Boscastle to Widemouth
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
High Cliff, showing the characteristic slumping creating an undercliff
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 Location within Cornwall
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| Area of Search | Cornwall |
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| Grid reference | SX165993 |
| Coordinates | 50°45′53″N 4°36′10″W / 50.7646°N 4.6027°WCoordinates: 50°45′53″N 4°36′10″W / 50.7646°N 4.6027°W |
| Interest | Biological/Geological |
| Area | 639 hectares (6.390 km2; 2.467 sq mi) |
| Notification | 1972 |
| Natural England website | |
Boscastle to Widemouth is a coastal Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Cornwall, England, noted for its biological and geological characteristics. The Dizzard dwarf oak woodland is unique and of international importance for its lichen communities, with 131 species recorded.
The 639-hectare (1,580-acre) site is located on the north Cornish coast, by the Celtic Sea of the Atlantic Ocean. The 12 miles (19 km) length of coastline stretches from Boscastle in the south to Widemouth Bay to the north. The coast on either side of Crackington Haven is characterised by the cliffs collapsing and rather than having steep vertical slopes such as in west Cornwall, there is a series of 'undercliffs' which are thickly vegetated. Some are grazed by cattle and horses and the resulting mosaic of semi–natural habitats is of national importance for the coastal heath and grassland. High Cliff (grid reference SX125943) at 223 metres (732 ft) is the highest cliff in Cornwall.
The South West Coast Path runs through the SSSI, parts of the coast are owned and managed by the National Trust and five Geological Conservation Review sites are within the area.
The coast between Boscastle and Widemouth is characterised by high slumped cliffs leading to areas of thickly vegetated, sloping lower undercliffs. The underlying rock, a type of shale which is easily fractured, is known to geologists as the Crackington formation and the layered strata contorted by earth movements can best be seen at Crackington Haven and Millook. The rocks date to the Namurian stage roughly 326 to 313 Ma (million years ago) and were folded during the Variscan orogeny a period of mountain building caused by the collision of two continents.
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