Landscape Character Types

Shoreline platform and boulders at Welcombe Beach.

Summary description

This Landscape Character Type (LCT) covers much of the North Devon and Torridge coastline, broken by the Taw-Torridge Estuary, Widmouth Head, and the presence of sandy beaches and sand dunes backing Bideford/Barnstaple Bay. The landscape comprises exposed bedrock forming ledges that protrude out from the base of coastal cliffs. The entire length of the foreshore is within the North Devon Coast Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and is defined as Heritage Coast. Parts of the LCT also fall within the North Devon Biosphere Reserve buffer zone

Link to Devon Character Areas

DCA 3: Bideford Bay Coast

DCA 31: Hartland Peninsula

DCA 43: North Devon Coastal Downs

DCA 45: North Devon High Coast

Key characteristics

• Exposed bedrock forming ledges protruding out from the base of coastal cliffs
• Rugged wave-cut platforms with distinctive rock formations and rockpools, gullies, crevices and boulders
• Important geological and geomorphological features, reflecting diversity of rock types and coastal processes. There are a number of Regional Sites of Geological Importance and Geological Sites of Special Scientific Interest across the LCT.
• Complex habitats (many designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest) shaped by the rugged and varied profiles of the rocks, supporting a rich diversity of intertidal wildlife, often adapted to harsh exposed conditions and a constantly changing environment. Much of the LCT is within a Marine Conservation Zone.
• Areas in Torridge District fall within the designated as a Special Area of Conservation, reflecting its sea cliffs with maritime heath and coastal grassland habitats, as well as old oak woodlands. Areas within North Devon are within the Exmoor Coast and Heaths Important Bird Area.
• Heritage assets are sparse due to the actions of the sea - the only example of note is a grade II listed limekiln.
• Subject to inundation at high tide, making some areas inaccessible particularly where fast tides are characteristic.
• Wild qualities with an overall absence of development (apart from some disturbance from nearby coastal settlements); exposed to the forces of waves and wind coming off the sea.
• There are long views west to Lundy and beyond across the Atlantic Ocean.

Exposed bedrock and Intertidal pools at Lee Bay.

Valued landscape attributes

• Important geological exposures.
• Rich intertidal biodiversity with the LCT supporting numerous species of wildlife.
• Wild and exposed perceptual qualities which are strongly influenced by the weather and sea conditions.
• Long views focused on the sea.

Sandy beach and wavecut platform on the Hartland coastline.

Management guidelines

Protect

Conserve the internationally important habitats including the intertidal pools (which form part of a wider ecosystem within the Marine Conservation Zone/Special Area of Conservation).

Manage

Manage the wider coastal habitat networks linked to the rocky foreshores for the benefit of wildlife, particularly breeding birds.

Plan

Changes to sea-levels and hydrology processes resulting from climate change may result in coastal squeeze and a need for new sea defences. The impact of coastal management on semi-natural habitats and species should be carefully considered.

LCT 4I Rocky Foreshores (PDF, 1 MB)