The area, a salt marsh, is used by a number of Royal Air Force stations in Lincolnshire for bombing practice and shares its name with RAF Donna Nook.

Recognised as an important area for wildlife conservation, it is linked to the similar site at Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes National Nature Reserve.

The name is popularly supposed to be derived from a ship called The Donna, part of the Spanish Armada, which sank off the Nook (a small headland) in 1588.

[4] A 6 miles (10 km) coastal strip stretching from Saltfleet in the south, to Somercotes Haven in the north, is managed by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust as a nature reserve.

[citation needed] Media coverage of Donna Nook has led to a big increase in visitor numbers; it was visited by about 43,000 people in 2006.