Geology and
Tourism
on the South England Coast
“Where Mother Nature has created a
haven, people will flock.”
By Jenny Ripatti
Introduction
The tourism in England
starts with its local and regional geology. Whether it’s naturally made
harbors, coves, or beaches geology has created some of the world’s most
beautiful places along the South coast of England.
People flock to these beautiful, naturally created areas. The harbors, coves,
and beaches have all developed towns with a large tourist industry related to
these magnificent geological features. Geology affects every aspect of tourism
in both good and bad ways. Without the long shore current to carry sand along
the beaches and into the next cove, these locations would not be filled with
people enjoying the sand and the sunshine. Even when Mother Nature only puts a
little sand in a small area the people living there help by adding sand to the
beaches to attract more tourists. Other times natural disaster might have
occurred and where there once was a beach sand has been eroded and needs to be
replaced. In that case the town might pump sand from another source or import
it. Either way between Mother Nature depositing and eroding the sand it is
going to affect the people using the beach. People are drawn to beautiful sandy
beaches. The geological processies along the English
Channel has and is creating gorgeous tourists’ spots. Long shore
current depositing sand in quiet areas creates Beaches. The water continuously
crashing against the cliffs and eroding the softer particles away can make
caves. Coves are being eroded out by the wind and water, sea levels rise and
fall creating different types of natural sites, and different types of land are
being exposed by tectonic activity. Any of these natural geological occurrences
make Mother Nature so appealing to the world traveler.
With so many small, medium, and large
towns along the English coast, how do these places keep up with the market of
today? The biggest marketing that these towns are involved in is being part of
the Jurassic coast world heritage site. The Jurassic coast is a piece of England’s south coastline that starts at
Swanage and ends at Exmouth. The World Heritage site is a site that designates
certain parts of the world to be protected, and preserved. The government funds
it. The Jurassic coast is one of those heritage sites. The geological features
of the south coast of England are extremely important to protect,
and preserve. Its important due to their past history
that lies in the layers of sediment and what those layers can tell people about
the environment’s past and present. The
Jurassic coast world heritage site not only put these locations’ name on a map
but also makes them known worldwide. People come from all over to see the
geological beauty and recreate. The towns rely on the tourist industry for
their economic well being. Beaches as well as shops, restaurants, and pubs draw
vacationers to these locations. Whether
people are interested in culture, history, geology, or just a peaceful vacation
there is always something to see in these destinations. Hundreds of websites
market the towns’ best attributes, brochures are in every travel agency
catching the eyes of visitors looking for a vacation spot, and there are many
books out about the South of England and its amazing places to visit. With some
much advertisement it is no wonder these small, medium, and large towns along
the South coast of England keep up with today’s market and are
thriving.
Information was gathered over a two week period
while traveling the South England coast. The trip
started in Swanage and proceeded to Exmouth, the end of the Jurassic coast. The
purpose of this trip was to evaluate the natural geological setting and how it
led to a series of attractive tourist hot spots. After studying each locations’ geology, information was then gathered and
researched through magazines, books, stores, and locals on the tourism. Below
is a detailed account on the findings of each location starting from the
coastline tourism to the inland tourism.
Coastline Tourism:
Coastline
tourism has advantages over inland tourism because the majority of people
prefer coastal areas rather than inland areas. Some advantages are water
sources such as beaches, harbors, and coves. These places offer many activities
with the water, which is something an inland tourist spot, cannot. Even though,
worldwide, inland areas have lots to offer, the coastline has twice the amount
of tourists. “Organizing a program to develop and market a place requires a thorough
grasp on target markets” (Kotler). There are three main aspects for a town to
focus on for marketing itself, 1) Who are the main
target markets? 2) How does the place market itself? 3) How should the town
market the place to those markets? Also there are two main types of tourist or
visitors such as the business type and the non-business type. Business visitors
will be attracted to those towns that have business meetings, conventions, or
to buy or sell something. Non-business visitors usually are the tourists who
are out to sightsee with family and friends (Kotler).
Swanage
Swanage is located in England
just south east of Dorset with a population of 10,124.
