About This Site

This website has been created by, and is the copyright of, Peter Orchard of Sidmouth, Devon. The website is run as a hobby and the information is made available free of charge to anyone who finds it useful. Much of the content of this website has been created using Google Gemini and the website owner accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions in the data and information provided. Neither does the website owner claim or take any credit for the creating of the content. Copyright of all photographs on this website remains with the contributor and they should not be used for any purpose without permission.

As it says on the label! The purpose of this website is to be an information, learning and study resource for the people of Sidmouth interested in nature and for those from elsewhere interested in the nature of Sidmouth.

There is a considerable amount of information about the wild life and wild places of Sidmouth on the internet but it is dispersed across multiple websites. In addition, a three year survey of 48 sites of nature interest in the area (the "Sidmouth Nature" project) has gathered data and observations which enhance the already available information. The primary objective of this website is to bring together information and data from these disparate sources, to consolidate and structure it into a simple, usable format and make it available for anyone to use.

The content is NOT intended to be seen as a 'training' course but to make the information accessible in a logical form it has evolved into a 'course-like' structure but formal terms such as lessons and modules have been avoided. Whilst academic in form it is intended for anyone of any age and with any interest to use in any way they feel they can benefit from the content. 

The "User Guide" section expands upoan, and explains, this approach.

Whilst the content is very much focused on the Sidmouth area of East Devon, many of the issues discussed will be familiar to visitors to this website from elsewhere, and not just those from the United Kingdom.

This project has a predominantly ecological and conservationist focus. It does not attempt to describe the species of animals and plants one might find in the area. Instead, the focus is on 'sites of natural interest'. That is not a formal designation! The 48 featured sites were chosen for their ecological value and are very varied in ownership and management, indeed, none have a formal designation as a national or local nature reserve. In general, the sites are owned by local authorities, organisations or land owners who ensure the future of the sites is protected.

The basis of the content is 'site' driven but this is enhanced by viewing these sites in terms of their geographical locations and connections (Ecology Networks) and by dominant habitat types (Exploring Habitats). There is also a need to understand how various factors such as geology, climate, management, politics, etc have shaped the area (Natural Environment) that these sites are important components of.

The underlying theme of the website is undoubtedly one of NATURE RECOVERY and it seeks to highlight the valuable work being undertaken across the area by statutory bodies and, especially, by volunteer effort through various conservation groups.

Although mentioned briefly above in the "Small Print" there are some things that need to be made clear:

• This website is NOT representative of a single organisation, it is a personal hobby project. It comes out of a desire from one person who moved to a new home in Sidmouth from elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Being an area that he was unfamiliar with the project emerged from an effort to explore and understand the new environment and discover more about its local wildlife.

• To repeat, this website is run as a hobby and the information is made available free of charge to anyone who finds it useful. The information contained is, to the best of the creators knowledge, correct at the time of writing (2026) but the content should be used with caution and if it is to be used for any purpose other than for personal interest facts should be verified through other sources. No responsibility can be accepted for any errors or omissions in the data and information provided

• Much of the information on this website has been obtained from openly available publicly available sources on the Internet using Google Gemini. The website owner does not claim ownership of,  or take any credit for, the creation of the content. This website purely tries to consolidate information from multiple sources into a comprehesive single entity. 

• As Google Gemini has been used in geneating text, images and media it is heavily US influenced. Whilst this can be irritating to a UK user it is the only practical way to produce this volume of work so I hope users enjoyment of the website is not impaired by American accents and occasional American spelling!