Seaton and Branscombe: A journey through the ‘Valley of Death’ to a town built by a papal warship
Notes from the Jurassic Coastline expedition through the “Valley of Death” gorge at Branscombe and the town of Seaton”BRANSCOMBE, the Valley of Death
Seaton Haydon
BRANSCOMBE: There is a walkway from Seaton to Branscombe, which can be crossed in both directions. There are rest stops on both sides for those who have just crossed or are about to cross the “Valley of Death”, known as the Branscombe Gorge.
Rest stops
The gorge has two routes, one at the bottom and one on top of the cliffs. On the way back, walking on the top of the canyon, with Branscombe in the distance
On the walk
Notes from the Jurassic Coastline expedition through the “Valley of Death” at Branscombe Gorge
I. Crossing the ‘Valley of Death’ at Brancecombe
According to the official tourist information of Branscombe, the canyon was formed in the same way as the Valley of Death in the USA. About three million years ago, the earth’s gravity crushed the crust of the earth into huge blocks of rock, some of which jutted up into mountains and some of which sloped down into valleys. The exposed rocks thus reveal the geology of three million years ago and the evolution of the geology over the ages since.
The descent to the valley floor is a steep slope of 70 to 80 degrees. The two of us look out for each other and slowly descend, clutching the canes on the side. After about half an hour of descent, the ground gradually eases. Another ten minutes or so and we were in the middle of a tree-lined black hole. The woods are full of birds and thankfully they are there. Accompanied by the seagulls calling from the sea and hearing the crunching of crows, there is no fear of the eerie and frightening valley of death. Soon out of the dark and gloomy place, the sun shines in as the woods thin out. The rocky walls of the gorge are geologically old and beautiful to look at, but we can’t tell.
Entering Branscombe Gorge
Before entering the valley floor
There are some really dangerous sections
On the way down
The view before entering the valley
Descending to the bottom
The so-called Valley of Death in England —— This is it!
BRANSCOMBE
Slowly coming out of the gorge
The signpost here means that you are out of the gorge – a third of a mile (500 metres) to the Branscombe rest stop!
BRANSCOMBE rest stop
On the way back take the alternative route up to the top of Branscombe Gorge
It is said that you can fly into the wind here
Leaving Branscombe, I remembered seeing dried bones at the bottom of the valley, not knowing whether they were human or animal bones. I guessed that the bones had been dumped there to add some atmosphere to the visitors. After returning home, I studied the description and history of Branscobold Gorge and found out that people had actually come here to die by jumping off the cliffs, that there was a lot of wildlife and that people had actually been attacked by wild animals. It’s a bit scary to think that we’re travelling through what is known as Britain’s ‘valley of death’, Branscombe Gorge!
Notes from the Jurassic Coastline expedition in SEATON
Two, the English town built by the Pope’s fleet
According to the town’s historical records, the town began to take shape in 1005 during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is slightly larger than the old town of Bail, which we described earlier and which was favoured by the French.
Seaton Haydon, another new name I have given to the town of Seaton on the Jurassic coastline. According to the phonetic convention of place name translation SEATON, it should be pronounced as Seaton. I think this name is different from the original meaning of the town’s name, and the name Seaton might be more appropriate for it; SEA means sea, and TON means heavy land and garrison. That is to say, the shield of the sea is Haydon.
The founding and prosperity of the town of Hyden began in 1146. The Roman fleet arrived in Haydn, and it is said that the fleet was ordered by the then Pope Eugenius Yevgeny to build a village and a harbour for warships to enter and leave. From then on, Haydn flourished over the next few centuries. As one of the key gateways to the continent, it became an important port and a place of commerce and trade in the south of England.
Later, due to the strong opposition of King Edward I, the harbour’s trade and strategic position declined year by year. The last strategic use of the harbour was during the Napoleonic Wars between Britain and France, and there was some military presence during World War I and World War II, but not as a place to stockpile for the war effort. After the Second World War, the locals completely abandoned the old war philosophy and the town quickly evolved into a famous British holiday resort. With a strong focus on developing a holiday culture and following the trends of the times, Haydon has made a magnificent transformation from a port built for warships to a place for holiday tourism.
The people of Haydon say that Haydon is now one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in the UK, the best place for bird watching on the mainland and the most secluded town in England to live in.
The people of Haydon have preserved as much of the beach’s natural beauty as possible
This section of the Jurassic coastline is the one that keeps me coming back for more.
The breeze and the sea will stay in my memory forever.
When I came back from Haydn, I looked at the photos I had taken and I always felt that they were not as beautiful as the views I had seen. There are probably several reasons for this. Firstly, it is mainly my photography skills that are at fault. Secondly, the photos are raw; there is no sound, no way to feel that taste of birdsong accompanying the trip, no way to touch the intensity of the sun, no way to feel the gentle sea breeze, no way for the scenery to flow, no way to see the interaction between the clouds and the waves, no smell, no way to smell the coolness of the air.
