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The cliffs of Dawlish may be the best reason to take a journey
by rail, even if it’s only from Exeter to Paignton and back. The cliffs along the seafront are spectacular; a dazzling orange-red, and criss-crossed with
minor faults, cross bedding structures, channel deposits and conglomerate
areas. Taking a walk east from Dawlish station along the seawall is a great way
to see these rocks, but you cannot get up close as the railway is between the
cliffs and the sea. Definitely one to observe from afar!
I once filmed these cliffs as I went past on my way to
Plymouth on the train, it’s all in reverse and there’s a lot of reflection from
the windows, but you can watch it here: it’s only 15s long.
These cliffs are aeolian (desert) sandstone from the
Permo-Triassic, around 250 million years ago.
I first visited Dawlish & Dawlish Warren on college geology field trip, some 11 years ago. Kelly and I dropped in to see the cliffs again on our #geobritainroadtrip, and we walked along the sea wall so I could get my fix of Permo-Triassic desert goodness.
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| Heart eyes for days. |
