Hornsea Mere is the largest freshwater lake in
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
,
England, and lies to the west of
Hornsea
Hornsea is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The settlement dates to at least the early medieval period. The town was expanded in the Victorian era with the coming of the Hull and Hornsea Railway in 18 ...
in the
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...
. The mere was used as a base for the
Royal Naval Air Service and then latterly, the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
Description
It covers an area of , is long, at its widest point and at its deepest. The average depth of the lake is and the mere itself lies only above sea level. The mere is fed by several small streams and a sluice gate at the eastern end of the mere controls the outflow, which travels only eastwards to the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
.
Hornsea Mere is a centre for bird-watching and a
tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
Types
Places of natural ...
offering
rowing
Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...
,
sailing
Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cou ...
, boat trips and
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
. It is a designated
Site of Special Scientific Interest and a
Special Protection Area
A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certa ...
for birds; it accommodates many species throughout the year, and is of international importance for a migratory population of
gadwall.
Its shallowness results in a diverse range of swamp and
fen
A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich Groundwater, ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetlands along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as ...
plants.
It was featured in the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
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...
, situated to the west of the mere, and was purchased by the Hall's estate for £50 in the 16th century.
The mere is the base for
A Royal Naval Air Service seaplane base was opened on the mere in September 1917. Initially, numbers 248 and 251 squadrons operated from RNAS Hornsea Mere with a headquarters at Killingholme.
operated non-water based aircraft so did not actually fly from Hornsea despite being based there.
The RNAS base was located on Kirkholme Nab, a small peninsula that sticks out westwards from the eastern shore. The RNAS installed two
s and two slipways from Kirkholme Nab which allowed a dozen seaplanes to be operated from the base. Various flights flew from here in coastal protection and submarine attack operations. These flights were eventually grouped together to form
who were commanded by No. 79 (Operations) Wing (who also commanded No. 251 Squadron, hence their allocation at Hornsea Mere).
A number of brick buildings left behind by the RAF in 1919 are still in use today, employed by the boatyard and the cafe which operate there. Despite being vacated by the RAF, the mere and the former RNAS buildings were used as a starting point for aerial practice runs on the bombing range at
coast.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council. Retrieved 27 June 2012
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