Wash

The Wash is a broad, shallow inlet of the North Sea between Norfolk and Lincolnshire. Rivers drain into it from the low fen country, and tides uncover extensive sands and mudflats around its channels. These waters gave access to the river ports of King's Lynn and Boston. In the Middle Ages Boston became a major outlet for English wool, receiving merchants from abroad and sending goods through the Wash to the sea. Its position also linked the port to Lincoln by the River Witham.