Kelsey Head is a coastal Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and headland in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, noted for its biological interest. The site contains an Iron Age hill fort.
Geography
The SSSI, notified in 1951, is located on the north Cornwall coast, within the civil parishes of
Cubert and
Crantock, west of
Newquay.
It starts at
Holywell Beach, near Holywell village in the west and ends at the headland of Pentire Point West, near
West Pentire, in the east. The site also includes the inlet of Porth Joke as well as the inland areas of The Kelseys and Cubert Common.
[Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 200 Newquay & Bodmin ]
The South West Coast Path runs through the SSSI and most of the coastline is owned by the National Trust.
History
The headland is the site of earthwork remains of a by cliff castle, dated to the
Iron Age. But there is evidence of earlier habitation on the site, of
Mesolithic and
Neolithic periods, through the discovery of
flint flakes not related to the cliff castle. The cliff castle features evidence of earth and stone ramparts, a smaller annexe and an earthwork and external ditch protecting the south-eastern, inland, side.
Wildlife and ecology
The two main habitats of the SSSI are the
of Holywell Bay and the calcareous grassland of Cubert Common. Other smaller habitats include
,
scrubland, wet flushes,
woodland, offshore islands and
Intertidal zone.
These habitats support several invertebrate species and colonies of seabirds.