The town started out as a small port and fishing village then later became a
seaside resort. It is known for being one of the largest producers of Purbeck
stone and marble, which was used to build many cathedrals in Europe.
Swanage has a history in quarrying along the cliffs as well. Tourism is the
main industry in Swanage keeping 60% of the town employed and the other 40%
commuting to Poole. Tourism brings in the most revenue
for places like Swanage. It can dwindle if major sites are destroyed or
anchoring businesses and hotels go under (Bangler
Daily News). With many places to sightsee visitors have plenty to keep them
occupied whether its scuba diving, laying on the
beach, hiking, cliff climbing, or visiting the local pubs. The beautiful
beaches formed between headlands, which make them protected from western winds.
Since they are so protected from the winds it creates a calm area for sand to
settle and people enjoying the sand and sunshine. Being part of the Jurassic
Coast, a popular world heritage
site, helps market Swanage to travelers as well as surrounding town locals.
Swanage even has a crater on Mars named after it. Having many different types
of transportation the town makes it easy for visitors to get around by bus, by
car, and/or by train (ICRA). Swanage is also close to more sightseeing areas
such as Ballard Down, Old Harry Rocks, Studland
Bay and Durlston
Country Park.
Old Harry Rocks are coastal landforms
of chalk located at Handfast Point. The rocks are exposed to the English Channel where the Purbeck Hills fall into
the sea. Consisting of islands, arches, stacks, and stumps these formations are
caused by erosion from the chalk. It is known that the sea arch is Old Harry
and that the little stump is Old Harry’s wife. These rocks are part of the
England Chalk Formation that used to be a continuous band of chalk running
though Dorset, Ballard Down, and the Isle of Wight. Old Harry even has a legend that
states the Devil fell asleep on the rocks which is why the Devil is sometimes
called “Old Harry.” The large outcrop at the far end of the cliffs has also
been known as No Mans Land. Old Harry is widely known for its history, legends,
and being around for the last 200 hundred years. Being located near Swanage and
part of the Jurassic Coast world heritage site, Old Harry has
plenty of advertising bringing in people from around the world. One can see Pool Harbour from Old Harry Rocks, a good port
with international ferry tourism routes, beach attractions, and a popular Port
town (Free Encyclopedia Online).
Durlston Country Park is a beautiful 260acre park located
on the south east corner of the Isle of Purbeck and ran by the Dorset County
Council. In this country paradise there are the Tilly Whim Caves, the Great Globe (as known as the Bell), Anvil Point Lighthouse, Bollards,
and the Visitors Center. There is education for adults as
well as children. From the geology to the 500 plus species of plants, 250 plus
species of birds, 34 species of butterfly there is something different to see
around every corner. The trail paths whined along the water creating a peaceful
walkway. It’s no wonder people travel from a far to see this park. Durlston Country Park holds educational talks, provides a
place to volunteer in the summer, and provides a visitors’ center that is full
of information and educational diagrams. About 15,000 students use Durlston Country Park annually as an educational resource.
Many people go to the café or sit out and enjoy a picnic. The Park markets its
self through mostly educational means such as schools, student programs, and
the county council (Webring).
Corfe Castle
Corfe is not just a castle but both a
village and a castle. The medieval castle lies in the middle of one of the
openings in the Purbeck Hills. It is believed that it was once a Roman
defensive site. Corfe Castle has been built, over powered, added
to, and ruined over and over again until 1982 when it became part of Kingston
Lacy and Corfe Castle Estate to the National Trust. After hundreds of years
pieces of the castle to remain which shows just how resistant the Purbeck stone
is. Not only is it worth going to Corfe
to view the Castle but Corfe village is just as much part of the history.
Handmade postcards and gifts are available in souvenir shops as well as locally
made Corfe ice cream, and fudge. There are plenty of places to grab a bite to
eat in Corfe village from sit down dinners to pubs with appetizers. Corfe holds many summer events at the Castle
providing a place where locals can put up food booths and make some money. The
history of Corfe Castle markets Corfe village. Most of the
villagers rely on tourists to make profits in their little shops, pubs, and
restaurants (Isle of Purbeck Homepage).
