Habitat type: Terraced cliff with conifer plantation
Size of reserve: 2 hectares / 6 acres
OS map number: 102
Grid reference: SW 460 243 (where coast path enters from the north - Mousehole)
Best time to visit: All year
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Directions
On foot only. It is a walk of 1 mile (1.6 km) from where the coastal path leaves the road south of Mousehole.
Access
The South West Coast Path runs through the reserve, but the site is largely inaccessible. The path can be uneven and stout footwear is recommended.
Wildlife
Monterey pine, although not a native species, was widely planted as a 'shelter' tree, due to its rapid growth and salt tolerance. Tall, up to 20 m, and with widespread boughs, its dark green needles and rutted bark make it a very distinctive part of the local scene.
Monterey cypress is a beautiful tree with a lemon scent. Another fast 
growing evergreen, the cypress was also originally introduced here as a windbreak. Triangular in shape when young, this species spreads as it ages.
Kemyel Crease is rich in fungi and, in summer and autumn, visitors may see the unusual earth star fungus. It is pale brown but darkens with age, the outer layer peeling back to form the distinctive star-shaped pattern on the ground.
Other information
Mrs K M Leach and the Leach Fourteenth Trust gave us a generous donation which enabled the purchase of this reserve in 1974.
