The Erme is a river in south
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. From its source on
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers .
The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous ...
it flows in a generally southerly direction past some of the best-preserved archaeological remains on the moor. It leaves the moor at the town of
Ivybridge
Ivybridge is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the South Hams, in Devon, England. It lies about east of Andy Hughes’ new house in Ivybridge now he’s forgotten Ugborough. It is at the southern extremity of Dartmoor, a N ...
and continues southward, passing the settlements of
Ermington,
Modbury
Modbury is a large village, ecclesiastical parish, civil parish and former manor situated in the South Hams district of the county of Devon in England. Today due to its large size it is generally referred to as a "town" although the parish co ...
and
Holbeton
Holbeton is a civil parish and village located 9 miles south east of Plymouth in the South Hams district of Devon, England. At the 2001 census the parish had a population of 579, down from 850 in 1901. By 2011 it had increased to 619.
The south ...
. Near Holbeton it becomes a
ria
A ria (; gl, ría) is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea.
Definitions
Typically rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they ca ...
and empties into the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
in Bigbury Bay, between the rivers
Yealm and
Avon.
Toponymy
The
Ravenna Cosmography
The ''Ravenna Cosmography'' ( la, Ravennatis Anonymi Cosmographia, "The Cosmography of the Unknown Ravennese") is a list of place-names covering the world from India to Ireland, compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around 700 AD. Text ...
, an imperfect list of place-names that was compiled in the early 8th century from late Roman sources, lists amongst many others, over twenty names that probably refer to places in south-west England. Most of these have not been positively identified, but the name ''Aramis/Aranus/Armis'' was suggested to be the River Erme by Rivet and Smith in ''The Place-names of Roman Britain'' (1979).
The first certain documentary reference to the river is as ''Irym'' in the
cartulary
A cartulary or chartulary (; Latin: ''cartularium'' or ''chartularium''), also called ''pancarta'' or ''codex diplomaticus'', is a medieval manuscript volume or roll (''rotulus'') containing transcriptions of original documents relating to the fo ...
of
Buckfast Abbey
Buckfast Abbey forms part of an active Benedictine monastery at Buckfast, near Buckfastleigh, Devon, England. Buckfast first became home to an abbey in 1018. The first Benedictine abbey was followed by a Savignac (later Cistercian) abbey cons ...
, dated 1240. Other early recorded forms are ''Hyrm'', ''Irm'', ''Erm'' and, in the mid 16th century, ''Arme''. The derivation of the name remains unknown.
Ekwall's suggestion that it is a
back-formation
In etymology, back-formation is the process or result of creating a new word via inflection, typically by removing or substituting actual or supposed affixes from a lexical item, in a way that expands the number of lexemes associated with the c ...
from ''Ermington'' is now thought to be unlikely.
Tristram Risdon
Tristram Risdon (c. 1580 – 1640) was an English antiquarian and topographer, and the author of ''Survey of the County of Devon''. He was able to devote most of his life to writing this work. After he completed it in about 1632 it circulated ar ...
, in his 1811 ''Survey of Devon'' gives an alternate name for the River Erme as the River Arme. He also refers to the mouth of the River Erme as Armouth. In
Donn's map of Devon published in 1765, the village of Mothecombe at the mouth of the river, is referred to as Muddicomb.
On Dartmoor
The River Erme rises near the centre of southern
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers .
The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous ...
on the
Abbot's Way less than a mile to the south of the source of the
River Plym
The River Plym is a river in Devon, England. It runs from Dartmoor in the centre of the county southwest to meet the River Meavy, then south towards Plymouth Sound. The river is popular with canoeists, and the Plym Valley Railway runs alongsi ...
. Between these two sources lies
Duck's Pool, where there is a plaque and letterbox in memory of the Dartmoor author
William Crossing
William Crossing (1847–1928) was a writer and chronicler of Dartmoor and the lives of its inhabitants. He lived successively at South Brent, Brentor and at Mary Tavy but died at Plymouth, Devon.
Early life
Crossing was born in Plymouth on 14 N ...
. There are extensive early
tin mining
Tin mining began early in the Bronze Age, as bronze is a copper-tin alloy. Tin is a relatively rare element in the Earth's crust, with approximately 2 ppm (parts per million), compared to iron with 50,000 ppm.
History
Tin extraction and use can ...
workings nearby known as Erme Pits, which are in places over 15 metres deep.