Durdle Door, Stairwell Cove, and
Lulworth Cove are all relatively near each other. Tourists most likely will
visit all three in the same day because they are so close. The views of all
three are extremely beautiful and perfect for a hot summer day.
Durdle Door, Stairwell Cove, and Lulworth Cove
Durdle Door is worth the hike to get
to due to its amazingly beautiful view. With the limestone arch, the sandy
beach, and the view over the water it can be the most romantic place to be at
sunset. The long shore current has pulled the sand along the coves creating
these wonderful beaches in these tiny eroded away inlets. Eventually all the
mini coves and larger coves will erode enough to merge into one pulling back
the coast line completely. Durdle Door is a very peaceful place to have some
quiet time on the cliff over looking it or going down to the beach itself and
enjoying the water. Visitors are seen climbing the limestone and jumping off
all day. Near Durdle Door is Stairwell Cove.
Stairwell Cove is rockier than Durdle
Door and not as open to the water. The limestone at Stairwell Cove has many
arches and holes in it creating a protective little swimming hole. These wholes
are due to the sea waters eroding the softer parts of the Purbeck limestone and
shale. Tourist on a hot day, love to take a dip and swim to the other side to
see the open waters as well as climb the high limestone cliffs to get a
spectacular view. There is no beach but
big boulders that have broken off and have been eroded from the cliffs. Then
there is Lulworth Cove to the left of Stairwell.
Lulworth Cove is a smooth eroded semi
circle cove full of tourists. The rocky beach is covered all summer long with
tourists and their families. There are shops, ice cream stands, and traveling
information stands all along the path down to the cove. People are even selling
in the open sun with no stands. Kids are running everywhere. Lulworth Cove is a
very family orientated place with big fields for kids to run around and the
water for them to play in. It has boat tours in its great harbor, which is a
safe haven. Lulworth Cove is also a geological landmark nationally. It’s very
convenient for locals to visit. There is even a bus that runs the whole
Jurassic coast that is easy to take to see such beautiful places including
Lulworth Cove. The owners of the shop love the tourists and the advertising
through the Jurassic coast world heritage site because it is the very
foundation for their shops (ICRA).
Isle of Portland, Chesil Beach, West Bay
“The Isle of Portland is a 4 mile
long by 1.5 mile wide limestone island protruding into
the English
Channel.
The island is connected to the mainland by a large pebble tombolo and Chesil Beach” (Free Encyclopedia Online). Tombolo
is a spit that
connects the mainland with an island. The Isle is an important piece of the Jurassic coast World
Heritage Site. High quality limestone is still quarried today and has been used
in British architecture and war memorials. There is a town rumor that with such
demand for the Portland limestone for building stone, gravestones, and
memorials that it will eventually cause the Isle of Portland to be quarried
away down to sea level before 2100. The Isle of Portland brings in tourists
through being apart of the Jurassic coast world heritage site, its great
fishing sites and its history of good building stones available. There is also
a walking path with sculptures everywhere bringing in artist to the Isle of
Portland. The sculptures are gorgeous and unique. The Isle of Portland even has
cities in North America named after it and is used in England’s National
Sailing Academy however its popularity is about to grow when the 2012 Olympics’
sailing events will be in its very own harbor.
This is speculated to bring in millions of more tourists and profits.
West Bay with its high rising cliffs and
sandy beach provides a wonderful day out in the sun. Ice cream parlors, shops,
food and souvenir stands are all around the edge of the beach giving visitors
things to buy and do. It is definitely a fit place for the entire family. The
area is well kept and full of activities, which keeps this little place open
year round (ICRA).
Lyme Regis
(Dinosaurland) and Charmouth
Lyme Regis and Charmouth are famous
for being fossil hunting areas. Many famous fossils have been found in the
area. Today visitors still fossil hunt in these areas.
Lyme Regis lies on the South Coast of
England along the Dorset
and Devon borderline. Also known as “The Pearl
of Dorset,” Lyme Regis is known for its remarkable surroundings, friendly
climate, crafts, outstanding walkways, literary links, and romantic charisma.
The little town is an assortment of spirally streets full of small shops,
galleries, studios, golf courses, cafes, and pubs. Lyme Regis is world famous
for its abundant fossils and popular for its gorgeous environment.
