Lion Creek and Lower Raypits

{{Short description|Nature reserve in Essex, England}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{infobox park

| name = Lion Creek and Lower Raypits

| photo = View From Garon Hide - geograph.org.uk - 1445511.jpg

| photo_caption =

| type = Nature reserve

| grid_ref_UK = TQ 923 948

| location = Canewdon, Essex

| area = 65.2 hectares

| manager = Essex Wildlife Trust

}}

Lion Creek and Lower Raypits is a {{convert|65.2|hectare|acre|adj=on}} nature reserve east of Canewdon in Essex. It is part of the Crouch and Roach Estuaries Site of Special Scientific Interest,{{cite web|url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002160.pdf |title=Crouch and Roach estuaries citation |series=Sites of Special Scientific Interest |publisher=Natural England |accessdate=12 December 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222115804/http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002160.pdf |archivedate=22 December 2015 }}{{cite web|url= http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271003868%27|title=Map of The Cliff, Burnham-on-Crouch|series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|accessdate= 4 November 2016}} and is owned and managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust.{{cite web|url= http://www.essexwt.org.uk/reserves/lion-creek-and-lower-raypits |title= Lion Creek and Lower Raypits |publisher= Essex Wildlife Trust |accessdate= 4 November 2016}}

The former creek has been cut off from the Crouch Estuary by a seawall, and it has salt marsh plants such as golden samphire and sea-spurrey. There is a bird hide from which many species of sea birds can be seen. Lower Raypits can be accessed from Lion Creek by the seawall path. It has a variety of pasture, salt marsh and intertidal habitats, with nationally scarce plants such as beaked tasselweed, sea barley, grass vetchling and curved hard-grass. Invertebrates include Roesel's bush-cricket.

There is access from the road between Canewdon and Wallasea Island.