The largest shingle spit with vegetation in Europe, the Reserve contains a variety of habitats including shingle, saltmarsh, mudflat, brackish lagoons and grazing marsh. It provides an important location for breeding and passage birds as well as for the shingle flora, including a large number of nationally rare species. The Ness was a secret military test site from 1913 until the mid-1980s. Visitors follow a 5½ml route, which can be walked in total or in part (the full walk involves walking on shingle). Other walks (approx. 3mls) are open seasonally.