White Nothe (meaning "White Nose") is a

chalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Chalk ...

headland on the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

coast at the eastern end of

Ringstead Bay __NOTOC__ Ringstead Bay, with the small village of Ringstead at the eastern end and the prominent headland of White Nothe at the western end, is located on the coast in Dorset, southern England. The area lies on the Jurassic Coast and is known f ...

, east of Weymouth in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The area is well known for its

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

and

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

s. Its flanks are the result of prehistoric landslides and the inaccessible slopes of the

undercliff The Undercliff is the name of several areas of landslide, landslip on the south coast of England. They include ones on the Isle of Wight; on the Dorset-Devon border near Lyme Regis; on cliffs near Branscombe in East Devon; and at White Nothe, Dors ...

provide a secluded wildlife habitat. A

zigzag A zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular. In geometry, this pattern is described as a ...

path up the cliff is believed to be one of the locations alluded to as a

smuggler Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...

's path in the British children's book '' Moonfleet'' by

J. Meade Falkner John Meade Falkner (8 May 1858 – 22 July 1932) was an English novelist and poet, best known for his 1898 novel '' Moonfleet''. An extremely successful businessman, he became chairman of the arms manufacturer Armstrong Whitworth durin ...

. Walking to the base of White Nothe along the shore from Ringstead Bay is possible, but it is cut off at high tide, so much care should be taken. At the top of the Smugglers path, a protruding nose shape comes out of the white cliff, giving the name to the area. The area is partly owned by the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

. From the top of White Nothe, to the east, the

headland of Bat's Head can be viewed. Walking east along a clifftop path below the summit of

Chaldon Hill Chaldon Hill, also called Chaldon Down, is one of the highest hills, , on South Dorset's Jurassic Coast in England. The summit is about west of Durdle Door. A bridleway crosses the hill just below the summit, whilst the South West Coast Path m ...

is possible to

Durdle Door Durdle Door (sometimes written Durdle Dor) is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorset, England.West, I.W., 2003.Durdle Door; Geology of the Dorset Coast. Southampton University, UK. Version H.07.09.03. It is priva ...

and

Lulworth Cove Lulworth Cove is a cove near the village of West Lulworth, on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, southern England. The cove is one of the world's finest examples of such a landform, and is a World Heritage Site and tourist location with approximately ...

. The

Isle of Portland An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms. Isle may refer to: Geography * Is ...

can be seen to the southwest across the sea. Immediately to the northwest of White Nothe is the

Burning Cliff __NOTOC__ Burning Cliff is a cliff under the White Nothe headland at the eastern end of Ringstead Bay, in Dorset, England. The area is well known for its geology and fossils. The cliff is to the northwest of White Nothe. From 1826, the cliff sm ...

, which from 1826 smouldered with an underground fire for several years due to the

bituminous shale Oil shale is an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock containing kerogen (a solid mixture of organic chemical compounds) from which liquid hydrocarbons can be produced. In addition to kerogen, general composition of oil shales constitute ...

. Situated at the top of White Nothe is a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

pillbox Pillbox may refer to: * Pill organizer, a container for medicine * Pillbox hat, a woman's hat with a flat crown, straight upright sides, and no brim * Pillbox (military), concrete dug-in guard posts * Pillbox affair The Pillbox affair, also known ...

, constructed in 1940–41 of brick and concrete, as part of the anti-invasion measures. Unusually, the structure is also fitted with a

Royal Observer Corps The Royal Observer Corps (ROC) was a civil defence organisation intended for the visual detection, identification, tracking and reporting of aircraft over Great Britain. It operated in the United Kingdom between 29 October 1925 and 31 December ...

observation post built on top, which was to spot and report aircraft. There is also a row of former coastguards' cottages. White Nothe has featured in artworks.

Gallery

File:Ringstead and White Nothe.JPG, White Nothe from Ringstead beach File:White nothe undercliff panorama.jpg, White Nothe undercliff and

from the Smugglers Path File:Smugglers path white nothe dorset.jpg, The Smugglers' Path File:White Nothe headland from the shore below the undercliff.jpg, The headland from the shore below the undercliff File:White nothe headland west side at sea level dorset.jpg, The west side of the headland at sea level File:Dorset coast from white nothe to bats head.jpg, View east from White Nothe File:White nothe headland from the west.jpg, The headland from the shore below the undercliff

References

External links

White Nothe information
from the governmental

Joint Nature Conservation Committee The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) is the public body that advises the UK Government and devolved administrations on UK-wide and international nature conservation. Originally established under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, JN ...

(JNCC)
Ringstead Bay to White Nothe
from Ian West'
''Geology of the Wessex Coast'' internet field guide

White Nothe, Ringstead
walk fro
Walks4softies
{{Jurassic Coast Headlands of Dorset National Trust properties in Dorset Jurassic Coast

Gallery

See also

References

External links