Once blackened by coal spoil dumped from a conveyor system linked to the nearby Blackhall Colliery, making it an industrial wasteland famously featured in the 1971 film Get Carter, extensive cleanup efforts costing millions have restored the beach to a clean, natural state, now part of the Durham Heritage Coast and a nature reserve. The area features dramatic limestone cliffs, large cliff caves, and diverse wildlife including breeding skylarks and wildflowers on the Magnesian Limestone grasslands.