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Southwick Coast Dalbeattie Dumfries & Galloway |
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| Habitat: Ancient oakwood on seacliffs, fen, saltmarsh. Wildfowl on Solway Firth. |
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| Description: Southwick Coast reserve is a narrow strip of land sandwiched between the A710 and the sea. The two features that dominate the reserve – wooded cliffs rising to over 40m, and an area of saltmarsh – combine to make this an exceptionally attractive stretch of coastline. Heughwood, an oakwood with a well developed understory including holly, covers much of the steep cliffs. The prescence of early-purple orchids in the wood’s ground cover is clear proof of its longevity. The salt marsh attracts large numbers of greylag, pink-footed and barnacle geese, and ducks and waders that flock to the inner Solway Firth in winter. |
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| Important for: Birds, Flowers Best time to visit: May-July: Plants Ocxtober-March: Wildflower |
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| Points of interest: A natural rock arch ‘The Needle’s Eye’ and a stack ‘Lot’s Wife’ were formed by the action of ancient seas. The geological importance of the site has led to it being mentioned in the Geological Conservation Review. The salt marsh or ‘merse’ is criss-crossed by numerous shallow creeks and gulleys and carries beds of reeds, sea club-rush and sea lavender. |
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| To help you locate the reserve, click here for the map
website www.streetmap.co.uk
(Search for Landranger grid reference: NX910558 - the zoom button is below map to the right)  print page
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| Getting there: The reserve lies to the South of the A710 Solway Coast Scenic route between Caulkerbrush and Sandyhills Bay. Open access. Entry to the reserve is through a gate located at the A710, which leads down through Heugh Wood to the Needle's Eye (NX 910560), and out onto the saltmarsh. Access to the meadow is through a separate gate at the main entrance which leads up into the meadow. The main path leading through Heugh Wood, onto the saltmarsh is a public right of way. |
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