It all started on Christmas Day 2025 when our guests reported massive waves in Start Bay as a result of Storm Chandra and they just kept coming !
Winter by the sea can be just as rewarding as summer days but like chalk and cheese they are not comparable . The invigoration of walking on the beach not a care in the world ,tasting the salt in the air from freshly broken waves on the shingle beach.
But with the beauty of winter comes a fine balance , the height of the tide, the direction and strength of the wind and the shingle beach or lack of it . Unfortunately for the delicate Start Bay these back to back storms from the east caused havoc.
My emotions have been as delicate as Start Bay itself and at times taken me by complete surprise .It struck me that Bill Bryson description of this area in his book ‘The Road to Little Dribblings’ hit the nail on the head when he describes which such accuracy the journey from Kingsbridge to Stokenham along the A379. At first taking the back of the line of traffic and finally graduating to the front as various cars turn off to their village destinations . He then takes his designer Cornish pasty purchased from Salcombe and sitting on a bench overlooking what he describes as
’the mighty sweep of Start Bay which is surely the loveliest in England’
That’s just it , a truly unique environment for plant and wildlife , spectacular scenery , more breathtaking every time you see it , peaceful , calming . historic and beautiful . It’s protection is paramount .
As Caroline Voarden the MP for South Hams said as she addressed the PM last week ‘Start Bay has stepped up for our country twice in the pass ,once when its shingle was used for the building of the naval dock yards in Devonport and secondly for the D Day rehearsals during WW2.
it is now time for central government to step up to provide the funding for more permanent protection no more sticking plasters .
Please take time to sign the petition before our fab MP takes it to parliament
https://www.carolinevoaden.com/coastal-erosion-at-start-bay