Durham Coast NNR
The reserve comprises five parcels of land on the Durham Coast. The majority of the reserve centres on Blackhall Rocks and lies between the mouth of the Dene river and the mouth of Crimdon Beck.
County: Durham
Main habitats: Coastal, Lowland Grassland
Area: 62 Ha
Site map: Nature on the Map
.
Although most NNRs are managed by Natural England, 88 are wholly or partly managed by other bodies approved by Council, under Section 35 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Parts of the Durham Coast reserve are managed by the Durham County Council, the Easington District Council and the Durham Wildlife Trust.
The reserve is part of the wider Durham Heritage Coast area.
The area is noted for its striking geological features, the local magnesian limestone and boulder clay supporting grassland that is home to numerous wild flowers and butterflies. The area is also home to many birds and supports an important breeding population of little terns.
Spring and summer are the best times to visit for flowers and invertebrates, while winter is best for bird life.
How to get there
The A1086 runs parallel to the coast, often less than one km from the shore. By car, access to the reserve is via minor roads and tracks from the A1086. There are a number of car parks within the reserve.
The nearest train station is in Hartlepool (five km to the south). Regular bus services from Hartlepool to Sunderland via the A1086 are provided by Arriva.
A trail, the Durham Coast Path, allows access to the reserve along its entire length. To download a booklet describing the coastal footpath click here.
The reserve is also close to Route 14 of the Sustrans National Cycle Network.
Accommodation
There are two camping and caravan sites at the southern end of the reserve. For details of other accommodation in the area go to the This is Durham website.
What to see
Geology: the Durham coastline comprises striking limestone cliffs, headlands and beaches. Glacial meltwaters have carved out gills and denes along its length. East Durham is famed for its magnesian limestone, which was laid down in shallow tropical seas over 250 million years. For the most part the limestone is over-capped with boulder clay deposits.
Grasslands: the magnesian limestone grasslands support plants such as bloody crane's-bill, primrose and quaking grass. Wetter areas are home to the rare bird's-eye primrose and round-leaved wintergreen. The grasslands are also noted for their insect life. Two national rarities, the Durham argus butterfly and the day-flying least minor moth both feed on the common rock rose, which thrives on the limestone. Other moth species seen here include the northern brown argus, cistus forrester, purple barred, and chalk carpet.
Where the overlying clay soils are thicker and dilute the effect of the underlying limestone, species rich neutral grassland thrives. Sand dune flora adds to the diversity of the reserve, with this habitat supporting nationally scarce species such as sea barley and burnt orchid.
Birds: these are another notable feature of the reserve. There is an important site for breeding little tern at Crimdon, and large numbers of wintering purple sandpiper feed on the foreshore. Sanderling, turnstone and knot also use the site for feeding and roosting in winter.
Management
In the past the Durham Coast has been disturbed by a century of colliery waste dumping on the cliff tops and beaches. This stopped with the closure of the coal pits in the early 1990s and the action of the sea has done much to restore the spoil-covered beaches. Today the main threats to the reserve are coastal erosion and scrub invasion of the cliff-top grasslands.
To maintain the flora and fauna of this remarkable coastline, encroaching scrub, tall herbs and bracken are actively managed.
A regeneration project called 'Turning the Tide' secured a buffer strip along much of the coastline in the 1990s, turning arable fields to grassland. As well as providing protection against fertiliser run-off, the hope is that the limestone flora will eventually colonise this strip so, as the cliff edge erodes back, the grassland will persist.
