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This is a list of the largest Sites of Special Scientific Interest in England in decreasing order of size. A lower threshold of 100 hectares or one square kilometre has been used.
Sites more than 10,000 hectares in size [ ]
Site name
Area of Search
Reason for designation
Area[ a]
Grid reference
Year in which notified
Map[B]
Biological interest
Geological interest
Hectares
Acres
The Wash
Norfolk / Lincolnshire
Y
63,135.0
156,010.0
TF550400
1972
North York Moors
North Yorkshire / Cleveland
Y
44,087.7
108,943.1
NZ680000
1998
Humber Estuary
East Riding of Yorkshire / Lincolnshire
Y
Y
37,000.6
91,430.5
TA216184
2004
Dark Peak
Derbyshire / Greater Manchester / South Yorkshire / West Yorkshire
Y
Y
31,852.9
78,710.2
SK110960
1951
Morecambe Bay
Cumbria / Lancashire
Y
30,287.5
74,842.0
SD360700
1975
Cumbria / ?
Y
Y
29,950.5
74,009.3
NY160610
1988
The New Forest
Hampshire / Wiltshire
Y
Y
28,947.4
71,530.6
SU298081
1959
Map
South Pennine Moors
West Yorkshire / Great Manchester / Lancashire / North Yorkshire
Y
Y
20,938.1
51,739.2
SD920300
1994
Salisbury Plain
Wiltshire / Hampshire
Y
19,689.9
48,654.8
SU070500
1975
Map
Breckland Forest
Norfolk / Suffolk
Y
Y
18,078.7
44,673.4
TL819839
2000
Severn Estuary
Avon / Somerset + others
Y
Y
15,950.0
39,413.3
ST480830
1976
Upper Teesdale
County Durham
Y
Y
14,035.6
34,682.7
NY830320
1951
Moorhouse and Cross Fell
Cumbria / County Durham
Y
Y
13,707.0
33,870.7
NY715365
1990
Dee Estuary
Cheshire / Clwyd
Y
13,679.7
33,803.3
SJ220800
1954
Breckland Farmland
Norfolk / Suffolk
Y
13,335.7
32,953.2
TL762783
2000
Devon
Y
Y
13,413.2
33,144.7
SX580850
1952
North Exmoor
Devon / Somerset
Y
Y
12,005.3
29,665.7
SS800430
1954
Sites more than 4000 hectares in size [ ]
Site name
Area of Search
Reason for designation
Area[ a]
Grid reference
Year in which notified
Map[B]
Biological interest
Geological interest
Hectares
Acres
Devon
Y
Y
9,668.2
23,890.6
SX630690
1952
Hexhamshire Moors
County Durham / Northumberland
Y
9,433.9
23,311.7
NY870530
1998
Map
Kielderhead and Emblehope Moors
Northumberland
Y
8,254.4
20,397.1
NT700000
1971
Eastern Peak District Moors
South Yorkshire / ?
Y
Y
8,094.4
20,001.7
SK270770
1955
Map
Bollihope, Pikestone, Eggleston and Woodland Fells
County Durham
Y
7,949.2
19,642.9
NZ005300
1996
Map
North Norfolk Coast
Norfolk
Y
Y
7,700.0
19,027.1
TG020440
1954
Duddon Estuary
Cumbria
Y
Y
6,806.3
16,818.7
SD151753
1990 (amalgamated 5)
Map
Mersey Estuary
Cheshire / Merseyside
Y
6,702.1
16,561.2
SJ440800
1951
The Swale
Kent
Y
Y
6,568.4
16,230.9
TR000670
1968
Blackwater Estuary
Essex
Y
Y
5,738.0
14,178.9
TL940070
1955
South Thames Estuary and Marshes
Kent
Y
5,449.1
13,465.0
TQ770785
1951
Cornwall
Y
4,957.0
12,249.0
SX160810
1951
Cumbria / Northumberland
Y
4,818.0
11,905.5
NY670800
1995
Bowes Moor
County Durham
Y
4,457.7
11,015.2
NY923104
1989
Map
Poole Harbour
Dorset
Y
4,049.0
10,005.3
SZ000890
1964
Sites more than 2000 hectares in size [ ]
Site name
Area of Search
Reason for designation
Area[ a]
Grid reference
Year in which notified
Map[B]
Biological interest
Geological interest
Hectares
Acres
Chichester Harbour
Hampshire / West Sussex
Y
Y
3,695.0
9,130.5
SU760000
1970
Bridgwater Bay
Somerset
Y
3,574.1
8,831.8
ST290480
1989
Dungeness
East Sussex / Kent
Y
Y
3,241.7
8,010.4
TR050180
1951
Ashdown Forest
East Sussex
Y
3,144.6
7,770.5
TQ450300
1953
South Exmoor
Devon / Somerset
Y
3,132.7
7,741.1
SS880340
1992
Long Mynd
Shropshire
Y
Y
2,637.6
6,517.7
SO420950
1953
Alde-Ore Estuary
Suffolk
Y
2,554.3
6,311.8
TM394757
1952
The Quantocks
Somerset
Y
2,506.9
6,194.7
ST140390
1970
Map
Ouse Washes
Cambridgeshire / Norfolk
Y
2,403.0
5,937.9
TL482867
1955
Exe Estuary
Devon
Y
Y
2,186.6
5,403.2
SX980845
1952
Devon
Y
Y
2,088.1
5,159.8
SX695815
1976
Langstone Harbour
Hampshire
Y
2,069.4
5,113.6
SU700030
1958
Sites more than 1500 hectares in size [ ]
Site name
Area of Search
Reason for designation