For the first mile or so the river flows south-eastwards. It is joined on the north bank by Wollake, which is the lower part of the Blacklane Brook that rises on the southern flanks of
Fox Tor
Fox Tor is a relatively minor tor on Dartmoor in the county of Devon, England.
On the flank of the tor, about 500 m to the north stands Childe's Tomb - according to local legend, the last resting place of Childe the Hunter, an unfortunat ...
a mile and a half to the north, between Crane Hill and Naker's Hill. The short streams, Dry Lake and Red Lake also join on this side, the latter rising near the disused clay works at
Redlake. The
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...
of Red Lake, and the source of the Erme are two of the thirty-three places that delineate the ancient boundary of the
Forest of Dartmoor
The Forest of Dartmoor is an ancient royal forest covering part of Dartmoor, Devon, England.
A royal forest was an area reserved by the king for hunting, and William the Conqueror introduced the concept of forest law in England in the 11th ce ...
. On this stretch, a short stream flowing down Hortonsford Bottom from Langcombe Hill also joins the river from the south.
Between Stingers Hill and Redlake the river turns southward into an area known as The Meadow, where it is crossed by the Upper Erme stone row, the longest on Dartmoor at . For the next mile or more downstream from here there are extensive archaeological remains on the river's banks, most notably Erme Pound (the highest and largest
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
enclosure in the area), Downing's House (a well-preserved "tinner's cache" or "beehive hut" with much of its roof preserved),
[Butler 1993, pp.65–6.] and a number of tinner's huts and
blowing houses.
![River Erme - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/River_Erme_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1299803.jpg)
As the river reaches the edge of the high moor, it flows through the
gorge
A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...
it has cut between Stalldown Barrow on the west and Piles Hill to the east. Here, on the eastern bank, lies Piles Copse which is one of the few areas of
ancient woodland
In the United Kingdom, an ancient woodland is a woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (or 1750 in Scotland). Planting of woodland was uncommon before those dates, so a wood present in 16 ...
on Dartmoor and a
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
.
Although the moorland valley of the Erme today appears to be natural and unspoiled, the entire valley floor from its source down to Piles Copse is artificial, being created by the extensive
tin-streaming operations that took place between the 4th and 14th centuries.
Supporting evidence for this was provided by a study published in 2004 which showed that phases of
aggradation
Aggradation (or alluviation) is the term used in geology for the increase in land elevation, typically in a river system, due to the deposition of sediment. Aggradation occurs in areas in which the supply of sediment is greater than the amount o ...
occurred lower down the valley between the 4th century and the 7th century, and in the 13th century.
Leaving the open moor, the river passes into enclosed land and under its first road bridge at the hamlet of
Harford. At this point it is joined by the minor stream of Butter Brook, with its now disused reservoir. From Harford down to the boundary of the
national park
A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
, which here follows the main railway line between
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
and
Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
, much of the river's course is in woodland and is a popular site for kayaking and canoeing, especially in Long Timber Woods.
Ivybridge to Holbeton
After leaving the national park, the river continues southward, passing through the centre of the town of
Ivybridge
Ivybridge is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the South Hams, in Devon, England. It lies about east of Andy Hughes’ new house in Ivybridge now he’s forgotten Ugborough. It is at the southern extremity of Dartmoor, a N ...
where it formed the source of the town's prosperity by powering a
grist mill
A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...
, a
paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...
and a
fulling and tucking mill.
In 1813 the only bridge over the river in the village (as it was then) was the inspiration for
J. M. W. Turner's painting ''The Ivy Bridge''.
Immediately south of Ivybridge, the river passes beneath the A38
Devon Expressway
The A38, parts of which are known as Devon Expressway, Bristol Road and Gloucester Road, is a major A-class trunk road in England.
The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, making it the longest two ...
– the main road link between Exeter and Plymouth – and then continues to flow southerly through countryside. On its western bank is the village of
Ermington with its famous crooked church spire
and the
Grade I listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
Flete House
Flete House is a Grade I listed country house at Holbeton, in the South Hams region of Devon, England.
History
With roots in Saxon times, the Manor of Flete was held by the Damarell family from 1066 until the time of Edward III. The earlies ...
, the river has been measured near the village since 1973, yielding an average flow of .
The
A379 road between
Modbury
Modbury is a large village, ecclesiastical parish, civil parish and former manor situated in the South Hams district of the county of Devon in England. Today due to its large size it is generally referred to as a "town" although the parish co ...
and
Yealmpton
Yealmpton () is a village and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is located in the South Hams on the A379 Plymouth to Kingsbridge road and is about from Plymouth. Its name derives from the River Yealm that flows through the villag ...
crosses the river at Sequer's Bridge, shortly below which the river flows over a
weir
A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...
and becomes tidal.
