided over 90 overseas tours since his first to La Brenne in 1986. In the last 10 years he has focused on Europe, North Africa, Asia and South America and has enjoyed developing his interest in butterflies and dragonflies as well as birds. David’s boundless energy and enthusiasm, coupled with a determination to ensure that everyone in the group sees the birds, has understandably made him popular with clients! He is delighted to be joining the Naturetrek team in 2023.

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UK Day Trips Led by Expert Naturalists


We are delighted to offer a series of Naturetrek Day Trips which visit a wonderful selection of reserves and habitats across the UK, each guided by one of our expert naturalist tour leaders, many of whom are leading our Day Trips on their own ‘local patch’! Meeting at around 9am, and exploring largely on foot until around 5pm (though note that specific Day Trip timings do vary slightly by location and season), these trips are designed to spend a full day out in the fresh air, in search of a wide range of special British wildlife.


Whether you would like to explore a new area in the company of a local, expert naturalist tour leader, try a guided wildlife day out for the very first time, or perhaps you simply wish to spend the day learning more about your own local wildlife, you will find yourself most welcome on one of our Naturetrek Day Trips. We also offer days out specifically aimed at beginner birders and amateur wildlife photographers, and some trips even extend after sunset to allow us to take you on a guided tour of the night skies above. Whatever the trip focus – be it birds, botany, fungi, photography, butterflies, dragonflies, geology or a mix of just about everything – your leader will take you to the very best places to search for wildlife, and will share their knowledge generously along the way.


Our Day Trips have been fully risk assessed, and all activities are carried out in line with UK government and industry Covid-19 guidance. Most Day Trips from 17th May 2021 onwards will have a maximum number of 7 people, with a handful, such as cruises with a slightly higher number. We have also been certified as 'Good to Go'; the domestic tourism industry standard mark for Covid-19 protocols. Your safety is paramount, and we will be complying fully with UK government guidance throughout all of our Day Trips.


 


How to Book


The price for all our standard Naturetrek Day Trips is £50 per person and payment is by debit card only. You can book online, or you are very welcome to book over the phone by calling us on 01962 733051. Some Day Trips operate seasonally, and we are continuing to add additional departure dates for our fully booked Day Trips, so if you would like to be added to our wait list for any of these trips please just email info@naturetrek.co.uk or register your interest via the tour page.


 


Joining Instructions for Day Trips




If you, or someone that you have been in close contact with, has displayed symptoms of Covid-19 in the 14 days prior to the Day Trip, or if you receive an alert from NHS Track and Trace, you MUST NOT JOIN the Day Trip. Please let us know in the Naturetrek office as soon as possible and we will be happy to refund you in full.


    

  • Upon booking we will email you with a designated meeting point and confirmed timings, along with contact details for your tour leader.
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  • During some Day Trips we will each use our own vehicle to move the short distances in between sites (group transport is not provided).
    • 

  • Please do not bring your dog, or other pets, as they may disturb the wildlife!
    • 

  • Please bring your own lunch.
    • 

  • Please bring plenty of water, snacks, hand sanitiser, tissues, your own face covering (this will not be compulsory whilst we are out in the fresh air and wide open spaces throughout during the day but may be required to enter toilets, visitor centres, etc.) along with anything else that you might need for the day. You will need to be able to carry everything yourself. Suitable footwear (walking shoes or walking boots) will be essential, along with sensible layers and waterproofs plus sun hat and sun cream or woolly hat and gloves etc., depending on the weather forecast.
    • 

  • Wherever possible, we will try to arrange comfort breaks during the day. On some of our more remote Day Trips this isn’t always possible, and on those occasions you will need to be prepared for the odd ‘bush stop’! If this is likely, we will alert you in the joining instructions beforehand. Please be stringent with hygiene when using public facilities.
    • 

  • We ask you to respect minimum social distancing AT ALL TIMES (currently 2m where possible between households at the time of writing, but could be updated at any time). To help ensure this, we ask group members and tour leaders not to share optics, field guides or any other equipment.
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  • Finally, please do share your photos and favourite wildlife sightings with us … we love seeing them! Tweet @naturetrektours, Instagram @naturetrek_wildlife_holidays or find us on facebook.com/naturetrekwildlifeholidays
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Tailormade Day Trips

Should the dates we offer not suit you, or should you wish to have a private, tailored Day Trip, we will be delighted to arrange this for you. Please just call Georgie Head on 01962 733051, or fill out our quick enquiry form and we will get back to you. For inspiration for a Tailormade UK break, please see our Tailormade UK holidays.




