Cape Wrath

General site character

• Coastal sand dunes, Sand beaches, Machair (1%)
  
• Shingle, Sea cliffs, Islets (14%)
  
• Inland water bodies (Standing water, Running water) (1%)
  
• Bogs, Marshes, Water fringed vegetation, Fens (15%)
  
• Heath, Scrub, Maquis and Garrigue, Phygrana (62%)
  
• Alpine and sub-Alpine grassland (7%)
  

Annex I habitats that are a primary reason for selection of this site

• 1230 Vegetated sea cliffs of the Atlantic and Baltic Coasts

  Cape Wrath includes Clò Mór, the highest vertical sea cliffs in mainland Britain. Here and on some of the surrounding cliffs and cliff tops the vegetation is heavily bird-influenced, and locally dominated by common scurvygrass Cochlearia officinalis. There is a wide range of cliff habitats ranging from very exposed faces and crevices to comparatively sheltered gullies and even, at Cape Wrath itself, remarkable cliff-top sand dunes. Grasslands and heaths are well-represented, and the strip above the cliff edge has a good deal of sub-maritime short heather heath, rich in species including the montane dwarf willow Salix herbacea. The high exposure is sufficient to bring montane conditions close to sea level, and this is a classic site for the ‘altitudinal descent’ of upland species. On cliffs that are relatively sheltered from the north and north-west gales, there is strong development of a wood-rush Luzula-tall fern community leading down to roseroot Sedum rosea and wild angelica Angelica sylvestris ledges.

Annex I habitats present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for selection of this site

• Not Applicable

Annex II species that are a primary reason for selection of this site

• Not Applicable

Annex II species present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for site selection

• Not Applicable