Birling Gap Sussex after winter storms erosion

the falls seem quite localised as the face is made up of different materiels, that nearest the cottages/cafe seems to have a lot of soil mixed in with the chalk which i assume is what makes it more prone to collapsing..

Indeed, a bod from National Trust was on local news last week, and he confirmed that local geology makes Birling Gap particularly prone to erosion, as compared to the adjacent cliffs. This winter saw Birling Gap eroded by the same amount as would normally be lost over seven winters, so a fairly substantial loss, and no doubt more will fall as the waves continue to undercut the foot of the cliff over next few months too…

As for standing too close to the edge, being locals we regularly walk along the Seven Sisters and over Seaford Head, and yes, it gives me the w1ll1es to see just how close people get to the edge, even when there are obvious signs of erosion (large cracks in the grass, and “sinking” of the areas of the surface close to the cliff edge etc)…. and it is clear that many visitors to the area have no idea how high the risk of a sudden fall is….or how badly the cliffs have sufferrd this last winter….. and as for the idiots who choose to sit right on the lip with legs dangling over the 90 foot drop….

I am suprised no-one has said the whole of the cliff should be fenced off given the litigious nature of modern society…..personally I’d like to see it left unfenced, and let “natural selection” sort things out :highly_amused:

…(like sitting next to the black box on an aircraft 🙂 )…

Yep – sure saved that poor blighter on that Malaysian airliner.

The sign seems to be hanging on – must be a good place to stand (like sitting next to the black box on an aircraft 🙂 ) although there were some cracks in the surface quite close by…

the falls seem quite localised as the face is made up of different materiels, that nearest the cottages/cafe seems to have a lot of soil mixed in with the chalk which i assume is what makes it more prone to collapsing..

They are testing to see if they are immortal, and so far so good…

I was there briefly last week and there still were dipsticks standing right on the edge of the cliff where the recent big fall was – Dumb or what ??

It a bit of a stupid sign isn’t it, it’s not as if you would miss the fact the UK stops a foot further on… And surely it should be in every language under the Sun these days, along with Braille

That Cliff Edge sign looks fairly permanent… Has the edge there not suffered erosion too?

we were there last weekend and they’d just finished the demolition of the end cottage…

2014-04-10 015 by GUZZINEIL, on Flickr

2014-04-10 006 by GUZZINEIL, on Flickr

popped up to Beachy Head whilst we were down that way and had a look at the Bomber Command memorial
2014-04-10 026 by GUZZINEIL, on Flickr

Darn sarf, like Westwood Ho, North Devon. All may not be what it appears. From a well informed source!! and who am I to doubt? this nugget is most probably 18 carat, so not natural gold but more likely smelted jewellery. Could well have fallen from the pocket of a publicity seeker. Then again it could be Burma. Oh no that’s a different thread. Local press has gone very quiet!

No police? It is not to be expected that a member of the public should have to guard a suspect item of ordnance – if for no other reason than they might do something stupid, like pick it up or take it home. Worse still walk off (because they have something better to do) to leave it for someone else to find…

Gwithian Beach,(Cornwall), yesterday, a man walking along the beach, found a Hand Grenade, (Unexploded) He called out the appropriate Service at 14.30. after a fair time, he couldnt wait any longer, so he PICKED IT UP, and put it under a sand dune, and covered it with a sandbag. at 18.30 or thereabouts, the BDS lads turned up, and blew the grenade up.
Was the man who found it, a Pillock or what?.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Seen a fair few people walking the beaches recently with metal detectors, maybe I should get one and put my camera down for a bit next time I’m at the coast.

I do a spot of metal detecting at times, and take a magazine for such. Some lucky s*b was using his detector on a beach Dahn Sarf, after the recent storms, and he found a gold nugget. It would seem, that the nugget is worth several thousand pounds.So a little bit of luck went to him, as opposed to the bad fortunes of others, who were hit hard.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

I see Martin, that there appears to be a Sea Defence wall in the Sea. Do you know if this has been washed away, or can it be seen on a Low Spring Tide?.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

I have never noticed any signs of an old sea defences on any of my visits, so to be honest I am not sure.

Cottage nearest the edge is being pulled down now

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2584571/Work-starts-demolish-former-coastguards-cottage-left-just-SIX-INCHES-cliff-edge-months-storms.html

IIRC there were breakwaters some 50+ years ago. My Dad was born in Southease (a village just up river (the real River Ouse) from Newhaven). We visited occasionally in the mid 60’s when Dad got his first car. Shear luxury! The beach used to show up many WWII aircraft bits, spark plugs, cylinder heads etc. Of course we never took anything home with us! :dev2:

The 7 sisters are absolutely amazing and having seen them from close quarters over the years (Chipmunk, Hercules and Chinook). The Humber Spit was always a navigation point on returning to Leconfield after a joy ride in a Lightning T Bird.

The pictures of change bring home the power of the seas. I personally am sad to see such change but perhaps (unless someone else can tell us different) we should just let nature balance the books and do her own thing.

What an incredible rate of loss

This link shows Birling gap 100 years ago, red shaded area shows whats eroded away in that time.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BgV-bC8CYAABTrj.jpg:large

I see Martin, that there appears to be a Sea Defence wall in the Sea. Do you know if this has been washed away, or can it be seen on a Low Spring Tide?.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Crikey!! That’s astonishing!

This link shows Birling gap 100 years ago, red shaded area shows whats eroded away in that time.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BgV-bC8CYAABTrj.jpg:large

If it’s like Filey, Gary, quite some way away. They even had to move a large Lighthouse further inland a few yrs ago, due to the erosion.
Spurn point, where I used to go Sea Angling, has had it’s approach road washed away, and the Humber Pilots, now leave from Grimsby, as do the RNLI, Spurn point has, on Charts, significantly altered. I can’t see why they don’t sink old ships offshore, to help break up the waves during a storm. Thats what they do in Aus.
Jim.
Lincoln .7