Spurn Point

University of Hull

The development of Spurn

The material eroded from the Holderness cliffs is swept southwards.

North easterly waves move the coarser sands and gravel down towards the mouth of the Humber.

The finer sands and clays are swept offshore and continue southwards towards the Wash.

Spurn Head ‘hangs like a rudder’ for six kilometres off the end of Holderness, built by the sands and gravels eroded from the cliffs and transported south by longshore drift.

In the past Spurn Head seems to have grown and been washed away in a regular cycle, slowly moving towards the east to keep pace with the erosion of the Holderness cliffs.

For over 100 years the position of Spurn has been fixed by artificial sea defences. These defences are now falling into disrepair and the sea is starting to erode parts of the peninsula once again.