Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
FIG
86.
Aerial view eastwards from Elwill Bay towards Foreland Point (Fig. 81,
a5
),
showing cliffs with south-dipping strata and hog's-back profiles. (Copyright Dae Sasitorn
& Adrian Warren/www.lastrefuge.co.uk)
Lynton and Lynmouth (
a6
) are twin villages, with Lynton situated on the Exmoor
upland some 200 m above Lynmouth, which sits at the head of the deeply incised val-
ley of the Lyn. Lynmouth made headlines in 1952, when heavy rains on Exmoor led to
a massive flood, sweeping away many houses in the valley floor and sadly killing 34
people. A similar flash flood at Boscastle (Area 2) in 2004 fortunately did not kill any
people, but again illustrates the danger of flooding in the deeply incised young valleys
of the northern coast of the Southwest.
The Valley of the Rocks, just west of Lynton, is a further striking example of an
old, uplifted landscape under attack from active coastal erosion (Fig. 88). This 'dry
valley' contains remarkable weathered Devonian sandstone outcrops, with names like
Castle Rock, Rugged Jack and the Devil's Cheesewring. At its lower (western) end,
the valley turns towards the sea, and is then abruptly truncated by the actively eroding
coastal cliff. The valley was probably last actively evolving during the last (Devensian)
cold phase of the Ice Age, before sea-level rise caused the coast to invade and remove
its lower end.