Surrounding this stretch of the river there are several apple orchards, remnants of the many that were once here.
Unlike most of the
South Hams
South Hams is a local government district on the south coast of Devon, England. Services divide between those provided by its own Council headquartered in Totnes, and those provided by Devon County Council headquartered in the city of Exete ...
where the field boundaries consist of
Devon hedge banks, hereabouts the boundaries are walls constructed from rounded river boulders, more like the dry stone walls found on Dartmoor.
The estuary
As it passes to the east of the village of
Holbeton
Holbeton is a civil parish and village located 9 miles south east of Plymouth in the South Hams district of Devon, England. At the 2001 census the parish had a population of 579, down from 850 in 1901. By 2011 it had increased to 619.
The south ...
the Erme becomes a
ria
A ria (; gl, ría) is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea.
Definitions
Typically rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they ca ...
with extensive areas of
salt marsh
A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is dominated ...
and mud that are uncovered at low tide. The geology of the area is mostly
slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
from the
Devonian
The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...
period. The river enters the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
near the villages of
Kingston to the east and
Mothecombe
Mothecombe is an historic estate in the parish of Holbeton in South Devon, England. The mansion house of the estate is Mothecombe House, a grade I listed building in the Queen Anne style.
History
The estate of Mothecombe was inherited by John P ...
and
Holbeton
Holbeton is a civil parish and village located 9 miles south east of Plymouth in the South Hams district of Devon, England. At the 2001 census the parish had a population of 579, down from 850 in 1901. By 2011 it had increased to 619.
The south ...
to the west and at the mouth of the estuary lie the beaches of Wonwell and Mothecombe. The estuary is surrounded by the 5,000 acre Flete Estate.
History
In 1991 and 1992 some 42 tin ingots were found in the mouth of the estuary
on the north side of the West Mary Reef. These date from between 500 BC and 600 AD.
Tin mining
Tin mining began early in the Bronze Age, as bronze is a copper-tin alloy. Tin is a relatively rare element in the Earth's crust, with approximately 2 ppm (parts per million), compared to iron with 50,000 ppm.
History
Tin extraction and use can ...
was in existence on
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers .
The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous ...
from an early date.
Dartmoor tin-mining
The tin mining industry on Dartmoor, Devon, England, is thought to have originated in pre-Roman times, and continued right through to the 20th century, when the last commercially worked mine (Golden Dagger Mine) closed in November 1930 (though it ...
would have been a major part of the South Devon economy throughout its history.
There is an Iron Age
hill fort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
at
Holbury
Holbury is a village in Hampshire, England. It is part of the parish of Fawley.
Overview
Historically a small and scarcely populated village, Holbury and the adjoining hamlet of Hardley now has a sizeable population and a considerable number of ...
near
Holbeton
Holbeton is a civil parish and village located 9 miles south east of Plymouth in the South Hams district of Devon, England. At the 2001 census the parish had a population of 579, down from 850 in 1901. By 2011 it had increased to 619.
The south ...
overlooking the estuary from the west and evidence of a very early 11th Century fort and settlement just a little way inland at Oldaport. In the 1950s and again in the 1990s a variety of fragments of "Dark Ages" and Roman pots were discovered on Mothecombe beach
There are four ruined
lime kiln
A lime kiln is a kiln used for the calcination of limestone (calcium carbonate) to produce the form of lime (material), lime called quicklime (calcium oxide). The chemical equation for this chemical reaction, reaction is
:Calcium carbonate, Ca ...
s in the estuary; all are in an advanced state of disrepair. Limestone came by sea from
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
quarries. Coal arrived on the beach from South Wales and was unloaded to horse-drawn carts. Some was stored in a shed at the top of the Mothecombe slip, but some was loaded into a small barge to move further up the estuary as far as Efford.
From Clyng Corn Mill (now a private house to Orcheton Quay) there used to be a canal which has long since silted up and is now just a small stream. This canal brought goods to and from Modbury and beyond. "Runaway Lane" was the main link between Orcheton Quay and Modbury. The 1809 Ordnance Survey map shows the canal very clearly.