Not only is Lyme Regis full of
entertainment, beauty, and history many people know Lyme Regis for the stone
Cobb which is an enormous harbor wall that has sheltered seafarers for
centuries. The Cobb has been hit and severely destroyed by storms numerous
times. When rebuilt in 1793, it was the first time mortar was used to rebuild
The Cobb. Then it needed to be rebuilt again in 1820 using Portland stone. The
Cobb has even featured in novels by Jane Austen and movies such as the The French Lieutenants’ Women and Persuasion, which have
been great tourists attractions.
Since Lyme Regis lies right on the
coast, there are a number of activities available for locals and tourists.
There is plenty of enjoyment for everyone in Lyme Regis whether its diving,
beach combing, rock pooling, crabbing, deep sea angling, windsurfing, sailing,
surfing, or fossil hunting.
Being one of the major British ports,
Lyme Regis does not have to market itself too much,
the natural surrounding environment markets itself. With some much beauty,
history, and events available in Lyme Regis it is a marketable vacation hot
spot. It has many websites link to its home page as well as being apart of the
World Heritage Site. The online market of Lyme Regis alone is profitable. Even
searching for holiday vacation spots Lyme Regis will be linked. There are many
books and travel guides to purchase. Even though Lyme Regis has only a
population of 3,500 with 45% of which are retired, it brings in the visitors by
the thousands.
Next to Lyme Regis
is Charmouth with its great learning center where they give lectures to educate
people on the surrounding geological sites. The learning center has a few
shops, souvenirs, café, as well as separate rooms for presentations. They get
100,000 plus tourists each year. To become a world heritage site an
organization has a long process of paperwork (up to 8 to 9 years) and sometimes hard to fund. The main
reason local governments fund these world heritage sites are due to the tourist
and the profit they bring into these towns. If the government did not fund
these learning center and world heritage sites to preserve them then it would
be harder to attract people to these sites and businesses would struggle. Also
our history of geology would be ruined and lost forever (CrossFire
IT).
Beer
The place of Beer is thought to be
named after the alcoholic beverage however it really comes from Anglo-Saxon word
“bearu” which means grove. This little heaven thrived
on being a smuggler’s cove and the beer caves provided a great place to hide
the goods. These caves are now a huge attraction in Beer and people from all
around the world want to visit them to hear the wonderful stories of the caves.
The natural form of the coastline allows seafarers to operate when in bad
weather conditions in other towns cannot. In the town of Beer the shops thrive on tourism. When
there are few tourists the main source of income is fishing, smuggling, and
lace production. There is no harbor so boats have to be tied up on a beach. The
company Westward drives tourism vans around marketing the town’s greatest
aspects to visitors. The Beer Caves and the history that go along with
them bring in big groups of people at a time wanting a grand tour of the famous
caves. These caves were man made to quarry the Beer stone and used since the
Roman times to build beautiful cathedrals. This stone was so popular for its
easiness to carve in and its color that turns a smooth khaki in the outside air
(Free Encyclopedia Online).
Seaton
Seaton is well known for the fault,
Seaton fault, where the Triassic in Seaton meets the chalk in Beer. Visitors
have plenty to do with a beautiful beach, kids’ activities, and water
activities everywhere. With both sides blocking the wind by mountains it makes
for a perfect place in the hot summer day. There are beach huts all along the
beach for families to rent out that provides shade for the kiddies as well as a
place for their belongings. These huts are a great attraction to get people to
come to the beach. Not only are the huts making money but they are bringing in
people that are spending money at the shops on the beach.
Sidmouth
Sidmouth has a long narrow beach that
makes for a perfect hot day however when the wind kicks up one must be prepared
for the tiny sand particles flying around. The beach sells little wind and sand
blocker that cost only a few pounds. Not only do these stands protect beach
goers from the wind and sand but they are a good money source for the town. The
cliffs that surround the beach are big and beautiful. There are hollowed out
spots where the wind has eroded the Mercia mudstone out and created perfect
little shallow caves where people sit in the shade and children play safe away
from the water. There is a wonderful man made path along the cliffs for
visitors to graze upon. It allows them to not only see the cliffs but also get
right up to them and see the different layers and how the erosion is taking
place.