Area[ a]
Grid reference
Year in which notified
Map[B]
Biological interest
Geological interest
Hectares
Acres
Thorne Crowle and Goole Moors
East Riding / South Yorkshire
Y
1,918.6
4,741.0
SE730160
1970
Windsor Forest and Great Park
Berkshire / Surrey
Y
1,771.2
4,376.7
SU970685
1973
Exmoor Coastal Heaths
Somerset
Y
1,758.3
4,344.9
SS620480
1994
Map
Wyre Forest
Shropshire / Hereford & Worcester
Y
1,753.7
4,333.5
SS750760
1955
Epping Forest
Essex / Greater London
Y
1,728.0
4,270.0
TL475035
1953
Porton Down
Wiltshire
Y
1,561.8
3,859.3
SU240365
1977
Map
Rutland Water
Leicestershire
Y
1,540.1
3,805.7
SK928070
1981
Sites more than 1000 hectares in size [ ]
Site name
Area of Search
Reason for designation
Area[ a]
Grid reference
Year in which notified
Map[B]
Biological interest
Geological interest
Hectares
Acres
Gloucestershire
Y
1,436.8
3,550.4
SO720060
1954
Map
Cornwall / Devon
Y
1,422.3
3,514.6
SX474650
1991
Hatfield Moors
South Yorkshire
Y
1,400.7
3,461.2
SE705060
1954
Avon Valley (Bickton to Christchurch)
Dorset / Hampshire
Y
1,383.7
3,419.2
TU147123
1974
Braunton Burrows
Devon
Y
Y
1,356.7
3,352.5
SS430350
1952
Devon
Y
1,336.5
3,302.6
SS470310
1981
Nene Washes
Cambridgeshire
Y
1,310.0
3,237.1
TL200977
1959
Portsmouth Harbour
Hampshire
Y
1,266.1
3,128.6
SU620035
1974
East Devon Pebblebed Heaths
Devon
Y
1,111.9
2,747.6
SY050880
1952
Catcott, Edington and Chilton Moors
Somerset
Y
1,083.0
2,676.2
ST390420
1967
Map
West Sedgemoor
Somerset
Y
1,016.0
2,510.6
ST361258
1983
Map
Haldon Forest
Devon
Y
1,013.2
2,503.7
SX886838
1992
Map
Sites more than 750 hectares in size [ ]
Site name
Area of Search
Reason for designation
Area[ a]
Grid reference
Year in which notified
Map[B]
Biological interest
Geological interest
Hectares
Acres
Chesil and the Fleet
Dorset
Y
Y
990.4
2,447.3
SY496885
1952
Fenn's, Whixall, Bettisfield, Wem and Cadney Mosses
Shropshire / Wales
Y
948.4
2,343.5
SJ490365
1953
Tealham and Tadham Moors
Somerset
Y
917.6
2,267.4
ST420450
1985
Map
Savernake Forest
Wiltshire
Y
904.7
2,235.6
SU215665
1971
Map
King's Sedgemoor
Somerset
Y
822.0
2,031.2
ST400330
1985
Grafham Water
Cambridgeshire
Y
811.9
2,006.2
TL150680
1986
Durham Coast
Cleveland / Durham
Y
Y
765.4
1,891.3
NZ400500
1960
Rye Harbour
East Sussex
Y
Y
761.1
1,880.7
TQ935180
1953
Map
Studland and Godlingston Heath
Dorset
Y
Y
758.9
1,875.3
SZ030845
1954
Sites more than 500 hectares in size [ ]
Site name
Area of Search
Reason for designation
Area[ a]
Grid reference
Year in which notified
Map[B]
Biological interest
Geological interest
Hectares
Acres
Blue Anchor to Lilstock Coast
Somerset
Y
742.8
1,835.5
ST033435
1971
Abberton Reservoir
Essex
Y
716.3
1,770.0
TL970180
1955
Cornwall
Y
687.3
1,698.4
SX375565
1951
North Moor
Somerset
Y
676.3
1,671.2
ST325305
1986
Cotswold Commons And Beechwoods
Gloucestershire
Y
665.5
1,644.5
SP900130
1954
Map
Bentley Wood
Wiltshire / Hampshire
Y
665.0
1,643.3
SU250295
1985
Map
Barle Valley
Somerset
Y
622.9
1,539.2
SS850349
1954
Pagham Harbour
Avon
Y
Y
615.9
1,521.9
SZ875970
1954
Cornwall
Y
603.5
1,491.3
SW850410
1968
Chew Valley Lake
Avon
Y
565.2
1,396.6
ST570600
1971
Arne
Dorset
Y
Y
563.4
1,392.2
ST966880
1986
Westhay Moor
Somerset
Y
513.7
1,269.4
ST455445
1971
Map
Breydon Water
Norfolk
Y
506.5
1,251.6
TG500075
1987
Map
Sites more than 400 hectares in size [ ]
Sites more than 300 hectares in size [ ]
Sites more than 250 hectares in size [ ]
Sites more than 200 hectares in size [ ]
Sites more than 150 hectares in size [ ]
Sites more than 100 hectares in size [ ]
Notes [ ]
a Data rounded to one decimal place.
B Link to maps using the Nature on the Map service provided by English Nature .
Categories :
Lists of Sites of Special Scientific Interest United Kingdom-related lists of superlatives Hidden categories:
Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Articles using small message boxes Incomplete lists from August 2008 Articles with OS grid coordinates