Bulverhythe Beach

view of Bulverhythe Beach
View from Galley Hill

This part of the Combe Valley Countryside Park is an area of vegetated shingle backed, at the western end, by low sandstone cliffs. It has been designated an SNCI (Site of Nature Conservation Interest) due to its ecological and geomorphological importance. Although fairly common in parts of Britain, vegetated shingle is a globally rare and threatened habitat.

Vegetated shingle occurs on relatively stable beaches where there is a flow of fresh water through the shingle, sufficient to support the plants that are hardy enough to grow in this harsh environment. Shingle vegetation also increases the stability of beaches and limits sedimentary movement, helping to protect our homes, businesses and other environmental interests from flooding and coastal erosion.

Other important features include the wreck of the Amsterdam (designated and protected under the Protection of Wrecks Act, 1973), as well as remnants of a submerged prehistoric forest, both of which can be seen at low tide.

Hotentot fig
Hottentot Fig

The area supports a range of shingle plants including:

Orache Atriplex spp.,
Sea Beet Beta vulgaris
Sea-kale Crambe maritima,
Bittersweet Solanum dulcamara,
Stonecrop Sedum spp.,
Yellow Horned-poppy Glaucium flavum,
Curled Dock Rumex crispus ssp. littoreus,
Buck’s-horn Plantain Plantago coronopus,
Sticky Groundsel Senecio viscosus,
Tree Mallow Lavatera arborea,
Sea Radish Raphanus raphanistrum ssp. maritimus,
mosses and grasses, crustose, foliose and fruiticose lichens.

Other species found at the site include Common Ragwort Senecio jacobaea, and Brambles Rubus spp.

Note that Bittersweet, also known as Woody Nightshade, has red berries that are highly poisonous.

Turnstone
Turnstones can be seen all year

Flocks of Turnstones can often be seen, sometimes accompanied by Purple Sandpipers.

The sandstone cliffs are home to solitary bees and wasps in springtime and you can also find the Green Tiger Beetle.

Galley hill is a good vantage point from which seals can sometimes be spotted. If you are really lucky you may also see a Harbour Porpoise or Bottlenose Dolphin.

Footpaths - 1 July

Most paths are now very dry although the warm, wet weather has encouraged lots of growth leading to some paths being a bit overgrown.

Report overgrown rights of way to East Sussex and other paths to the Friends of Combe Valley.

Latest News

Jersey Tigers

This month has seen an unusual number of Jersey Tiger moths along the South coast. They are usually a scarce migrant.

New on this website

August 2023 - a set of new pages describing some of the more common flowering plants has been added to the "Wildlife" section of the site.