Reviews: 


'The Naturetrek £50 days out have been a lifesaver this year. What better way than to spend a day in the open with four other like minded people in the company of a brilliant guide who can tell you all about the geology, flors and fauna of the area. I’ve been on three of these days with more booked for the future. The days are full, meeting at 9.00am and not finishing until 5.00pm, maybe slightly earlier in the darker winter months, with about 45 minutes for our picnic lunch but never have I ever looked at my watch and wished the time would pass more quickly. Quite the opposite in fact, the time passed so quickly I was amazed when we found ourselves back at the car park. Value for money? Yes, definitely. Thank you Naturetrek.'
VB – The Naze and Walton Backwaters (Essex)

‘The Upper Teesdale Day Trip was brilliant and Andy Bunten was an exceptional guide. So very knowledgeable and an expert spotter, but equally important he had great communication skills so that no-one felt remotely patronised or afraid to ask the most basic of questions. The organisation of the day was impeccably planned too. This was my first Naturetrek outing but I have friends who regularly use you and have spoken of your trips in glowing terms. So I will certainly look at your website and I will hope to travel with you at some point in the future.’ 
 KS – Teesdale


‘We had a lovely day on Monday; Matt was terrific - particularly with us being beginners at bird watching! The other attendees were very interesting and one in particular was extremely knowledgeable. So we learned a lot - just got to remember it now! We are looking at the other day trips available to see if we can do another one.’ 
 Ashdown Forest


‘I wanted to write to thank you for organising your new Day Trips. It’s an excellent idea and something to give hope to many people, who are keen to get out and about, and to experience the beauty of nature closer to home. Our trip to the Ashdown Forest on Friday was excellent. The weather was kind to us, a lovely sunny, English summer day, but it was our guide, Matt Eade, who made it special. Quite how Matt managed to arrange Goshawk, two Honey-buzzards, Hobby, Treecreeper, and a whole host of other species was remarkable.
 Spotted Flycatcher is the personal favourite of my husband Simon – and Matt knew where to find two of them. Simon was over the moon!  


It was a top day. Matt was informative, very knowledgeable, engaging, encouraging, always happy to help, provide insights and share his knowledge and experiences. He paced the walk just right, thoughtful about short breaks where needed. I worked for 8 years as a Tour Director around Europe and I know how exceptionally hard it can be to keep everyone happy!’ 
 Ashdown Forest


‘The trip exceeded our already high expectations. Andy Bunten was kind, humorous, thoughtful and his knowledge of the wildlife truly exceptional. It was a real pleasure and privilege to be in his company.’ 
 KE – Teesdale


‘So nice to be on a Naturetrek trip again and had a thoroughly enjoyable day with Russ and our other companions. Everyone just got on even though we had not met before. Looking forward to our next day trip!’ 
 LD – Smardale


‘We had a great day, thank you. Matthew Capper was an excellent guide, giving us a wealth of information about the ecology, conservation and social history of the area as well as the wildlife, and having an amazing ability to detect birdlife out of nowhere.  The Lammergeier before we'd even left the meeting point was of course spectacular, but it was Matthew's commitment to searching for the birds and Mountain Hares which impressed me even more.  We also appreciated his patience and good humour, and his determination to make sure that all 5 of us got to see everything. These day trips are a brilliant idea. We are really looking forward to our next Naturetrek Day in a couple of weeks.’ 
 AB – Peak District



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Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?

For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.

Enquire
Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!