Windswept Tree
This tree is on Brean Down which is a promontory off the coast of Somerset standing 320 feet (98 m) high and extending 1.5 miles (2 km) into the Bristol Channel at the eastern end of Bridgwater Bay between Weston-super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea.
Made of carboniferous limestone, it is a continuation of the Mendip Hills, and two further continuations are the small islands of Steep Holm and Flat Holm.
It is now owned by the National Trust, and is rich in wildlife, history and archaeology. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. There are steep cliffs and, at its seaward point, a Brean Down Fort built in 1865 and then re-armed in the Second World War.
The nationally rare White Rock-rose (Helianthemum appenninum) is a common species at the site, occurring in abundance on the upper reaches of the grassy south-facing slopes. Some of the broomrapes growing here which were originally thought to be Oxtongue Broomrape (Orobanche artemisiae-campestriae) are now no longer believed to be this species, but atypical specimens of Ivy Broomrape (O. hederae)
Other plants on the southern slopes include the Somerset Hair Grass, wild thyme, Horseshoe Vetch and birds-foot-trefoil. The northern side is dominated by Bracken, bramble, privet, hawthorn, cowslips and bell heather.
The birds seen on Brean Down include Peregrine falcon, jackdaw, kestrel, collared and stock doves, whitethroat, linnet, stonechat, dunnock, rock pipit and — in 2007 - Britain's first and only Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross. There are also several species of butterfly including; Chalkhill blue, Dark Green Fritillary, Meadow Brown, Marbled White, small heath, and common blue.
The area sea beyond is part of Bridgwater Bay which is on the Bristol Channel, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of Bridgwater in Somerset, England at the mouth of the River Parrett and the end of the River Parrett Trail. It consists of large areas of mud flats, saltmarsh, sandflats and shingle ridges, some of which are vegetated. It has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1989,[1] and is designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. The risks to wildlife are highlighted in the local Oil Spill Contingency Plan.
In addition to the rivers, Parrett, Brue and Washford several of the man-made drainage ditches, including the River Huntspill, from the Somerset Levels, including the "Pawlett Hams", also drain into the bay.
Brean Down marks the eastern end of the bay.
On the far shore the coastal town of Burnham-on-Sea can be seen. It is a town in Somerset, England, at the mouth of the River Parrett and Bridgwater Bay. Burnham was a small village until the late 18th century, when it began to grow because of its popularity as a seaside resort. It forms part of the parish of Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge and shares a town council with its neighbouring market town of Highbridge. According to the 2011 census the population of the parish (i.e. including Highbridge) was 19,576, of which the populations of the wards of Burnham Central and Burnham North, which made up most of the town, totalled 13,601.
The position of the town on the edge of the Somerset Levels, where they meet the Bristol Channel, has resulted in a history dominated by land reclamation and sea defences since Roman times. Burnham was seriously affected by the Bristol Channel floods of 1607, with the present curved concrete wall being completed in 1988. There have been many shipwrecks on the Gore Sands, which lie just offshore and can be exposed at low tides. Lighthouses are hence prominent landmarks in the town, with the original lighthouse known as the Round Tower built to replace the light on the top of the 14th century tower of St Andrews Church. The 110 feet (34 m) pillar or High Lighthouse and the low wooden pile lighthouse or Lighthouse on legs on the beach were built to replace it. The town's first lifeboat was provided in 1836 by the Corporation of Bridgwater.
A stone pier was built in 1858 by the Somerset Central Railway. Soon afterwards, in 1860, a steamer service to Wales was inaugurated, but it was never a commercial success, and ended in 1888. Burnham-on-Sea railway station was the terminus of the Burnham branch of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. It opened in 1858, closed to scheduled passenger traffic in 1951, and stopped being used for excursions in 1962. The former Great Western Railway station is now known as Highbridge and Burnham. A second pier, built of concrete between 1911 and 1914, is claimed to be the shortest pier in Britain.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brean_Down
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgwater_Bay
Windswept Tree
This tree is on Brean Down which is a promontory off the coast of Somerset standing 320 feet (98 m) high and extending 1.5 miles (2 km) into the Bristol Channel at the eastern end of Bridgwater Bay between Weston-super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea.
