The South West Coast Path. Paddy Dillon

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      The Coast Path passes through a notch in the crumbling granite of Cligga Head (Stage 16)

      The south-west of England is a huge area, and its geology is not easily condensed into a few words. The oldest rocks are of late Cambrian age, from 490 million years ago, found on the Lizard peninsula in South Cornwall. They derive not from the earth’s crust, but from the deep-seated mantle beneath. They’ve undergone a process of metamorphosis – altered by immense temperature and pressure – and one of the most important rock-types resulting from this is serpentine, which is locally worked into delightful ornamental forms.

      The bulk of rock types in Exmoor, Devon and Cornwall are of Devonian and Carboniferous age, stretching from 420 to 300 million years ago. Vast thicknesses of sediments were laid beneath the sea, becoming gritstone, sandstone, shale and limestone. Towards the end of this period, the rock beds were being squeezed into mountain ranges, becoming crushed and folded. A huge batholith of molten rock, deep in the Earth’s crust, pushed them upwards, solidifying to become the granite that is now exposed around Dartmoor, Bodmin Moor, St Austell, Carnmenellis and West Penwith. Coastal cliff faces often display intensely contorted beds of rock, best seen around Hartland and Crackington Haven in North Cornwall.

      The heat and pressure associated with mountain-building also squeezed mineral-rich fluids into cracks in the rock, which solidified into metal-bearing veins containing tin, lead and copper, giving rise to an important mining industry. Some shales and mudstones were changed to slates, which were quarried as roofing material. Granite has been used extensively for building, as it is generally hardwearing. In places where it rots and crumbles, it provided the basic ingredient for the china-clay industry around St Austell.

      The Permian, ranging from 300 to 250 million years ago, saw extensive desert landscapes, but this was followed by the Triassic, when the land sank back under the sea. The geology of east Devon and Dorset is remarkably different. The Triassic gave way to the Jurassic, from 200 to 145 million years ago, and the abundant marine life is preserved in fossil-rich locations along the coast. Further east, the Cretaceous, from 145 to 65 million years ago, is characterised by immense thicknesses of chalk, giving rise to sheer white cliffs. The ‘Jurassic Coast’ is a World Heritage Site on account of its geological significance.

      During the last Ice Age the south-west was free of glaciers and the landscape was bleak tundra with permafrost conditions. Britain wasn’t an island, but was joined to mainland Europe. With the melting of the northern ice sheets, sea levels rose, but the whole of Britain tilted, with Scotland rising slightly, as evidenced by numerous raised beaches. The south-west of England, by contrast, sank so that river valleys were flooded by the sea. Along some parts of the coast the land is steadily being eroded, while on other parts of the coast the same eroded material is being piled up into beaches of sand and shingle.

Plants and wildlife

      Sea pinks above Mill Bay, or Nanjizal, on the way from Land’s End to Gwennap Head (Stage 19)

      Woodlands are uncommon along the Coast Path, with the greatest concentration occurring during the first week, through Exmoor and north Devon. Semi-natural woodland is rare, and most woods are actually plantations. There are plenty of trees in hedgerows, while in places exposed to wind and salt-burn, trees are often stunted and lean dramatically inland in formations known as ‘krumholz ’. The woody shrub called gorse generally blazes with yellow flowers in the summer. Non-native trees and bushes may be spotted along the coast, including ornamental palm trees in some resorts and gardens.

      In many uncultivated places, there may be a rich coastal heath, comprising of stunted gorse scrub and heather, through which an abundance of wild flowers grow, well protected against grazing animals. More specialist plants cling to rocky cliffs, safe from grazing, or are able to flourish on dry storm beaches or perpetually wet mudflats. Attempting to list everything that might be seen on a trek as long as this is pointless, but plenty of species can be observed with reference to information boards at various points around the coast – particularly at nature reserves. Flowering coastal plants that should be spotted on a day-to-day basis include sea campion and sea pinks, also known as thrift.

      A cow goes down to drink from the stream at rocky Porth Mear (Stage 14)

      Walkers see a lot of farm livestock along the Coast Path, usually confined to fields but occasionally grazing on rugged coastal slopes or grassy saltmarshes. Expect to see plenty of sheep, rather fewer cows and occasional horses. Very rarely, feral goats might be spotted. Small mammals such as rabbits are common, while amphibians and reptiles tend to be furtive and are seldom spotted. Take note of path-side information boards that indicate species that might otherwise be missed. The sea teems with animal life, from shellfish to all kinds of fish, with the largest likely to be basking shark. There are colonies of seals and dolphins, but these are rarely spotted.

      Birdwatchers will find hundreds of species to distract them along the Coast Path, and there are plenty of information boards along the trail highlighting what might be spotted. Bird hides are occasionally available, especially at nature reserves, or where the RSPB manage areas of the coast. In very general terms, many breeding species, residents and migrants can be observed rearing young during the summer. Overwintering wildfowl are likely to congregate on mudflats, saltmarshes and lagoons. The Abbotsbury Swannery has been pampering mute swans since 1393!

      Gulls are seen on a daily basis, ranging from herring gulls to the uncommon common gulls. It takes more patience to spot various divers, skuas and auks, while trips to specific locations at the right time will reveal puffins, gannets, petrels and shearwaters. Mudflats and saltmarshes are good places to spot oystercatchers, avocets, plovers, sandpipers, knots, godwits, redshanks and greenshanks. Terns favour high storm beaches, where their eggs are camouflaged among pebbles. Choughs, a rare red-legged crow, are only rarely spotted along sea cliffs, while other species of crows prefer to stay further inland. There are reedy marshes, woodlands, fields and rivers near the coast, so other birds spotted include warblers, wagtails, flycatchers, owls, woodpeckers, treecreepers, nuthatches, thrushes, pipits, wrens, larks, tits, starlings, sparrows, blackbirds, cuckoos, herons, egrets and maybe a quick blue flash of a kingfisher. Birds of prey include buzzards, hawks, kestrels, falcons and harriers.

Culture

      There’s a certain historic rivalry between inhabitants of Devon СКАЧАТЬ