Coastal Walls and Promenades

Coast, History

Visitors to the peninsula may have noticed these walls which run south along the coast from Loftus Hall. While today they are mostly washed away through coastal erosion they can still be seen in places. One might wonder if these were simply a method to prevent coastal erosion or if there was some other purpose…

The discarded outer shells of the sea potato

Sea Potatoes

Sealife

These delicate white objects can sometimes be seen washed up on sandy beaches. These are the shells, or tests, of the Sea Potato (Echinocardium cordatum). This member of the sea urchin family like to bury itself in sandy beaches well below the low tide mark and is common to all coasts around the UK and…

A periwinkle in the foreground with a trail stretching into the background.

Periwinkle goes for a walk

Shells, Wildlife

Wait for me! A common Periwinkle makes its way down to the tide on Dollar Bay and leaves quite an impressive trail as it does so. They don’t normally wander too far from their habitats but in order to lay their eggs, they must make this long, arduous trek (in snail-pace terms anyway!)

A fish poking it's head out from cover in a rock pool

Common Blenny

Fish, Wildlife

Have you ever peered into a rock pool and seen this looking back. The Common Blenny or Shanny is one of our more common rock-pool fishes. Up to 10cm long, it is usually Brown/Green in colour with darker blotches (males turn Black with a white mouth in the breeding season). Once the female has laid…