The Holderness Coastline

Case Study

The Holderness Coast is one of Europes fastest eroding coastline. On average, it erodes at a rate of 2 metres per year, which works out as 2 million tonnes of material. This is due to strong prevailing winds, creating longshore drift and the fact that the cliffs are made of a soft boulder clay.

Jamyma-May Hanson

The Holderness Coastline

Contents

Page 1 - Holderness Page 2 - Spurn Point Page 3 - Mappleton Page 4 - Hornsea Page 5 - Flamborough Page 6 - Withernsea Page 7 - Skipsea

Holderness
Erosion: The Holderness coastline has the highest rate of coastal erosion in Europe. Some of this is transported by longshore drift. It is thought that 3 miles of land and 23 towns/ villages have been lost since Roman Times. This erosion is due to the long north-easterly fetch. The powerful waves hitting the softness of the cliffs result in fast erosion.

Location: Holderness is an area of the East Riding of Yorkshire. It is situated on the east coast of England. Holderness is an area of rich agricultural land, that was marshland until it was drained in the middle ages. It has more in common with the Netherlands than other parts of Yorkshire. Geology: Holderness is a former bay that was filled in during the last ice age and is now made up of chalk compounds that are easily eroded, such as boulder clay. The landscape is made up of deposits of till, boulder clays and glacial lake clays. Other landscape features include drumlin moulds, ridges and kettle holes. Fields are generally large and are bounded by drainage ditches. There is very little woodland area which means that the landscape is very flat and exposed.

Drainage: The Holderness area is drained by the River Hull, alongside its tributaries and coastal streams.

Spurn Point
Spurn Point provides the evidence of longshore drift on the Holderness Coast. It is a spit, where 3% of material eroded from the Holderness Coast is deposited each year. The spit is 5.5km long and is made up mainly of sand, sediment and shingle. The spit forms a sweeping curve which continues the line of the coast. The sand has been transported along the Holderness Coast by longshore drift, forming the spit.

The energy of the waves transporting material reduces where the Sea meets the Humber Estuary. As a result of this, the material is deposited. This process is called deposition. The growth of Spurn Head is demonstrated by a series of lighthouses that have been built on various points. The spit cannot carry on and build any further due to the direction of the current from the River. There were groynes in place to protect Spurn Point, but these created more problems than solved. They were partially dismantled and left to rot.

Mappleton
Mappleton is a village situated around 3km south of Hornsea. It contains around 50 properties and a population of around 320. Mappleton has been subject to erosion. With an erosion rate of 2 metres a year, some places of the road lie only 50 metres away from the cliff edge.

Coastal Management: In 1991, two rock groynes and rock revetment was installed to protect Mappleton and the coastal road. These two rock groynes have helped develop wide and steep sandy beaches, as they trap beach material. This has stopped erosion from taking place. However, this has had a negative effect on towns south of Mappleton and has increased erosion.

In 1991, two rock groynes and rock revetment was installed to protect Mappleton and the coastal road. These two rock groynes have helped develop wide and steep sandy beaches, as they trap beach material. This stops erosion from happening. These sea defences were made from blocks of granite imported from Norway.

Hornsea
Hornsea is a small coastal town located between Bridlington and Withernsea, along the Holderness Coast. The town has a 2.9km stretch of shoreline. It has high density urban development, such as residential and tourist related properties. Hornseas economy is dependent on tourism and recreation, but has a small income from fishing industry. Hornseas population is around 8,400 people.
Geology: Hornsea lies upon unconsolidated till that was deposited by glaciers around 18,000 years ago in the ice age. The beach material is made up of sand and shingle. Coastal Management: The position of the coastline at Hornsea has been artificially fixed since existing coastal defences were installed in the early 20th Century. Coastal defences include a concrete seawall, timber groynes and beach nourishment. There are groynes on Hornsea beach that makes it wide and steep. The beach has accumulated sand where this protection exists. This is because the groynes provide a barrier to sediment transportation. This has reduced erosion but made it worse further south where defences stop.

Flamborough
Flamborough is the headland that forms the northern point of the Holderness Coast. The Headland extends into the sea by about 6 miles. Geology: Flamborough Head has white chalk cliffs, resistant rock, surrounding it. The chalk lays in horizontal layers, formed from remains of sea creatures from millions of years ago. Above it, at the top, are layers of till left behind from glaciers 18,000 years ago during the ice age. As the bottom of the cliffs are worn away, the clay soil falls into the sea in landslips.
Coastal Features: As seen in the pictures below, Flamborough has many coastal features. Around the bay, there are stacks from where a cave then arch have formed, and then collapsed leaving an isolated stack. There are also wave cut notches, platforms, and undercutting. The process of erosion that creates theses features, takes hundreds of years to complete.

Withernsea
Withernsea is a seaside town and acts as the main point for the wider community of small villages in Holderness. It is situated around 10 miles north from Spurn Point. The town is surrounded by agricultural land that sits close to the cliffs of the sea. It has a population of around 6,200 people.

Sea Defences: As Withernsea attracts lots tourists each year, there are many sea defences in place to try and maintain the beach as a holiday destination. These run along the majority of the stretch and is mainly made up of concrete seawalls and rock reventments.

Skipsea
Skipsea is a rural village with a population of around only 600 people. It is surrounded by agricultural land and sits close to the cliff and sea. Skipsea too, lies on till. The economy of Skipsea is based on agriculture and tourism. Coastal Features: Beach material is transported by longshore drift south along the Holderness Coast. There are no groynes in place to reduce transportation along the coast, so material is transported south.
Coastal Management: As there is only a small concrete reventment protecting a residential area and no other coastal management in Skipsea, erosion happens fast and has damaging consequences for the village. It is also sped up due to coastal management further north, in Bridlington.