One of Norfolk's most picturesque harbours is under threat from silt carried in by the tides.
Tucked away off the coast road between Brancaster and Wells, Burnham Overy Staithe is a Mecca for sailors, artists and bird watchers.
But now nature needs a helping hand to preserve the tidal creek that winds through the marshes, channelled by flood banks to the sea.
Burnham Overy Harbour Trust, a charity which manages the harbour, hopes to restore the groynes which will help boost water flows and keep the mud at bay.
Max Owles, who has worked at the Boathouse beside the quay for five years, said: "The groynes have diminished since I've been here.
"If we don't maintain the harbour, we're going to end up with nothing but mud everywhere.
"There's a lot more mud, the sand bank's huge on the corner. The channel changes frequently but there's a lot more mud."
The harbour trust fears without the work, which is likely to cost upwards of £100,000, the mud will eventually win.
The cost of bolstering the groynes is a massive sum for a tiny village with fewer than 150 permanent inhabitants to find. But heroes are on hand to help make it happen.
For the Norfolk Superhero Challenge, a quadrathlon held around the harbour each June, is dividing the proceeds of this year's event between the restoration work and Norfolk Lowland Search and Rescue.
"We will specifically be raising funds for the vital work involved in restoring the creek we all love so much," it said.
"This will primarily involve the restoration of the groynes which are crucial in preventing the creek from silting up, as well as taking important measures to reduce erosion of the marshes.
"We wholeheartedly believe that the work will secure this fragile and incredibly important landscape for the next generation."
Last year's challenge brought in upwards of £200,000, while the event has raised more than £800,000 since participants first ran, cycled, swam and paddled for good causes in 2014.
Historian and author Jim Ring, who lives in the Burnham Overy, is also writing a history of the village.
Proceeds from sales of the book will go towards the work which is needed on the harbour.
PROUD PORT NEAR NELSON'S BIRTHPLACE
Burnham Overy was once the trading port for its surrounding villages, including Burnham Thorpe, where Nelson was born in 1758.
Village pub The Hero is named after the great admiral, who fell at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and is believed to have first learned to sail around the Burnhams.
Centuries ago ships could reportedly sail inland as far as Burnham Overy Town, carrying imports of coal and exports of grain.
By the end of the Middle Ages, the River Burn had silted up, with sea-going traffic forced to dock downstream at Overy Staithe.
The coming of the railways sounded the death-knell to shipping, with the last cargo setting sail in the early 20th century.
Small boats can still get in and out of the harbour, which is now a popular centre for sailing, paddle boarding and kayaking.
Ferries also run to the nature reserve at Scolt Head Island, a remote nature reserve with a wealth of birdlife.
A house at the corner of the harbour, where the creek bends towards the sea, inspired the much-loved children's story When Marnie Was There, published in 1967, after author Joan G Robinson walked past and saw a girl having her hair combed through an upstairs window.
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