Bamburgh Coast and Hills facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
| Area of Search | Northumberland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 55°37′01″N 1°43′57″W / 55.616990°N 1.732567°W |
| Interest | Biological and Geological |
| Area | 56.5 hectares (140 acres) |
| Notification | 1954 |
| Location map | DEFRA MAGIC map |
Bamburgh Coast and Hills is a special place in Northumberland, England. It is called a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This means it's protected because of its amazing nature. It has been a protected site since 1954. Here, you can see how a type of molten rock, called the Whin Sill, mixed with older rocks. The sea has worn away parts of the coast. This lets us see the different layers of rock. The special soil from the Whin Sill also helps unique plants grow here.
Discovering the Bamburgh Coast and Hills
This SSSI is on the east coast of Northumberland. It is about 1 mile (1.6 km) north-east of the town of Bamburgh. The site looks a bit like the letter 'T'. One part runs along the beach for about 1 mile (1.6 km). The other part goes inland for about 0.9 miles (1.4 km). This inland part follows a high ridge of land. This ridge is about 60 metres (200 ft) above sea level. It then drops to about 30 metres (100 ft).
Both the coast and the ridge show layers of the Whin Sill. They also show the rocks underneath it. This makes the area a great place to study local geology.
Amazing Rock Layers
The rocks at Bamburgh are quite complex. You can see places where the rocks broke before the Whin Sill pushed its way in. This caused some rock layers to tilt. You can also see where the Whin Sill itself pushed through. Later, more breaks happened in the rocks. These breaks are filled with minerals like carbonate and baryte. It's like a puzzle showing Earth's history!
Unique Plants of the Whin Sill
The Whin Sill is a type of igneous rock. This rock creates a special kind of soil. This soil is thin and can get very dry in summer. But it's perfect for certain plants!
Plants on the Whin Sill Soil
Many interesting plants grow here. These include the wild onion and maiden pink. You can also find common rockrose and meadow oat-grass. Some annual plants grow too. These are plants that live for only one year. Examples are knotted clover and forget-me-nots.
Coastal and Heathland Plants
Near the coast, you'll find plants that love salty air. These include thrift and buck's-horn plantain. In the heath areas, you can see heather and bell heather. Other plants like bitter vetch and devil's-bit scabious also grow here. You might even spot the uncommon mountain everlasting.
Plants Near Freshwater Springs
Some areas have freshwater springs. These wet spots support different plants. You can find common butterwort and grass-of-Parnassus. Marsh lousewort and marsh pennywort also thrive here. The rare seaside centaury is another special plant found in these wet areas.
In 2009 and 2014, the rocks at Bamburgh Coast and Hills were in good condition. However, the plant areas were not doing as well. This was because of plants like gorse growing too much. Also, there wasn't enough planned care for the area.
