Life on the Beach

• Alma Bridge

A footbridge that crosses the River Sid at the eastern end of the Esplanade.

• Beach Management Plan

The current preferred option for coastal protection in Sidmouth, involving a "hold the line" approach with a new groyne, a raised splash wall, and beach nourishment.

• Beach Nourishment

The process of artificially adding large amounts of new sediment (in this case, shingle) to a beach to build it up as a defence against erosion and flooding.

• Budleigh Salterton Pebble Beds (BSPB)

A geological formation further west of Sidmouth that is a source for some of the pebbles found on Sidmouth's beach. Gravel from this formation was also imported for sea defense construction.

• Chit Rocks

Sea stacks formed of Otter Sandstone at the western end of Sidmouth Bay. The remains of a much larger 40-foot stack that was destroyed by a storm in 1824.

• Clay-with-Flints

A younger geological deposit found capping the highest cliffs and hills around Sidmouth.

• Coastal Squeeze

The process where a coastal habitat is trapped between a rising sea and a fixed landward defense (like a seawall), causing it to shrink and potentially disappear.

• Cormorant

A seabird often seen fishing offshore or using the rock islands to dry its wings after diving.

• Danish Scurvygrass

A salt-tolerant plant rich in Vitamin C, historically used by sailors. It is so hardy it can sometimes be found growing by roadsides treated with winter salt.

• East Beach

The section of beach east of the River Sid mouth, which has experienced significant erosion and frequent cliff falls.

• Esplanade

The main promenade along Sidmouth's town seafront, built on what was once a natural shingle ridge.

• Glen Goyle

A small stream whose freshwater outflow onto the beach near the Belmont Hotel is a key factor in the survival of the Beach Garden plants.

• Great Beach

A large, continuous shingle beach formed along the coast around 6,000 years ago during a period of sea-level stabilization. It is considered the parent of the modern beaches.

• Groyne

A man-made barrier, often made of timber or rock, built out from a shore to interrupt water flow and limit the movement of sediment, thereby trapping sand or shingle.

• Halophytes

Plants that are specially adapted to grow in conditions of high salinity (salt), such as those found in the Beach Garden.

• Herring Gull

The common gull species of the seaside, known for its evocative call, intelligence, and tendency to nest on roofs and scavenge for food in Sidmouth.

• Hold the Line

A coastal management strategy that aims to maintain the existing shoreline position by building or maintaining artificial defenses.

• Larvikite

A type of igneous rock, along with granite, used to construct the large offshore rock islands in 1994.

• Longshore Drift

The process by which sediment (like shingle) is moved along a coastline by waves hitting the shore at an angle. Along the Jurassic Coast, this drift is generally eastwards.

• Managed Realignment

A coastal management approach that allows the shoreline to move more naturally, often by breaching or moving defenses inland to create new habitats.

• Mercia Mudstone

A younger Triassic red bed formation that forms the main cliffs around Sidmouth itself.

• Otter Sandstone

An older Triassic red bed formation that forms sea stacks like Chit Rocks and lies beneath the Mercia Mudstone.

• Overtopping

An event during storms where large waves crash over the top of sea defences like the Esplanade wall, throwing water and shingle into the town.

• Oystercatcher

A wading bird seen in winter around Sidmouth, whose favoured feeding spot is noted to be the local cricket pitch where it digs for worms.

• Quaternary Periglacial Head

A layer of Ice Age debris found on top of the mudstone cliffs east of the River Sid.

• River Sid

The river that flows through Sidmouth and enters the sea at the eastern end of the town's Esplanade.

• Rock Pipit

A small, brownish, camouflaged bird perfectly adapted to living on the rocky sea defences, with feet for gripping and a beak for finding insects in crevices.

• Rock Samphire

A classic coastal plant with succulent leaves, often found growing directly out of cliff faces or old sea walls.

• Sea Beet

A very hardy coastal plant, the wild ancestor of beetroot and chard. It is a dominant species in the Beach Garden and provides a good food source for insects.

• Sea Kale

A tough perennial coastal plant with deep roots and large, bluish-green leaves, adapted to live on shingle banks.

• Splash Wall

The part of the seawall along the Esplanade designed to stop wave spray. The current plan is to raise its height.

• Triassic

A geological period from approximately 250 to 200 million years ago. The red beds (Otter Sandstone and Mercia Mudstone) of Sidmouth date from this period.

• Turnstone

A small wading bird that winters in Sidmouth after breeding in the Arctic. It is named for its unique feeding habit of turning over stones and seaweed to find food.

• Upper Greensand

A much younger geological deposit (compared to the Triassic rocks) that caps the highest cliffs east and west of Sidmouth. It is a source of chert for the beach.

• Verrucaria maura

A species of black, tar-like lichen that manages to establish itself on the large, imported granite rocks of the sea defenses.

• Yellow Horned-poppy

A distinctive pioneer plant on shingle, characterized by bright yellow flowers, long horn-like seed pods, and silvery-blue waxy foliage adapted to conserve water.