Rame Head with bluebells © Amanda Slater (CC BY-SA 20)
Rame Head
The spectacular Rame Head promontory falls within the boundaries of the Country Park though it is not currently managed by park staff. While the public have free access to Rame Head, the bulk of the headland is let as grazing land to the tenant farmer in Penmillard Farm. Until relatively recently, a herd of Dartmoor ponies roamed Rame Head to manage the vegetation.
The rugged and wild Rame Head was not part of the landscape designed by successive generations of Edgcumbes. Tours of the parkland appear to have culminated at Queen Adelaide’s Grotto at Penlee Point. This may be one reason why it was not included in the Grade I designation awarded in 1987.
The headland, for centuries an important marker for seafarers, is renowned for its dramatic topography, breath-taking panoramic views and ancient history. Historic England’s entry for Rame Head lists as heritage assets an iron-age promontory fort, the medieval chapel of St Michaels’s, listed Grade 2*, and a WWII radar station, now no longer visible apart from some foundations.
St Michael’s Chapel © Wessex Archeology (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Protections
In addition to being within the boundaries of the Country Park, Rame Head falls within the Rame Head Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) - Section 11 of the Cornwall National Landscape.
Rame Head is also a Heritage Coast. This is a scheme that was established to conserve the best stretches of undeveloped coast in England. The goal is to protect, conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the coastline along with their heritage features and their terrestrial, coastal and marine flora and fauna. Areas included in the scheme are defined by agreement between relevant maritime authorities and Natural England.
In considering planning proposals near Heritage Coasts, local authorities are required to ‘maintain the character of the undeveloped coast, protecting and enhancing its distinctive landscapes, particularly in areas defined as heritage coast, and improve public access to and enjoyment of the coast.’ Paragraph 114 of the National Planning Policy Framework (March 2012).
Map generated via the Cornwall Council Interactive Map Service. The AONB is hatched green and the Grade I designated area hatched yellow
The Rame headland is home to the Rame Head and Whitsand Bay Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the grounds of geology, coastal geomorphology and biology. It is also a County Wildlife Site. It supports a diversity of habitats and numerous species of note. The maritime cliffs are BAP (Biodiversity Action Plan) priority habitats, home to the extremely rare shore dock (Rumex rupestris) and to chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile). The promontory is also a vantage point from which to view marine mammals.
Flora & Fauna
Rocks around Rame Head © Vanessa C CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Kittiwakes © Peter Mulligan CC BY 2.0;
Common dolphins © Wendy Miller CC BY-NC—ND 2.0
A rich diversity of birds is found on the headland. Species of note include the extremely vulnerable Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus), the Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos), the Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis), the Grasshopper Warbler (Locustella naevia), the Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula), the Linnet (Carduelis cannabina) and the Skylark (Alauda arvensis).
Bird records for the Rame Head area include several scarce species as well as a number of internationally and nationally important sea and migrant species.
Song thrush © Pete Beard CC BY-SA 2.0
Bullfinch © NTNU CC BY 2.0; Skylark © Charos Pix CC BY-NC~SA 2.0)