Drigg Coast European Marine Site is one of the best examples of a small bar-built estuary complex in the UK, with the transition from freshwater to sand dunes hardly disturbed and is therefore important to conserve. An intertidal survey of the rocky shore biotopes within Drigg Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Drigg Coast Special Area of Conservation (SAC) was conducted to assess the boulder and cobble skear habitats and inform condition assessments which must be carried out on a six yearly cycle as part of the EU Habitats Directive. This survey aimed to map the extent of the individual biotopes and provide a quantitative baseline. A total of 14 boulder and cobble skear biotopes were recorded. Several biotopes have changed since the original survey in 1999 and overall, boulder and cobble skear coverage appears to have decreased by almost 50%. A total of 37 different taxa were recorded, with barnacles being particularly common and blue mussels the most abundant free-living species. It was not possible to compare the results with those obtained in 1999, and as a result the preliminary assessments of condition for the sub features ‘extent of characteristic biotopes’ and ‘species composition of characteristic biotopes’ are unknown. However, the survey has provided precise biotope mapping data which can be used in future condition assessments and a robust quantitative baseline from which to assess future changes in species abundance.