OF THE SEA AT WESTWARD HO ! 475 
Torridge, and the inland part of it is rather below the level of the 
highest spring tides. All along the coast-line, however, there is a 
considerable area which is about 2 feet higher, and some of the 
sand hills near the mouth of the river are more than 30) feet above 
the general level. This coast-line is defended by a broad ridge of 
pebbles called locally ‘‘the Pebble Ridge.” It is now about 50 
yards wide, and the top is some 20 feet higher than the sandy 
beach, and about 7 feet higher than the level of the Burrows. It 
is said that its dimensions were formerly much greater and the 
pebbles also much larger*. The action of the waves seems to 
cause the pebbles to travel in a north-easterly direction along the 
ridge towards the mouth of the river, where they seem to be 
accumulating. Only a few rough experiments have been made on 
the subject, but the ridge is certainly much broader at the north- 
east corner of the Burrows, where there are three or four distinct 
banks of stones, forming altogether a bank about 150 yards wide 
and over a quarter of a mile long. The pebbles of the inland ridge 
are imbedded in the turf and covered with lichens. 
Tt is equally certain that the ridge near Westward Ho! is fast 
disappearing, and allowing the sea to encroach much more rapidly 
than it could formerly. It is not easy to account for this sudden 
weakening of a defence which has so long withstood the attacks of 
the immense Atlantic rollers and a tidal rise and fall of more than 
30 feet. Various causes have been assigned, such as a gradual sink- 
ing of the land, a change of currents in the sea, and even the taking 
away of the pebbles by farmers and others to build their fences 
with. These may all have had some share in producing the change ; 
but I am rather disposed to believe that it is chiefly due to a falling- 
short in the supply of pebbles from the west, where for a mile or 
more there are traces on the cliffs of one of the finest raised beaches 
in England. These “ready made” pebbles probably formed a 
pebble ridge on the adjacent sand soon aiter they were first 
attacked by the sea, and this ridge was gradually pushed backwards 
and sideways until it reached its present position. 
There seems now to be quite a possibility that the sea may eat 
right through the lower part of the Burrows, and thus form a new 
mouth for the river, leaving the north-east part of the ridge as an 
island, or perhaps even washing it across on to the Braunton 
Burrows, which constitute the present northern half of the delta. The 
estuary has already made inroads in this direction at the Appledore 
or inland corner of the Northam Burrows; at one place a sand hill over 
30 feet high, called the “ grey-sand hill,” has quite disappeared. 
In Risdon’s ‘ Survey of Devon’ (published 1600-1630) it is said 
that a large heap of stones called the ‘‘ Whibblestone,” the burying- 
place of the Danish rover Hubba, had disappeared, owing to the 
encroachments of the sea. It is not quite certain exactly where 
this heap was; but at all events this seems to show that the 
* Mr. Pengeily (Trans. Devon Assoc. for 1868) says of the pebble ridge— 
“Tt is also evident that its volume has been constantly diminishing, and is at 
present less than it has ever been before.” 
