Porth Hellick

Porth Hellick
A snipe at Porth Hellick Pool
Porth Hellick Porth Hellick shown within Isles of Scilly
OS grid reference	SV925105
Unitary authority	Isles of Scilly
Ceremonial county	Cornwall
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ISLES OF SCILLY
Postcode district	TR21
Dialling code	01720
Police	Devon and Cornwall
Fire	Isles of Scilly
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	St Ives
List of places UK England Cornwall

Coordinates: 49°54′57″N 6°17′04″W / 49.9159°N 6.2844°W / 49.9159; -6.2844

Porth Hellick is a tidal inlet on the south coast of St Mary’s, the largest island in the Isles of Scilly.

The bay is delineated to the south by a headland known as the Giant’s Castle, which is an Iron Age cliff fort, and Porth Hellick Down and Porth Hellick Point to the north.^[1] At low tide a wide expanse of sand and rocks are exposed and a bar of fine shingle provides a barrier from the sea to form the largest area of (usually) fresh water on St Mary’s. A stream rises in Holy Vale and flows south through Higher Moors to the sea at Porth Hellick. In its half-mile length it falls less than 25 feet and has barely cut a river bed through the marsh;^[2] but feeds the pool with fresh water.

The area is an important feeding station for migrating and wintering birds and was designated as the Higher Moors and Porth Hellick Pool (St Mary's) Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for the ″wide diversity of habitats with several rare and notable plant species″ in 1971.^[3]

Natural history

Higher Moors and Porth Hellick Pool SSSI is one of the three main freshwater wetland areas on Scilly. The wetland is fed by ground water and a small steam to form a mosaic of willow and alder scrub, mire and pools. The peat deposits were once a fuel source and are rich in pollen. Along with other paleo-environmental evidence the deposits provide information about the vegetational history of the islands since the Mesolithic. The area is important as a feeding ground for migrating and wintering birds and for summer visitors and waterfowl. Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler nest in the common reed which grows along the margins of the pools and Coot, Gadwall, Mallard and Moorhen, Teal and Water Rail also breed. The moors were once grazed and the fields have a rich wet grassland flora with Greater Tussock-sedge, Hemlock Water-dropwort, Purple Loosestrife, Royal Fern, Water Mint and Yellow Iris. The acidic boggy areas support Bog Pimpernel, Bog Stitchwort and Marsh St John’s-wort with Lesser Spearwort in the wetter areas.^[4]

References

↑ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 Land's End ISBN 978-0-319-23148-7
↑ Lousley, J E (1971). The Flora of the Isles of Scilly. Newton Abbot: David & Charles.
↑ "Higher Moors and Porth Hellick Pool (St Mary's)" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
↑ Anon. The Isles of Scilly. English Nature.

External links

Isles of Scilly

Inhabited islands	St Mary's St Agnes (and Gugh) Bryher Tresco St Martin's

Uninhabited islands	Annet Bishop Rock Crim Rocks Eastern Isles English Island Great Ganilly Gweal Norrard Rocks Pednathise Head Rosevear Round Island Samson St Helen's Teän Western Rocks White Island Zantman's Rock

Settlements	St Mary's: Hugh Town, Holy Vale, Longstone, Maypole, Normandy, Old Town, Pelistry, Porthloo, Rocky Hill, Telegraph and Trenoweth St Martin's (and St Agnes): Higher Town, Middle Town and Lower Town Tresco: New Grimsby and Old Grimsby

Topics	Environment History People Schools Transport

Biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

Summary	Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)

Cornwall	Aire Point to Carrick Du Amble Marshes Baulk Head to Mullion Bedruthan Steps and Park Head Boconnoc Park and Woods Bodmin Moor, North Borlasevath and Retallack Moor Boscastle to Widemouth Brendonmoor Breney Common Bude Coast Cabilla Manor Wood Caerthillian to Kennack Carnkief Pond Carrick Heaths Carricknath Point to Porthbean Beach Carrine Common & Penwethers Chyenhal Moor Cligga Head Coombe Mill Coverack to Porthoustock Crow's Nest Crowhill Valley Dozmary Pool Draynes Wood East Lizard Heathlands Eglarooze Cliff Gerrans Bay to Camels Cove Godrevy Head to St Agnes Goonhilly Downs Goss and Tregoss Moors Greenamoor Greenscoombe Wood, Luckett Grimscott Gwithian to Mexico Towans Hayle Estuary & Carrack Gladden Kelsey Head Kennack to Coverack Kernick and Ottery Meadows Loe Pool Loggans Moor Lower Bostraze and Leswidden Lower Fal & Helford Intertidal Lymsworthy Meadows Lynher Estuary Malpas Estuary Marazion Marsh Meddon Moor Meneage Coastal Section Merthen Wood Minster Church Mullion Cliff to Predannack Cliff Nance Wood Newlyn Downs Ottery Valley Park Wood Penhale Dunes Pentire Peninsula Phoenix United Mine Plymouth Sound Shores And Cliffs Polruan to Polperro Polyne Quarry Porthgwarra to Pordenack Point Rame Head & Whitsand Bay Red Moor Redlake Meadows & Hoggs Moor Retire Common River Camel Valley and Tributaries Rock Dunes Rosemullion Rosenannon Bog and Downs St Austell Clay Pits St John's Lake St Nectan's Glen Steeple Point to Marsland Mouth Swanpool Sylvia's Meadow Talland Barton Tamar–Tavy Estuary Tintagel Cliffs Treen Cliff Tregonetha & Belowda Downs Tregonning Hill Trehane Barton Trelow Downs Trevose Head and Constantine Bay Upper Fal Estuary and Woods Upper Fowey Valley Ventongimps Moor West Cornwall Bryophytes West Lizard

Isles of Scilly	Annet Big Pool and Browarth Point Castle Down (Tresco) Chapel Down Eastern Isles Great Pool Gugh Higher Moors and Porth Hellick Pool Lower Moors Norrard Rocks Peninnis Head Pentle Bay, Merrick And Round Islands Plains and Great Bay Pool Of Bryher & Popplestone Bank Rushy Bay and Heathy Hill Samson Shipman Head & Shipman Down St Helen's St Martin's Sedimentary Shore Teän Western Rocks White Island Wingletang Down

Neighbouring areas Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Devon Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset

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Porth Hellick

Natural history

See also

References

External links