Brading Marshes to St. Helen's Ledges SSSI
Encyclopedia
Brading Marshes to St. Helen's Ledges is a 488.5 hectare Site of special scientific interest
which stretches from Brading
along the Yar
valley between Bembridge
and St Helens, Isle of Wight
through to the sea at Priory Bay
on the north east coast of the Isle of Wight
. It encompasses the Brading Marshes RSPB reserve, Bembridge harbour and the inter tidal sand, mud flats and rocky ledges exposed off the coast at low water, including the land around St Helens Fort
which is not attached to the mainland. It is the second largest SSSI on the Isle of Wight
. The site was notified in 1951 for both its biological and geological features.
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...
which stretches from Brading
Brading
The ancient 'Kynges Towne' of Brading is the main town of the civil parish of the same name. The ecclesiastical parish of Brading used to cover about a tenth of the Isle of Wight. The current civil parish now includes the town itself and Adgestone, Morton, Nunwell and other outlying areas between...
along the Yar
Eastern Yar
The River Yar on the Isle of Wight, England, rises in a chalk coomb in St. Catherine's Down near Niton, close to the southern point of the island...
valley between Bembridge
Bembridge
Bembridge is an affluent village and civil parish located on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight. It had a population of 3,848 according to the 2001 census of the United Kingdom, leading to claims by residents that Bembridge is the largest village in England, and occasional claims that it is...
and St Helens, Isle of Wight
St Helens, Isle of Wight
St. Helens is a village and civil parish located on the eastern side of the Isle of Wight. The village is based around village greens. This is claimed to be the largest in England but some say the Village Green is the second largest. The greens are often used for cricket matches during the summer...
through to the sea at Priory Bay
Priory Bay
Priory Bay is a small privately owned bay on the north east coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It lies to the east of the village of Nettlestone. It faces east towards Selsey Bill and its shoreline is 600m in length. It stretches from Horestone Point in the north to Nodes Point in the south.The...
on the north east coast of the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. It encompasses the Brading Marshes RSPB reserve, Bembridge harbour and the inter tidal sand, mud flats and rocky ledges exposed off the coast at low water, including the land around St Helens Fort
St Helens Fort
St Helens Fort was built between 1867 and 1880 as a result of the Royal Commission, in the Solent close in to the Isle of Wight to protect the St Helens Road anchorage, it suffered badly from subsidence which forced many changes to the plans, ending up with two 10-inch 18-ton rifled muzzle loading ...
which is not attached to the mainland. It is the second largest SSSI on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. The site was notified in 1951 for both its biological and geological features.