Beachy Head can be reached as part of a demanding walk across
the Chalk Downland or for the less able bodied, parking nearby and
enjoying the views and an ice cream!
Beachy Head is a Chalk Headland on the South Coast of the UK. It
is located in the County of Sussex immediately West of the town of
Eastbourne.
The Cliffs are the highest coastal chalk cliffs in the UK and
offer excellent views in all directions. The chalk itself was
formed 65 - 100 million years ago, the cliffs themselves were then
created during the last ice age when the rising sea levels gave
birth to the English channel which borders their South face.
Chalk land is built up in layers interspersed with flint layers
and it is this structure that allows the relatively quick erosion
of the land. At the base of the sea cliffs the English Channel
crashes into them and rolls over in barrel like waves. This
constant motion wears away the foot of the cliffs causing the face
to be constantly undermined. The ongoing effect of this erosion
action causes both small rock falls and more dramatic but less
common slab failures.
The many pictures of Beachy Head, often taken from the nearby
Seven Sisters with the lighthouse in the background, also owe their
gleaming white brilliance of the chalk faces to this constant
wearing away of the chalk.
Historically Beachy Head’s name first appears as
'Beauchef' in 1274 but by 1724 had changed to ‘Beachy
Head’. Despite the obvious link, the name Beachy Head has
nothing to do with the beach and is drawn from the French term
meaning "beautiful headland".
The edge of the cliff is generally well fenced, but armed as you
are now with the knowledge of the erosion process, be wary of
getting too close!
In order to claim this Earthcache there are 3 tasks involving
research and a visit to the site, the first 2 are questions;
1) In what period was the chalk of Beachy Head formed?
2) To what height do the cliffs rise above sea level?
3) You must also take a picture of either your windswept eager
face or your GPS at the info board at the published cache cords to
be uploaded with your log.
