Slapton ley: Devon

[vinnychameleon]

Hi all . Does anyone on here go to Slapton on a regular basis?

[Crested Newt]

I once went thats when I got that photo

[nightshade]

Used to, we loved it down there,used to fish for Pike on the Ley
There were Otters to watch plenty of birds(a major migration point)
deep lanes with wild flowers and butterflys in microclimates
Sharks in the sea checking out the lobster pots
Hmmm think we will have to go again

[vinnychameleon]

Hiya Guys. Nightshade did you ever see Bitterns as I know they are winter visitors there and they even bred in 1996 (apparently).

[John]

Hi VC

Slapton Ley can be a hard place to bird. The reeds are extensive and there nearly always is a wind blasting across them.

I have never seen or heard a Bittern there. That's not to say that there isn't one there. Cetti's warbler can be found there if you look hard enough.

The water itself can throw up some suprises but I usually only stop off there on my way to one of my favourite sights, Prawle Point - after the Cirl Buntings.

John

[RobSutton]

There is a good website about Slapton Ley at:

Slapton Ley National Nature Reserve

[nightshade]

I have never seen Bitterns there, Adders and woodmice ,huge moths
huge crabs,Barn Owls,in fact it is an amazing area (steak and oyster pie
from Dartmouth )Excellent trips down the Dart for Birding sounds like a WAB trip

[Ian Gray]

Not only is slapton ley a hotspot for wildlife, it also has a very interesting
history. When I was staying on the campsite at slapton ( highly recommended )
I met the warden of the environment education centre for slapton ley.
He was telling me that the three mile stretch of shingle beach separating
the ley from the sea was used as a training ground in world war two
for the D-Day landings. The tank at the west end of the ley was salvaged
from the sea after it was lost on one of them training missions.
The village of Torcross at the west end of the ley was also under attack
in the early eighties from mother nature. In one ferocious winter storm
the sea wall made of huge boulders was picked up by the sea and used as
a battering ram against the houses it was designed to protect. The sea
wall and the village had to be rebuilt.
One more thing. Any lover of a fish supper must pay a visit to the
Start Bay Inn in Torcross. Go equipped with a healthy appetite.

Ian

[aeshna5]

You're right it's an amazing place for history + wildlife. I've been there several times, though not recently, the tank on the beach makes you realise it wasn't always so tranquil!

[matt_xyz]

Slapton does indeed have a history, over 600 Allied troops died there in a rehearsal for the D-Day landings that went badly wrong.

Matt

[nightshade]

The Slapton Ley is of course a freshwater lagoon seperated from the sea
by about fifty yards of shingle beach there are several books on the
wartime tradgedy and on some of the unique wildlife
Amazon.co.uk: Slapton

[vinnychameleon]

There's been a bittern reported at Slapton today. . Might try and get over there tommorow and see if I can get it. One problem is I have relatives comin down . I will try though. If not I hope he stays.

[nightshade]

Does anyone fancy a birding trip around Slapton and a cruise
down the River Dart sometime?
South Hams Walking Blue Flag Beaches River Dart Estuary Salcombe Devon UK
Toad Hall Cottages
Cannot find river bird watching cruises

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by nightshade

Cannot find river bird watching cruises

The Picnic Boat - private boat hire on the River Dart, Devon, England
Riverlink pleasure boat cruises and trips up and down the River Dart

[nightshade]

Thanks Eeyore,I thought there were specific bird watching trips

[eeyore]

not that i can find - the top link is a private charter service tho so if enough people were interested you could hire it specifically for a birdwatching trip

[nightshade]

Vinnie, I have just had a couple of days at Slapton Ley (Nature Reserve)
The Camping Club site at Slapton Village is superb(Two pubs)there is another
at Prawle-Point which does not have full facilates
The Ley has Waterfowl,Otter,Adders etc.one side of the bridge to the village
was choked with Roach,Perch and Pike hundreds in one place
The Roadside Verges are brilliant with flowers, the Foreshore was stuffed with
plants and flowers some cordoned off (because they are rare?)Seabirds abound
There were Geese,Owls,Raptors.Bats were everywhere around the campsite,
and around the Ley
There are are walks from Dartmouth to Prawle-Point along the coast,met two
lovely Ladies on the way to Prawle Point and recommended Wild About to them
(and many more unsuspecting Holiday makers )
If I had the money I would buy the area will go again in May

[Ian Gray]

Hi Nightshade,
Sounds like you had a great time. I agree it's a great campsite,
especially out of season. There was a plan to open up the coast
path around the Blackpool sands area instead of the path going
inland on the stretch between slapton and Dartmouth. Do you know
whether this has happened yet.

[nightshade]

I had not heard of an extension around Blackpool sands but
have booked to go again so will look into it
The main topic of heated conversation was the proposal to
abandon the lovely coast road and run a road further inland
The Slapton Ley is the largest freshwater lake in the South West
and is only seperated from the sea by a narrow strip of shingle beach
and the existing road,lose the road and its importance and the feeling is
the ley would be neglected and become brackish or just join the sea

[Kymba]

I was lucky enough to grow up in Plymouth not far from Slapton. I use to spend many weekends there as it is one of my most favourite places. There is a great amount of Bird and Wildlife there, A must for anyone interested in wildife... It also has an amazing History that makes it very popular with Tourists.
My Favourite time to go there is in the winter when it is Cold ,Windy and Wild and there are hardly any people about.
In the Summer you can get amazing Fish and Chips

[Tursiops2]

Originally Posted by Kymba

In the Summer you can get amazing Fish and Chips

And superb locally-made ice cream, if I remember correctly, the real stuff.
I remember witnessing a huge fall of Clouded Yellows there when I was a teenager. Nice place, I haven't been there for a long long time.
T2

[Kymba]

Originally Posted by Tursiops2

And superb locally-made ice cream, if I remember correctly, the real stuff.
I remember witnessing a huge fall of Clouded Yellows there when I was a teenager. Nice place, I haven't been there for a long long time.
T2

I haven't been there for Three years but intend to visit when i go back Home sometime later in the summer ( after all the tourists have gone home )
Dawlish is the place to go for ice cream in Devon... But for the best ice Cream you have to go to Cornwall and have Real cornish Ice Crean with a big dollop of Clotted Cream on top