Heritage Coasts

There are 43 designated Heritage Coasts in England and Wales (Scotland has a different system of "Preferred Conservation Zones"). The "heritage coast" classification scheme was initiated in 1972 to protect coastline of special scenic and environmental value from undesirable development. Much of the designated coastline is owned by the National Trust, through its Project Neptune appeal.

In England the heritage coasts are managed by the Countryside Agency, while the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) administers the coasts in that country. Some 31% of the coast in England and 42% in Wales is protected under the heritage coast scheme. Many of these coasts are part of larger National Parks or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and the protected area extends inland for an average of 1 1/2 miles.

1. Aberffraw Bay 2. Ceredigion 3. Dinas Head 4. Dover-Folkestone 5. East Devon 6. Exmoor 7. Flamborough Headland 8. Glamorgan 9. Godrevy-Portreath 10. Gower 11. Great Orme 12. Gribbin Head-Polperro 13. Hamstead 14. Hartland 15. Holyhead Mountain 16. Isles of Scilly 17. Lleyn 18. Lundy 19. Morloes and Dale 20. North Anglesey 21. North Devon 22. North Norfolk 23. North Northumberland 24. North Yorkshire and Cleveland 25. Pentire Point-Widemouth 26. Penwith 27. Purbeck 28. Rame Head 29. St Agnes 30. St Bees Head 31. St. Bride's Bay 32. St. David's Peninsula 33. South Devon 34. South Foreland 35. South Pembrokeshire 36. Spurn 37. Suffolk 38. Sussex Downs 39. Tennyson 40. The Lizard 41. The Roseland 42. Trevose Head 43. West Dorset

Resources

Countryside Agency Web Site Countryside Council for Wales Web Site