Carlton and Oulton Marshes is a 151 hectare nature reserve in

Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and sou ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

. It is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. Carlton Marshes is part of the

Sprat's Water and Marshes, Carlton Colville Sprat's Water and Marshes, Carlton Colville is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the western outskirts of Lowestoft in Suffolk, England. It is part of the Broadland Ramsar internationally important wetland site, and Special Prot ...

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

, the Broadland Ramsar internationally important wetland site, the Broadland Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds, and The Broads Special Area of Conservation. Carlton and Oulton Marshes are separated by Oulton Dyke. Birds of prey include marsh harriers,

barn owl The barn owl (''Tyto alba'') is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalaya ...

s and hobbies, and there are many wintering wildfowl and breeding waders. Semi-aquatic fen raft spiders were released on the site in 2012 to boost the low British population, and underwater insectivorous bladderworts trap water fleas. The

Angles Way The Angles Way is a long-distance footpath in England, close to the River Waveney and River Little Ouse and thus close to the Norfolk/Suffolk border between Great Yarmouth and Thetford. Originally the Angles Way went only as far as Knettishall ...

footpath passes through Carlton Marsh south of Oulton Dyke, and Oulton Marsh north of the Dyke is also accessible by footpaths.

References

{{Suffolk Wildlife Trust Suffolk Wildlife Trust Suffolk Broads Marshes of England