Exmoor Coastal Heaths


Exmoor Coastal Heaths is a 1758.3 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Devon and Somerset, notified in 1994.
This site lies within the Exmoor National Park, and contains extensive areas of heathland communities. Associated particularly
with the coastal communities and woods are a wide range of nationally rare and scarce plants. The site comprises four separate blocks centred on Trentishoe, Cosgate Hill, Countisbury and North Hill. There are two nationally rare, endemic whitebeam species which occur in the woodland areas namely Sorbus subcuneata and Sorbus vexans. Several nationally scarce plant species are found within this site; white mullein in its yellow form occurs in fields at the edge of the site, Cornish moneywort beside streams, rock stonecrop on rocky seacliffs and sea storksbill, upright chickweed and bird's-foot clover all in areas of very short turf. A nationally rare butterfly the high brown fritillary occurs on this site.