Orchids thrive on the other side of the chasm

Goat Island, East Devon After trotting through coastal scrub, the path abruptly writhes and plunges into dark shadow

A hot day on the South West Coast Path between Axmouth and Lyme Regis. The quivering air smells warmly of bracken. Gorse pods snap sharply, flinging their seeds into the tangled undergrowth.

After trotting easily through coastal scrub, the path abruptly writhes and plunges into the dark shadow of the chasm. This is the undercliff, a wooded no-man's land between clifftop and shoreline, formed by a continuous cycle of landslips.