Newlyn Downs Explained

50.3493°N -5.0456°WNewlyn Downs is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in north Cornwall, England, UK, noted for its biological characteristics.^[1]

Geography

The 115.7ha SSSI, notified in 1997, is located mainly within the civil parish of St Newlyn East, 7km (04miles) south of the town of Newquay. The streams that rise on the site are tributaries of the River Gannel.^{[2] [3]} The Downs are also designated a Special Area of Conservation.^[4]

Wildlife and ecology

The soil of the site, deriving from slate-based mudstones and siltstones, is permanently waterlogged in large places. It is the foundation for the largest area in Cornwall of Southern Atlantic wet heath, containing cross-leaved heath (Erica tetralix) and Dorset heath (Erica ciliaris).

Notes and References

1. Web site: 1997 . Newlyn Downs . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061849/http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/2000160.pdf . 4 March 2016 . 25 January 2012 . Natural England.
2. Web site: Newlyn Downs map. Natural England. 25 January 2012.
3. Ordnance Survey: Explorer map sheet 106 Newquay & Padstow
4. Web site: Newlyn Downs. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. 26 January 2012.