Budleigh Salterton
Like most of Englands’ towns along the coast Budleigh
Salterton has a rocky beach with surrounding cliffs and mountains. Budleigh
Salterton’s beach however has medium size rocks instead of small sandy pebbles.
These rocks have been deposited on the beach from the cliffs behind being
eroded away by wind and water. A visitor could see the rocks layered within the
sandstone. Some rocks are sticking half way in the sand and half way out where
eventually that rock will become another rock on the beach. Again like most of England’s towns’ beaches, Budleigh has huts,
ice cream stands, and paths for biking riding. Also, Budleigh has boats that
visitors can rent for the day.
Exmouth
Exmouth was not a huge tourist
attraction but it is famous for being at the end of the Jurassic coast and its
beautiful monument of all the different types of rocks throughout the Jurassic
coast. There is a beach for the vacationers, hikes for the naturists, and the
monument for those that know about the Jurassic coast and what it entails. To
some it might just be a nice monument but to geologist it’s a master piece.
Inland Tourism:
Even
though coastal tourism has a higher tourism percentage, inland tourism is still
thriving. Cities, and small towns known for their
history are the main focus of inland tourists. These inland tourists
locations profit from tourists the same as the coastal locations but using
different tactics. For example, cities demarket the use of automobiles to
increase the profits on their transit systems. This helps promote their
subways, buses, trains, tour rides, and taxis. These transit options are a
major profit for the locations (Kotler).
Bath
Even though Bath is inland it relies primarily on
tourism. Bath’s main tourists’ focus is the famous hot springs. Besides London, Bath is the most visited city for
tourists traveling to the UK. Most of the tourism has to do with
heritage tourism and/or cultural tourism. Tourists explore place from the Roman
Baths, to Bath Abbey and the Royal Crescent, to Thermae
Bath Spa. The Roman Baths are amazing baths fed by three hot springs. Bath is founded on the only naturally
occurring thermal spa in the UK. Since Bath’s tourist industry is extremely big
there are about 300 accommodation places, roughly 100 restaurants, and
relatively high numbers of public houses and pubs. There are tours by buses,
foot, and riverboat available. Tourism is highest around summertime however
there are constantly tourists in Bath all year. Between the history present
and the culture shops, the surrounding city is profiting off the millions of
people traveling through and staying in Bath. Businesses in Bath are growing and succeeding with
sales higher each year. The more Bath is visited the more profits they are
bringing.
Cheddar
Cheddar also is an inland tourist
spot. Cheddar became a known village from its gorge and then got even more
famous for its name when it was given to one of the most popular cheeses, now
called Cheddar cheese. Cheddar is also known for its amazing strawberries which
halls strawberries to surrounding areas including London. Cheddar Gorge is one of the largest
gorges in England as well as the popular Cheddar
caves. For a small village, Cheddar has so much to offer a visitor. Visitors can tour the cheese factory for a
small fee. Allows a tourist to see how cheese was made in the past relative to
how it is made in the present. After the tour there is every kind of cheese
Cheddar has to offer for tasting as well as crackers and jellies. This is one
of tourist favorite things to do is get cheese straight from the village of Cheddar. Just the famous cheese name alone
brings in hundreds of people annually (Free Encyclopedia Online).
Conclusion
Mother
Nature has created so many beautiful places in England to visit and the geology is the key
to the number of tourists in each place. It helps promote certain places for
certain reasons therefore Mother Nature is picking these tourist hot spots
rather than people. Sometimes a traveler will come across a man made beach or
man made harbor but it was Mother Nature who first create a little cove or a
protected side of the mountain from the wind to allow the sand to stay put.
Either way the geology of the land will always affect tourists’ hot spots.
Besides being affected by the geology of the land these places are also
protected because of their geology of the land by the Jurassic coast world
heritage site. Not only is part of the coastline protected but the site also
helps promote these places of geological history to people for vacations. It
could be the history that brings visitors in, the culture, or just a naturally
beautiful place to visit either way these locations as mentioned above, have
many things to offer a tourist due to its geology.
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