Peppercombe
Peppercombe is a small valley (combe) on the north-western coast of Devon, England. It is situated on the South West Coast Path between Westward Ho! to the north and Bucks Mills to the west. There is also a path descending from Horns Cross on the A39. The seaward section of Peppercombe is at the eastern end of the Hobby to Peppercombe Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI),[1] while the coast to north-east is part of the Mermaid's Pool to Rowden Gut SSSI.
Geology
A noticeable feature of the sea cliffs at Peppercombe is their red colour, contrasting with the grey and brown of the surrounding areas. Whereas the rocks of the wider area form part of the Bude Formation of the Upper Carboniferous, those in the Peppercombe outlier, which extends for 2 km inland, are of a later, presumably Permian age. They consist of breccias with scattered calcareous bands and nodules, with occasional beds of sand and sandstone.[2] This outlier is thought to be a remnant of the New Red Sandstone that formerly covered a much larger part of Devon, having been eroded away in geological times.[3] This has a much more extensive outcrop in south-eastern Devon. It is thought that these rocks are derived from sediment deposited by rainstorm floods in an otherwise dry desert area situated on the fringes of a rugged highland.[4]
Peppercombe Castle
Peppercombe Castle is an Iron Age Hill fort situated on cliffs to the East of Bucks Mills in North Devon. The remains of the fort are hard to define from maps and it may well be that much of the site has been lost to coastal erosion, but it would seem to have been at around 80 m above sea level.[5]
References
- ↑ See for details of the Hobby to Peppercombe SSSI.
- ↑ Edmonds, Williams & Taylor 1979, pp. 66–68.
- ↑ Pengelly 1866, pp. 49, 55–56, 58, cf. Laming 1982, p. 150.
- ↑ Laming 1982, pp. 148, 157.
- ↑ R.R.Sellman; Aspects of Devon History, Devon Books 1985 - ISBN 0-86114-756-1 - Chapter 2; The Iron Age in Devon. Map Page 11 of Iron Age hill forts in Devon includes Peppercombe.
Bibliography
- Edmonds, E. A.; Williams, B. J.; Taylor, R. T. (1979). Geology of Bideford and Lundy Island: memoir for 1:50000 geological sheet 292, new series, with sheets 275, 276, 291 and part of sheet 308. London: Institute of Geological Sciences. ISBN 978-0-11-884120-7.
- Laming, D.J.C. (1982). "The New Red Sandstone". In Durrance, E.M.; Laming, D.J.C. The geology of Devon. Exeter University. pp. 148–78. ISBN 978-0-85989-247-6.
- Pengelly, William (1866). "The Triassic Outliers of Devonshire". Transactions of the Devonshire Association for the Advancement of Science, Literature and Art. 1 (5): 49–59.
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External links
- Peppercombe at Devon Perspectives
Coordinates: 50°59′35″N 4°18′32″W / 50.993°N 4.309°W