Southerndown

Southerndown beach on theBristol Channelcoast

Cliffs on the Glamorgan Heritage Coast south of Dunraven Park.

The strata of Southerndown beach

Southerndownis a village in theVale of Glamorgan,in southWales.It is southwest ofBridgend,and within theSt Brides Major community,close toLlantwit MajorandOgmore-by-Sea.It is mostly known for its beach which backs Dunraven Bay (Welsh:Bae Dwnrhefn), which is a popular tourist destination during the summer months and since 1972 has been part of aHeritage Coastand is part of theSoutherndown CoastSSSI.When the tide is out there is an expanse of sand and pools. The cliffs are an obvious example ofsedimentary rock.

Beach

As Southerndown, along with nearbyOgmore-by-Sea,is a west-facing beach (and hence on the Atlantic coast), off-shore winds usually generate much good-quality surf, helped by the warming effects of theGulf Stream.

A larger rocky shore platform and beach to the southeast is separated by a headland on which are the remains ofDunraven Castle(Welsh: Castell Dwnrhefn). This beach is lesser used for inconvenience and severing of its land link — it has access by steep steps that reach the beach/sea away from the cliffs which has led to people having to wait for the tide to change athigh tide.It stretches toNash PointnearLlantwit Major.

It has been used in the occasional TV production, including onDoctor Who:as Bad Wolf Bay in "Doomsday"and "Journey's End",as the surface of the alien planet in"The Time of Angels"and"Flesh and Stone",and as the engine room of the ark ship in"Dinosaurs on a Spaceship".It also appeared inMerlinin the first-season episode 'The Labyrinth of Gedref' and inSherlockduring the fourth-season episode 'The Final Problem'. It was also featured in theBob DylanfilmHearts of Fire,with Dylan looking out over the second beach down ontoRupert Everett.

During the summer, Southerndown Lifesaving Club use the beach as opposed to St Donat's Castle.

Adjoining isSoutherndown Golf Club.

Geology of Southerndown and Dunraven Bay

Rugose coral fossils found in rocks on the Southerndown Coast

All the rocks exposed in the area of Southerndown are sedimentary rocks. They were laid down as deposits of mud, silt, sand and lime (calcium-rich deposits from shells and bones) that, over long periods of time, were compacted and solidified into limestone, shale (compacted mud) andconglomerate(rock of pebbles of various size).

The oldest rocks are hard, grey, often shelly,Carboniferous Limestone.These were laid down in a warm, shallow sea during the early part of theCarboniferousPeriod when the futureWaleslay on or near the equator. Continental drift and earthquakes folded and fractured the Earth's crust, and during the next 100 million years the rocks suffered extensive erosion. The movements left the upfolded Carboniferous Limestone as high ground, the slopes and cliffs of theVale of Glamorgan.

During the earlyJurassicPeriod, a shallow sea spread northwards over the land. As the water deepened the higher areas became islands before finally being inundated. Water depth influenced the kinds of sediments that were deposited. Rocks formed close to the shore (Sutton Stone and Southerndown Beds) are strikingly different from theBlue Lias,which was deposited at the same time but farther offshore. Sutton Stone consists of massive, white, conglomeratic limestones with pebbles of blackchert(silica) and Carboniferous Limestone. The overlying Southerndown Beds are blue/grey conglomeratic limestones and limy sandstones with thin shale partings. The Sutton Stone and Southerndown Beds pass laterally into, and are overlain by, the alternating blue-grey limestones and shales of the Blue Lias. The Jurassic rocks are generally rich in fossils. Shells ofbivalves,andammonites,fragments ofcrinoids,coralsand pieces of carbonisedfossil woodare quite common.

During the last 200 million years further earth movements have seen some folding and fracturing of the rocks and, during the relative stasis but higher waters since the end of the lastIce Age,the coastline has in most places resumed a fast pace of erosion, retreating in places by several miles by subaerial and marineerosion.

External links

• BBC South East Wales: Southerndown beach panorama
• BBC South East Wales: Southerndown beach walks
• St Brides Major Southerndown and Ogmore-by-sea community website
• geograph.co.uk: photos of Southerndown and surrounding area
• UK Beach Guide: Dunraven Bay beach information