Back in the early nineties, Julie lived here in one of the coastguard cottages perched high on the clifftop. Her day job was working as a teacher in a local junior school, but, in her spare time, she undertook conservation work for the National Trust in exchange for a reduced rent. It was here that she met her future husband, Antony, who applied to do voluntary work for the National Trust - and he got a lot more than he bargained for!
After numerous Sundays of scrub-bashing, pond clearance and fence fixing, Julie and Antony fell in love over a bonfire. A couple of years later, they tied the knot in East Dean parish church. They held their wedding reception in the pub opposite the cottages which at that time was called the Birling Gap Hotel. Since then, the hotel has closed down and today it is a visitor centre which is owned and managed by the National Trust.
There have been so many changes to this very special place over the years in human terms but, the essential attributes that make this place so special remain constant.
Bruno and I have been here at all times of year, at all times of the day and in all weather conditions and there always seems to be lots of humans about – with or without canine companions. We are always so excited to get out of the car and begin our adventure. Where will we go first today?
Do we head for the steps down to the beach where we can hear the waves crashing on to the shingle shore below – or do we walk straight up on to the Downs where we know that we will trot through myriads of sweet, scented wildflowers and grasses? – But it doesn’t really matter which order we do things in. It is always an adventure.
Birling Gap is part of the Seaford to Beachy Head SSSI, and it is one of three places where you can actually get down onto the beach. The white chalk cliffs above are more commonly known as the Seven Sisters and you can walk all the way along them from Seaford to Eastbourne – if you want to. You can also walk along the beach, but you must be sure to check the tide tables. At certain high tides, the sea crashes right at the base of the cliffs and as a result they are rapidly crumbling away. Rock falls are common – and sudden. Bruno and I are never allowed to run on the beach beneath them just in case they give way. There is never any warning!
It is because of this, that the steps at Birling Gap have had to be closed on more than one occasion.
During the time that Julie and Antony lived at Birling Gap, they rescued a liver and white springer spaniel called Tommy, who absolutely adored playing on the beach. I know exactly how he felt!
One day after a bout of particularly rough weather, with the steps yet again ‘fenced off’, Antony decided to snatch a dry afternoon to clean the car. It wasn’t long before he became aware of people standing on the steps, shouting and gesticulating to something down on the beach. He suddenly realised that he didn’t know where Tommy was, so he went to the steps to investigate, and sure enough, he saw a little brown and white bundle running along the beach and playing in the water.
Somehow, Tommy had found his own way down on to the beach but how, without steps, could he get back? Luckily Mr Johnson, a local fisherman, had rigged up a ladder to get down to his boat, and he came to Tommy’s rescue. He heaved Tommy up the ladder. Tommy was so glad to be home that he never did it again – I can just imagine Bruno in the same scrape.
Over the years, on numerous occasions, the ever-eroding cliffs have resulted in the Visitor Centre at Birling Gap being physically relocated. Even today, there are plans afoot to completely demolish the original café because it is just too close to the edge.
It is the geology of the South Downs that is one of the reasons why they are considered to be so special. Each dip in the seven sisters is actually a dry valley. At the end of the ice age, the ground was frozen solid. So, when the glaciers thawed and released their meltwater, the water couldn’t permeate through the ground but instead, carved channels across it. When the soils thawed out, the surface water was finally able to seep through the chalk and the dry valleys were left behind.
Birling Gap is a particularly good example of this.
When we climb down the steps on to the beach at Birling Gap, we have to trot across sharp shingle to get down to the sea but, luckily, when the tide is out, there is lots of soft sand at the water’s edge. How lovely it is to dip our paws into the cool water. Further along the beach, the tide leaves many wonderfully warm rockpools behind it, and these are all encrusted with limpets and barnacles. Within the pool, beautiful sea anemones waft feathery tentacles to catch their prey. Sometimes you can even find shrimps and crabs hiding – I wonder if this is why the houses are called Crangon Cottages – Crangon is the Latin for shrimp.
It is always a wrench when we have to leave the beach. There is nothing more special than hearing the waves crashing on the shingle, the calls of the gulls and the sounds of children laughing and playing in the water. And it just feels so good chasing our balls and paddling - even though I am scared of the waves!
From the top of the tall white cliffs, the remaining cottages peer down on to the beach. Julie and Antony had many adventures whilst living here and had many encounters with the local, and the not so local, wildlife.
