The Heritage Coast of the Vale of Glamorgan
by Roger Lewis LRPS

Prior to industrialisation this coastline extended well into Swansea Bay with the limestone cliffs giving way to an extensive complex of sand dunes. All that remains of the sand dunes today which are of any real interest to the naturalist or photographer are those at Merthyr Mawr and Kenfig Burrows, the rest having being taken up by the vast steelworks at Port Talbot and the urbanisation of the lower Swansea Valley. The last remnant is that of Swansea Bay as it sweeps across into the Carboniferous Limestone of Gower at Mumbles Head.

The coastal Vale of Glamorgan itself is an area of low, undulating farmland with a history that goes back to the time of the Norman Conquest. It suffered, as did all agricultural land, under enclosure and the denuding of woodland. The landscape today is open punctuated only by wind swept trees and walls made from local limestone.

The geological history of south Wales is almost inextricably linked with that of the coalfield and the consequence of that industry led to a landscape, which is only now being returned to a state where nature can survive. The Heritage Coast was very much overlooked by anyone other than those with a specific interest in it until it was realised that the conservation of our geological and geomorphologic environment was just as important as the conservation of our flora and fauna.

The coastline reveals a fascinating geological succession and illustrates a period when the coastline and environment were completely different to what they are today. Reptiles such as Ichthyosaurus communis (above), a marine predator, swam in a tropical sea as ‘South Wales’ at that time was very much closer to the equator than it is now and the Atlantic Ocean was yet to be born. Yet in addition to the extinct ammonites and trilobites that roamed these seas the coast exhibits some of the ancient earth movements and more latterly the scars of the Ice Age. These shaped the land we now live in leaving us with, in the case of the Heritage Coast, hanging valleys and streams occupying valleys that are far too large for their present capacity.

This story begins some 350 million years ago in a land where corals and creatures with shells lived in warm, shallow tropical seas. It was the remains of these creatures that formed the vast beds of Carboniferous Limestone of South Wales. This environment gave way to swamps and estuaries where immense ferns and mosses grew unchecked. These huge plants eventually fell and were compacted layer upon layer resulting in the beds of the Coal Measures and Millstone Grits, which together with the Carboniferous Limestone are the main deposits of the Carboniferous Period

Following the Carboniferous Period was a period of mountain building, the coastline was subjected to a number of earth movements associated with the movements of the continents and the formation of a super continent, ‘Pangaea’.  ‘Wales’ together with ‘Britain’ was situated near the centre of this great landmass which was located near to what is now the Equator, and was subject to desert conditions not dissimilar to those of present day Saharan Africa. The period between Carboniferous times and the present day coastline was one of considerable erosion and destruction of rocks laid down in the intervening periods. There is no evidence of the younger Cretaceous rocks, which are found in the chalk downs, and cliffs of southern England. We are left with a geological record of marine Lias seas of the later, but younger Jurassic Period in the spectacular cliffs and wave cut platforms along the Heritage Coast.

What we now see in the Heritage Coast is evidence of a sea, advancing and cutting into the rocks that were deposited in the marine environment of the lower Lias of Jurassic times. Limestone is a calcareous sedimentary rock formed mainly of calcium carbonate. Shale is formed when fine-grained clay is compressed by extreme weight. The thicknesses of the shale and limestone bands, which can be easily seen, indicate the sea conditions at the time. The limestone would have been laid down in warm shallow seas and the shale in deeper colder seas. When you look at the cliff face, you can see how the sea levels fluctuated in ancient times. There are however a number of theories how this banding occurred. The limestone is referred to as ‘blue’ Lias and the bands of softer shale between the limestones aid their instability. It is this shale, which the sea attacks leaving a ‘gap’ between the strata resulting in a weakness and subsequent collapse of the cliff face onto the beach below. The erosion is then primarily from the sea i.e. the bottom of the cliffs are ‘eaten’ away leaving an overhang which eventually becomes so heavy that it collapses onto the beach .It is this instability which makes the coastline  dangerous to the unwary.  ‘This Coastline can be Dangerous - Avoid the Rock Faces’  There are many warning notices, which advise visitors to keep away from the unstable cliff edges and bases - however, with common sense it can provide a feast of photographic opportunities. I would suggest that one restricts oneself to the easily accessible areas.

My favourite area is the storm beach at Southerndown (pictured above). It is easily reached by car; there is a car park alongside the beach and a tarmac pathway to the headland from where spectacular views of the coast can be seen.

In my experience, the best time of year to photograph the coast is during the Spring and Autumn. Summer tends to be too crowded with holidaymakers and more importantly, the sun is at the wrong angle to allow any really stunning images with the coast being south facing. Similarly, evening will always provide you with the best light as it fills the rock faces and highlights the natural features of the landscape.

The beach consists of pebbles, sand and large angular blocks which have fallen from the cliffs and on the eastern edge there are examples of Hercynian  earth movements , some 200 million years ago and some evidence of folding which is contemporary with European Alpine folding of some 50 million years ago. These can be seen from the beach at low tide on the outcrop known as ‘Trwyn y Witch’ the Witch’s Nose. It is obvious where the name comes from when you see it.

From the headland, which can be reached from the car park by following a tarmac path, there are spectacular views of the cliffs, hanging valleys and wave cut platforms. The rocks vary in colour according to the sunlight but if you are lucky, you will see varying hues of yellow, which are rich and saturated. The informal walled garden at Dunraven is a haven for butterflies, in season, and probably the most famous inhabitants of this coastline are Chough together with Peregrine, Merlin, Hobby, Buzzard and in the winter, the estuary at Ogmore by Sea holds many winter migrants.

Living on the coast gives one the opportunity to photograph a wide range of flora and fauna in addition to the rocks and landforms of the landscape itself. The sand dunes are rich in flora and the animals of the coastal Vale include such rarities as the Adder, Vipera berus, and the Polecat, Mustela putorius, Wales being one of the last strongholds of this fascinating little creature.

I favour two lenses, a 20-35mm f2.8 zoom and a 105mm macro lens. These I find cover most eventualities that come my way. I use a tripod when I can but it is not always possible. I always shoot in raw and like to compose in the camera, so that there is minimal post processing involved.