The largest vegetated shingle spit 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 coastal shingle flora and wildlife, 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. 3ml) are open seasonally.