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Dolphins - West Country Publications
Aerial view of Berryhead - Still Imaging
Aerial view of Torbay - Still Imaging
Facilities: There are public toilets at the site and a café on the reserve provides refreshments. There is a visitor centre open from Easter to late October and an unmanned information point that is open all year.
Access
Foot: The South West Coast Path runs through out the site.
Train and Bus:There is a mainline train station at nearby Paignton and bus services
operate from here to Brixham.
Road:Access is via the A3022 and the A379. Car parking is available on Berry head
and Sharkham Point.
Boat:One of the best ways to view the geology of this coastline is by boat and cruises are available along this coast at Torquay, Paignton and Brixham Harbour.
The Guillemots are Berry Head’s most famous inhabitants, but the site is important for many other species as well, both as a migration point and a breeding site. Around 200 different species have been recorded either on the headland, or seen from it.Shag, Kittiwakes, Fulmars, Herring Gulls, Jackdaws and Feral Pigeons use the cliffs and quarry sides as breeding sites. Across the headland, scrub areas provide shelter for breeding Whitethroats, Linnets and occasionally Stonechats.
Berry Head has also long been known for its important flora and around 500 species have been identified on the cliffs, grasslands and scrub areas. Many of these are nationally scarce, with at least 9 being nationally rare. The thin soil and exposure to the elements means many of these rare plants are extremely small, Small Hare’s ear, for instance which only occurs here and at Beachy Head (in Sussex) is only around 3cm tall. In contrast White rock rose (occurring in only two areas of Britain) is extremely showy and its long flowering period (April- July) means most visitors get a chance to enjoy this special flower. Equally striking is the autumn flowering Goldilocks Aster, found just south of the Old Redoubt along the Coast Path. Between August and September large patches of its bright yellow flowers can be seen around the Durl Head area.
From Sharkham Point it is possible to look back at the impressive cliffs made of limestone and mudstone and see signs of folding. Iron mining used to take place at Sharkham Point, just to the north of the point itself. Besides its use in the production of iron, the haematite ore was powdered and formed the basis for an anti-corrosion paint. Nearby at Shoalstone Beach wave cut platforms have exposed two sets of red sandstone sedimentary dykes. Some of these are lined with large sparry calcite crystals.
The link between geology and wildlife is clearly demonstrated along this stretch of coast.
For example, there are large areas of species-rich limestone grassland, containing a number of rare plants, and different rates of erosion of the cliffs of Berry Head have created a series of ledges which are now home to the largest breeding colony of guillemots on the south coast of England. Please be careful not to disturb the birds.
Berry Head to Sharkham Point
Discover: Lowland calcareous grassland and maritime cliffs that
provide an important nesting site for seabirds e.g. guillemots.
Local BAP wildlife to spot: Seabirds, white rock rose, dolphins,
porpoises and basking sharks, cirl buntings and bats.
Wildlife events run throughout the year, see www.countryside-trust.org.uk
Nearest town: Brixham
OS grid reference: SX 941564
Status: AONB, SSSI, NNR, SAC, proposed CGS
Management: Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust
This is a dramatic stretch of coastline of tremendous geological, historical, ecological and landscape importance. Berry Head is a large headland of Devonian age limestone providing an excellent viewpoint from which to view Torbay’s varied geology and beautiful coastline. Soaring to a height of 200ft (65m), it is generally flat topped, with a series of cliffs, steep slopes and ledges reaching down to the sea. This limestone was deposited as part of a reef in a tropical sea. Old quarries expose this limestone at the top of the cliff at the northern side of the head and it was rock from these quarries that was used to build the Napoleonic fortifications that are still well preserved at Berry Head.
