The coast of the Vale of Glamorgan is 52.5 kilometres long and made up of hard cliffs and stony foreshores such as along the Glamorgan Coast, shingle and sand beaches at Southerndown and Barry, coastal defences around places like Aberthaw and scattered saline lagoons and salt marsh. As the boundary between land and sea our coasts provide important habitats for marine wildlife and coastal specialists such as Chough and Adders.