Sandwich Bay

Saturday 13^th and Sunday 14^th June: Sandwich Bay and Ranscombe Farm, Kent

Saturday 13^thJune: Sandwich Bay, East Kent

Leader: Sue Buckingham

Meet at 10.30 in the beach car park on Princes Drive, Sandwich Bay, Grid Ref: TR357590 (nearest postcode is CT13 9QB) The car park is on the seaward side of the road and approx. 150 metres south of the Lodge Hotel for golfers. Sandwich Bay is a private estate, and you have to pay to enter in a vehicle. Pass through a toll barrier on Guilford Road at approx Grid Ref: TR350577 where the charge per car is £10). You can pay this in person at the barrier or online at www.sandwichbay.estate/pay-online.

We will spend the day in the dunes and on the beach admiring the UK’s largest Lizard Orchid Himantoglossum hircinum colony with Bedstraw Broomrape Orobanche caryophyllacea, Sand Catchfly Silene conica, Clustered Clover Trifolium glomeratum, Bur Medick Medicago minima plus a number of additional clovers and medicks. This is an extremely species-rich area with favourites such as Yellow Horned-poppy Glaucium flavum, Sea Kale Crambe maritima and Sea Spurge Euphorbia paralias and in the damp dune slacks we will see Southern Marsh-orchid Dactylorhiza praetermissa, Sharp Rush Juncus acutus, Tufted-sedge Carex elata, Adder’s-tongue Ophioglossum vulgatum and very many more. Walking will be easy and flat although uneven in places. There are public toilets on the beach.

To book, contact Janet John wfs.meetings@gmail.com