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