Orcombe Point

Orcombe Point is a coastal headland near Exmouth in Devon, on England’s south coast. It sits about 16 kilometres south of Exeter and 3.2 kilometres southeast of Exmouth town centre. To the west lies Exmouth Beach and to the east is Sandy Bay, a holiday beach. The two beaches join below Orcombe Point at low tide along a long sand strip. The point itself rises above the beaches on a hill. The place is worth visiting for its geological importance. It marks the western end of the Jurassic Coast, a site recognised for its continuous sequence of rocks spanning 185 million years. Prince Charles unveiled the Geoneedle sculpture here in 2002, designed by Michael Fairfax. The sculpture is made from stones representing major building stones of the Jurassic Coast and the local rock sequence. The rocks tilt gently eastward, exposing older layers in the west and younger ones to the east. Visitors find a clear view of the layered cliffs showing successive sedimentary rocks. At the base are cross-bedded sandstones, while higher up are siltstones and mudstones formed in quieter waters. The red colour of the rocks indicates they were laid down in a desert during the Triassic period 250 million years ago. The South West Coast Path passes through Orcombe Point, offering a walk along this historic coastline.