Slapton Ley
Encyclopedia
Slapton Ley is a lagoon
on the south coast of Devon
, England
, separated from Start Bay
by a shingle beach, known as Slapton Sands.
It is the largest natural freshwater lake in South West England
.
It is 1.5 miles long and is made up of two parts (the Lower Ley and the Higher Ley).
The site is a National Nature Reserve
and a Site of Special Scientific Interest
.
There is a large population of Cetti's Warbler
at the site, and Bittern
is resident.
The rare plant Strapwort is found here.
The A379
between the Ley and the sea runs along the shingle ridge. It has recently been damaged by coastal erosion
and rebuilt.
There is a nature reserve, owned by the Whitley Wildlife Trust and managed by the Field Studies Council
.
Slapton Ley’s beaches are affected by erosion but the beaches are formed from sediment this makes them special because they are non-replaceable once the sediment is moved it’s gone. The beach can only become smaller. This threatens the security of the mainland because when the beaches are gone mass amounts of water damage would occur on the land. The nature reserve would be destroyed and the site of special scientific interest would be lost.
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
on the south coast of Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, separated from Start Bay
Start Bay
Start Bay is the bay in the English Channel in Devon, England between the River Dart's estuary and Start Point. On the coast, from south to north, are Hallsands, Beesands, Torcross, the Slapton Sands, Strete, Blackpool Sands and Stoke Fleming...
by a shingle beach, known as Slapton Sands.
It is the largest natural freshwater lake in South West England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
.
It is 1.5 miles long and is made up of two parts (the Lower Ley and the Higher Ley).
The site is a National Nature Reserve
National Nature Reserve
For details of National nature reserves in the United Kingdom see:*National Nature Reserves in England*National Nature Reserves in Northern Ireland*National Nature Reserves in Scotland*National Nature Reserves in Wales...
and a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
.
There is a large population of Cetti's Warbler
Cetti's Warbler
Cetti's Warbler , Cettia cetti, is an Old World warbler which breeds in Europe, northwest Africa and east southern temperate Asia as far as Afghanistan and NW Pakistan. It is the only bush warbler to occur outside Asia...
at the site, and Bittern
Bittern
Bitterns are a classification of birds in the heron family, Ardeidae, a family of wading birds. Species named bitterns tend to be the shorter-necked, often more secretive members of this family...
is resident.
The rare plant Strapwort is found here.
The A379
A379 road
The A379 is a road in the English county of Devon. It links points on the edges of that county's two principal cities, Exeter and Plymouth, by an indirect and largely coastal route....
between the Ley and the sea runs along the shingle ridge. It has recently been damaged by coastal erosion
Coastal erosion
Coastal erosion is the wearing away of land and the removal of beach or dune sediments by wave action, tidal currents, wave currents, or drainage...
and rebuilt.
There is a nature reserve, owned by the Whitley Wildlife Trust and managed by the Field Studies Council
Field Studies Council
The Field Studies Council is an educational charity based in the UK. It opened its first Field Centre in 1947 at Flatford Mill, and now operates 17 Field Centres in various locations in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland offering both residential and non-residential field courses...
.
Slapton Ley’s beaches are affected by erosion but the beaches are formed from sediment this makes them special because they are non-replaceable once the sediment is moved it’s gone. The beach can only become smaller. This threatens the security of the mainland because when the beaches are gone mass amounts of water damage would occur on the land. The nature reserve would be destroyed and the site of special scientific interest would be lost.