Sunday 1 April 2012

Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside


On Thursday we took a train down to Teignmouth on the South coast of Devon.
The weather was fantastic and because it was only March it was very quiet.  After booking into a B&B for the night we set off to walk to Dawlish which is the next town along the coast.  The train track from Teignmouth to Dawlish runs right along the sea front with a path at the side
 You can just see a tunnel in the rock ahead for the train, at which point the path goes under the track then up over the cliffs.  This is the view from the top  looking over to Dawlish


Coming down into Dawlish and there's a train just coming from the station


A brook runs down the middle of the town which is home to black swans which are the town's emblem.



It was really odd when we got back to Teignmouth and the shops had shut up for the day because it seemed like Summer not Spring.


The next day we took the little ferry from the other side of Teignmouth across the river Teign to Shaldon.


The water was so still




We continued along the coastal path, which in contrast to yesterday's walk which was mainly flat with a few hills at the end, this was all up and down. 
This is looking back at Teignmouth.  The boats are where we crossed over in the ferry


 Some parts were incredibly steep but it was hard to capture on a photo.  In this next one you can see two people in front of the tree on the left.  If they were at the bottom of that hill they would be just specks.
The beach in that photo is Ness beach which can only be reached by a tunnel which is 60 metres long.  It's an old smuggler's tunnel but has lights in it nowadays.
On our way back we went to have a look.  Here is the tunnel emerging


7 comments:

  1. Great holiday pics!! Looks like the weather was kind to you....

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  2. Looks like a wonderful walk. I do like South Devon but it is a bit of a hike from Suffolk unfortunately. Hopefully we will be able to take the camper van that far one day.

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  3. I have so many happy childhood memories of Teignmouth and Shaldon as we used to go almost every year to the same B&B. Last year I went back for the first time in years and loved going through the tunnel to Ness Beach and looking for other old haunts. I love your photos, looks like you had some wonderful weather:)

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  4. hey Georgia, what a lovely weekend away.....nice to see blue sky.
    Some beautiful scenery and i love the brook flowing through the town.

    Smugglers caves sounds very Enid Blyton, what fun to visit as a child....

    Did you find any sea glass on the beach?...

    Claire :}

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  5. I love Devon - what a fab week to go. Can't believe that weather! xxx

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  6. I love Teignmouth, Shaldon, and that little ferry. I used to go there as a kid with my family before my mum's Multiple Sclerosis got the best of her. I have such fond memories, we used to walk the dogs along Ness beach every day when we went away, and they passed away not long ago either. I also remember going to that tiiiiiny little zoo behind the beach - it was so awesome, and they had a European Hamster - it's so weird how big it is! It's bigger than a guinea pig!
    But that little ferry was the best. The water when we used it was nice and calm, too, and the boat was so small and personal, I just loved it!!
    And that river that runs through Dawlish is my favourite spot in all of Devon! I have numerous pictures of myself as a kid standing by it watching the black swans which I only looked through yesterday, coincidentally!
    I really wanna go back now! It's been 8 years!

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