Beaches

The County Durham coastline is considered to be such an important area for nature conservation, that it is specially protected along virtually its entire length. The most important feature of this coast are distinctive cliffs which are part of the Magnesian Limestone escarpment that runs through eastern County Durham. The cliffs are up to fifty metres tall and their craggy rock faces provide excellent nesting habitat for several species of gull.

In many places the cliffs are incised forming deep gorges, often with almost vertical sides. These are known as denes and are often inaccessible and unsuitable for agriculture and remain relatively undisturbed by man. The most famous is Castle Eden Dene, which contains many interesting plants and insects.

The cliffs are overlain by boulder clay, and were formed about 250 million years ago when shallow seas covered this area. Deposits of limey mud that accumulated on the sea floor became compressed and hardened, forming the pale yellow Magnesian Limestone which is a familiar part of the east Durham landscape.

As well as being of considerable geological importance, these cliffs are an important wildlife habitat. They support the best examples of paramaritime Magnesian Limestone vegetation in Britain.

The foreshore at the base of the cliffs is of variable interest. At Blackhall gulls use the pools and at Hawthorn Hive interesting plant communities have become established. The ‘beach’ consists of mud, sand, shingle and cobbles and is home to a variety of invertebrates and seaweeds, including at least four types of sea anemone.

Many different wildlife habitats are found behind the cliffs. The most interesting of these being unimproved Magnesian Limestone grassland, sand dunes, wet flushes and scrub. These habitats combine to provide home to a wide range of associated plants and insects.

Along the cliff tops strips of unimproved Magnesian Limestone grassland can be found. This is usually dominated by red fescue and contains sea plantain, thrift and common scurvy-grass, which thrive in the low nutrient coastal soils. In some places along the cliff top juniper trees grow, flattened by constant exposure to the elements. The grassland strips are very narrow and often adjoin arable fields. They are at risk from both erosion, and nutrient enrichment caused by fertilizer run off from the adjacent fields.

Along the southern stretches of coast, sand dunes support distinctive plant communities. Dunes near the sea are exposed and constantly changing. Vegetation is usually limited to marram, sand couch and lyme-grass. Further inland the vegetation is denser and the dunes are more stable. Sand couch, marram and red fescue hold the sand together and the dunes are home to an assortment of wild flowers including yarrow, daisy, common spotted orchid and birds-foot-trefoil.

Further information on specific coastal sites is provided on the pages listed below:

Coastal Footpath (Durham County Council)
Hawthorn Dene (Durham Wildlife Trust & National Trust)
Castle Eden Dene (English Nature)
Blackhall Rocks Nature Reserve and Picnic Site (Durham Wildlife Trust & Durham County Council)

Biodiversity Action Plan