Please be warned , parking is expensive if you go down to the beach and park at the bottom ...£10. I would suggest you do it if you are staying here or are out on a walk, but the choice is yours at the end of the day.
One of the most dramatic sights along the World Heritage Coast is the stacks at Ladram Bay, East Devon. The stacks were formed from caves that over time were hollowed out by the sea, they then became arches which eventually collapsed, and forming the stacks we see today.
Old formation 
New formation 
The red colour of both the stacks and the cliffs is due to iron minerals that have weathered over time, telling us that the land was once being a hot, desert area. These are Triassic rocks and at between 250 and 200 million years old are the oldest rocks along the World Heritage Coast.
Ladram Bay has a series of well developed cliffs, stacks and shore platforms cut in the red sandstones of the Triassic.
Their preservation is largely due to the relatively low energy regime in which they occur. The cliffs below High Peak and Chit Rocks at Sidmouth, have yielded very rare remains of Middle Triassic fossils fish, amphibians and reptiles. Bones of the labyrinthodont Mastodonsaurus and the rhynchosaur Rhynchosaurus have also been found, allowing correlation with similarly aged faunas found in rocks in the Midlands.
The cliffs to the west of Sidmouth, expose rocks belonging to the Otter Sandstone Formation. This is a 118m thick Triassic sequence of largely fluvial sandstones including breccias and thin mudstones layers.
Dating evidence comes from the very rare fossil vertebrate material found within it. Amphibians, reptiles and coprolites have been found in the upper part of the Otter Sandstone, being a 20m or so width of fossiliferous sediments. Most specimens have been recovered from fallen blocks, but a few have been found in situ.
The fauna is dominated by skeletal material of a group of medium sized herbivorous reptiles known as rhynchosaurs. Jaw components of this reptile are modified anteriorly into a tusk-like feature showing wear facets. These animals belonged to a group of reptiles known as Archosaurs, a branch of which gave rise to the Dinosaurs.
Other fossils from the sandstone include teeth belonging to a thecodont (the group of reptiles that gave rise to crocodiles, pterosaurs and dinosaurs) and skull fragments of an early dinosaur, possible Ornithosuchus. The most complete amphibian collected from the Otter Sandstone is a partial skull of the small capitosaurid temnospondyl (probably fully terrestrial amphibians) Eocyclotosaurus. The temnospondyl amphibians are represented by skull material of Mastodonsaurus lavisi, which forms the type material for the animal. Comparison of the fauna indicates an Anisian age for the Otter Sandstone Formation. The formation appears to have been laid down on a flood plain covered with small ephemeral braided streams and lakes, with a semi-arid climate, that allowed long dry periods punctuated by seasonal rains and flash-floods.
Geomorphology: The coastal section at Ladram Bay comprises a series of cliffs, stacks and platforms. The southern part of the site has cliffs of about 25m in height, whereas they rise to over 150m at High Peak. The lower cliffs are steep, with angles generally in excess of 80 degrees. Stacks occur at Ladram Bay and off High Peak, known as Little and Big Picket. The shore platforms occur at Smallstones Point, Ladram Bay and below High Peak.
Their slope reflects the dip of the beds forming them (about 4). Erosion along nearvertical joints appears to have been important for the separation of the stacks from each other. At Ladram Bay the stacks appear to result from a combination of a number of factors, including the local structural weaknesses. Wave energy appears to be sufficient to act upon these weaknesses but not strong enough to destroy them. The base of the stacks are formed from a harder band within the Otter Sandstone succession, thus stacks do not form further north of south, where the layer is higher in the cliff or below sea-level, respectively.
To claim this cache you need to answer the following questions and complete the following tasks;
At 50°39.576'N, 3°16.684'W is a sign describing the site; The sign is missing for answers 1 and 2 so please use Google.
1/ What is the name of the nearly complete skeleton found in the Otter sandstone?
2/ According to the sign, what are the most common fossils in this sandstone (The name in brackets) please?
3/ At 50°39.572'N, 3°16.700'W, with your gps, please estimate the height of the stack in front of you.
4/ Have your photo taken in front of one of the stacks with yourself on the beach.
5/ At 50°39.465'N, 3°16.869'W on the southwest coast path, please estimate using your gps the height of the stack in front of you.
6/ From the south west footpath at 50°39.358'N, 3°16.837'W how many stacks can you see? Include the small one.
If your GPS does not have the facility to measure altitude then a "best guess" will do, but i would like the reasons or method of your submission.
Please email me your answers and upload the photo that is required within 48 hours of your log, failure to comply, may result in your log being deleted. Thankyou. I will delete logs if you do not upload a photo!!!