Made of carboniferous limestone, it is a continuation of the Mendip Hills, and two further continuations are the small islands of Steep Holm and Flat Holm.
It is now owned by the National Trust, and is rich in wildlife, history and archaeology. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. There are steep cliffs and, at its seaward point, a Brean Down Fort built in 1865 and then re-armed in the Second World War.
The nationally rare White Rock-rose (Helianthemum appenninum) is a common species at the site, occurring in abundance on the upper reaches of the grassy south-facing slopes. Some of the broomrapes growing here which were originally thought to be Oxtongue Broomrape (Orobanche artemisiae-campestriae) are now no longer believed to be this species, but atypical specimens of Ivy Broomrape (O. hederae)
Other plants on the southern slopes include the Somerset Hair Grass, wild thyme, Horseshoe Vetch and birds-foot-trefoil. The northern side is dominated by Bracken, bramble, privet, hawthorn, cowslips and bell heather.
The birds seen on Brean Down include Peregrine falcon, jackdaw, kestrel, collared and stock doves, whitethroat, linnet, stonechat, dunnock, rock pipit and — in 2007 - Britain's first and only Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross. There are also several species of butterfly including; Chalkhill blue, Dark Green Fritillary, Meadow Brown, Marbled White, small heath, and common blue.
The area sea beyond is part of Bridgwater Bay which is on the Bristol Channel, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of Bridgwater in Somerset, England at the mouth of the River Parrett and the end of the River Parrett Trail. It consists of large areas of mud flats, saltmarsh, sandflats and shingle ridges, some of which are vegetated. It has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1989,[1] and is designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. The risks to wildlife are highlighted in the local Oil Spill Contingency Plan.
In addition to the rivers, Parrett, Brue and Washford several of the man-made drainage ditches, including the River Huntspill, from the Somerset Levels, including the "Pawlett Hams", also drain into the bay.
Brean Down marks the eastern end of the bay.
On the far shore the coastal town of Burnham-on-Sea can be seen. It is a town in Somerset, England, at the mouth of the River Parrett and Bridgwater Bay. Burnham was a small village until the late 18th century, when it began to grow because of its popularity as a seaside resort. It forms part of the parish of Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge and shares a town council with its neighbouring market town of Highbridge. According to the 2011 census the population of the parish (i.e. including Highbridge) was 19,576, of which the populations of the wards of Burnham Central and Burnham North, which made up most of the town, totalled 13,601.
The position of the town on the edge of the Somerset Levels, where they meet the Bristol Channel, has resulted in a history dominated by land reclamation and sea defences since Roman times. Burnham was seriously affected by the Bristol Channel floods of 1607, with the present curved concrete wall being completed in 1988. There have been many shipwrecks on the Gore Sands, which lie just offshore and can be exposed at low tides. Lighthouses are hence prominent landmarks in the town, with the original lighthouse known as the Round Tower built to replace the light on the top of the 14th century tower of St Andrews Church. The 110 feet (34 m) pillar or High Lighthouse and the low wooden pile lighthouse or Lighthouse on legs on the beach were built to replace it. The town's first lifeboat was provided in 1836 by the Corporation of Bridgwater.
A stone pier was built in 1858 by the Somerset Central Railway. Soon afterwards, in 1860, a steamer service to Wales was inaugurated, but it was never a commercial success, and ended in 1888. Burnham-on-Sea railway station was the terminus of the Burnham branch of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. It opened in 1858, closed to scheduled passenger traffic in 1951, and stopped being used for excursions in 1962. The former Great Western Railway station is now known as Highbridge and Burnham. A second pier, built of concrete between 1911 and 1914, is claimed to be the shortest pier in Britain.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brean_Down
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgwater_Bay