Budleigh Salterton

Budleigh Salterton has one of the oldest stories of the Jurassic Coast. A story that is also spread out along the length of this coast and beyond

To the west of the sea front lie the famous Budleigh Salterton Pebble Beds. The pebbles are composed of hard quartzite identical to 440 million year old rocks found in Northern France. The pebbles were formed and transported in one of the giant rivers that flowed into the Triassic desert about 240 million years ago

Over the last few thousand years the pebbles have been falling from the cliffs and today form the bulk of the beach at Budleigh Salterton. The larger cobbles and pebbles are very hard and unlike any other rock type found in Southern England. As a result they survive as they are transported along the coast by the waves. They can be seen from Slapton Sands in Devon to Hastings in Sussex

Source: The Official Guide to the Jurassic Coast