There was a hugely busy rabbit warren in the garden, lizards that basked on the warm dry-stone walls, and a procession of visitors including kestrels. parakeets and racing pigeons which had all been blown off course by the wind.
Every May, dozens of clumsy dull brown cockchafers with amazing comb-like antennae, would tumble noisily down the chimney. These doodlebugs have only one thing on their mind – They had to find their mates, and they crashed and bumbled into anything and everything on their way. Meanwhile, all the females had to do was to sit, eat and wait. They knew full well that their feast would release the very chemicals which would guide their mates to them.
When the days begin to shorten, the birds start to gather. The South Downs is a very important refuelling station for over 200 species of birds which stop here before they commence their epic migrations across the English Channel to distant warmer climes. The expected swallows and swifts, warblers, chats and flycatchers all refuel here and sometimes these are joined by more exotic birds such as wrynecks, shrikes or buntings. It is strange how quickly humans gather to catch sight of a rare bird.
On one Monday morning in late September, a barely dressed Antony flung the curtains open to see a large audience of green garbed twitchers all pointing their lenses directly at him. He very quickly closed them again. By the time he was dressed and ready to see what all the fuss was about; the group had dissipated, and the birds had all flown away. Typical!!
The grassy downlands of this SSSI are one of the rarest habitats in the UK and, over the years, so much of it has been lost. Often only isolated pockets of them persist, which leaves them vulnerable and exposed. With our dog’s eye view we could count at least 30 or even 40 species of wildflower in just one square metre in this habitat. Some of these plants are very rare and, they are only here in such numbers because of human activity. For centuries, humans have grazed their animals on the Downs, and these livestock have grazed out the bigger more vigorous plants to the benefit of the smaller more delicate ones, and these thrive in the short sward. The short springy turf is a joy to walk on and I can never resist throwing myself on the ground and rolling down the banks – luckily, I don’t do any damage – these plants may be small and delicate, but they have to be robust to live here.
The rich mosaic of plants in turn provide food and shelter for a whole assemblage of invertebrates – and at least 29 species of butterfly have been recorded. It is almost impossible to move without disturbing a flurry of butterflies or a bevy of bees.
There are hundreds of interactions taking place right under our noses.
For instance, the rare Adonis Blue butterfly lays its eggs on the leaves of horseshoe vetch. When the eggs hatch and feed, they exude a sweet sticky liquid which is relished by yellow meadow ants. These ants make it their job to protect the developing grubs from all parasites, pests and predators. Even invertebrates can be farmers!
In summer the downs and cliff tops at Birling Gap are carpeted in mauve scabious, purple knapweed and sunshine yellow cowslips to name but a few. Large clumps of gorse, sculpted by the prevailing winds glow with bright yellow aromatic flowers and in the autumn, wayfaring trees hang heavy with dark red and black berries. Birling Gap is such a wonderful place to visit at any time of year – there is always something different to feel, to see and to smell.
It is no wonder that humans return to this very special place time and time again – in a recent survey, two thirds of the humans had been here before. I have lost count how many times we have been here – we love running on the beach, paddling in the sea, trotting along paths lined with wildflowers, rolling on the grassy slopes, and sometimes being literally blown away by the wind. Fortunately, we are very close to the ground.
We dogs are welcome everywhere on the South Downs, but it is important that we respect the wildlife that lives here. There are some birds, such as woodlarks and nightjars that need to lay their eggs on the ground so between the months of March and July, we must avoid running through the grass no matter how tempting it might be. If the temptation is just too great, we must stay on our leads. After all, these birds may only lay one egg! Of course, our humans need to take control – we don’t know any better.
We also need to give the livestock a wide berth because of the important job that they do in keeping the sward short and full of wildflowers.
I must admit, Birling Gap can get very busy, so we also have to ensure that we don’t upset those humans who are not so confident around us.
But all in all, we do have a lot of freedom here at Birling Gap and I think that is why it is one of only 111 properties taking part in the National Trust Pooch Passport Scheme.
This scheme, which is running until the end of February next year, is being sponsored by Forthglade Pet Foods, and Bruno and I can really recommend their treats!
At any of these 111 properties our owners can pick up a pooch passport and this can be stamped at any of the participating properties. – if we collect six stamps, we can get free Forthglade dog treats – yummy - and if we collect twelve, we can have our own National Trust snoods! - It would be so good if we could do it!!
There are a huge number of wonderful places for our humans and us to visit in the UK – - and Birling Gap is certainly one of them that we return to again and again ……
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