The spit is a relatively young feature in geological terms , and in recent centuries it has been extending westwards and landwards through tidal and storm action . This growth is thought to have been enhanced by the reclamation of the salt marshes along this coast in recent centuries , which removed a natural barrier to the movement of shingle . The amount of shingle moved by a single storm can be " spectacular " ; the spit has sometimes been breached , becoming an island for a time , and this may happen again . The northernmost part of Snitterley ( now Blakeney ) village was lost to the sea in the early Middle Ages , probably due to a storm . In the last two hundred years , maps have been accurate enough for the distance from the Blakeney Chapel ruins to the sea to be measured . The 400 m ( 440 yd ) in 1817 had become 320 m ( 350 yd ) by 1835 , 275 m ( 300 yd ) in 1907 , and 195 m ( 215 yd ) by the end of the 20th century . The spit is moving towards the mainland at about 1 m ( 1 yd ) per year ; and several former raised islands or " eyes " have already disappeared , first covered by the advancing shingle , and then lost to the sea . The massive 1953 flood overran the main beach , and only the highest dune tops remained above water . Sand was washed into the salt marshes , and the extreme tip of the point was breached , but as with other purely natural parts of the coast , like Scolt Head Island , little lasting damage was done
1953 flood
North Sea flood of 1953
Blakeney Point