There was a fishing community on Wonwell beach for many years but the houses are now in ruins and overgrown. Professional fishermen worked the beach until the 1960s. The main catch was
lobster
Lobsters are a family (biology), family (Nephropidae, Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs ...
and
crab
Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...
. These were boiled on the beach and carried to the village of Kingston on donkeys. The
withies
A withy or withe (also willow and osier) is a strong flexible willow stem, typically used in thatching, basketmaking, gardening and for constructing woven wattle hurdles. which were used to make the pots and panniers were grown in willow plats (areas of pollarded willow) in the area.
Many ships have been lost in the area over the centuries. The
Salcombe Cannon Wreck
The Salcombe Cannon wrecksite is close to two other designated wrecksites in the Erme Estuary which the South West Maritime Archaeological Group (SWMAG) was licensed to investigate. In 1992 this group described the Salcombe Cannon site as:
: ...
of the 1630s is a notable site. A large cast iron Swedish gun dating to 1690–1720 has been found in the estuary. On 15 December 1793, went aground on the jagged East Mary rocks, which together with the West Mary Rocks form a mostly submerged bar to the estuary. At the court martial, the vessel's pilot stated that he believed that he was entering
Plymouth Sound
Plymouth Sound, or locally just The Sound, is a deep inlet or sound in the English Channel near Plymouth in England.
Description
Its southwest and southeast corners are Penlee Point in Cornwall and Wembury Point in Devon, a distance of abo ...
, some 14 miles west.
Smuggling
Smuggling activity took place in the estuary. Initially the coast was patrolled by the
Riding Officers of the Preventive, supplanted by the
coastguard
A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
s: on the Mothecombe side are the original Coastguard Cottages - just above Coastguard Beach. "Customs Ports" were first set out in 1558 as administrative areas. In 1786 when every part of the coastline came under the jurisdiction of the local "Customs Port", the Plymouth jurisdiction extended as far east as Challaborough and therefore covered the estuary. Records show that the Coastguard Station existed at Mothecombe in 1822 with 5 Boatmen and an Officer. In 1870 the Chief Officer of Coastal Guard at Mothecombe was Robert S Matson. By 1881 the River Erme was included in the
Dartmouth "Customs Port". Coastguards were also based in the village of Kingston. The next station going east was at Charlaborough (Ringmore) - now called Challaborough.
World War II
''Persier'' was hit by a torpedo near to the
Eddystone Lighthouse
The Eddystone Lighthouse is a lighthouse that is located on the dangerous Eddystone Rocks, south of Rame Head in Cornwall, England. The rocks are submerged below the surface of the sea and are composed of Precambrian gneiss. View at 1:50000 ...
in 1945 and her wreck is just outside the estuary.
In 1940 a detachment of Indian troops were stationed at Woodleigh and there is a remembrance of these troops and their mules delivering barbed wire to Mothecombe for the coastal defences.
There was a memory of a dog setting off mines on the estuary recorded in a publication produced by the Kingston History Society. A platoon of the 5th Buffs Regiment was stationed on Wonwell Beach; some in a Nissen Hut and some in one of the old cottages. One soldier was stationed at the phone box in Kingston to take messages to the beach. There was a
mine field
A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automatic ...
at the high-water mark which was fenced on the landward side. Mothecombe Beach had a similar minefield. One of the mines on Wonwell was set off by a missing dog after the platoon at Wonwell had been withdrawn (as the beach was covered from Mothecombe). Others became unstable and also exploded.
The 1919 and 1947 Ordnance Survey maps show a "rifle range" stretching up the estuary from Owen's Point to Pamflete—this may have been related to war time activity.
Film locations
Filming took part for some of the ''
Hornblower'' TV series on the Wonwell slip, Wonwell Beach and Mothecombe Beach. ''
International Velvet'' (1978) has an opening scene across the sands. In 1985 Scobbiscombe Farm, which is above and just to the east of the estuary, was used as a location for the film
Revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
which concerned the American War of Independence. The cast included
Al Pacino
Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy ...
,
Donald Sutherland
Donald McNichol Sutherland (born 17 July 1935) is a Canadian actor whose film career spans over six decades. He has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films ''Citizen X'' (1995) an ...
and a whole host of cut out
British Red Coats, one of whom found a new home in a local greenhouse for a while. ''
Sense and Sensibility
''Sense and Sensibility'' is a novel by Jane Austen, published in 1811. It was published anonymously; ''By A Lady'' appears on the title page where the author's name might have been. It tells the story of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor (age 19) a ...
'' (1995) was shot at various locations on the estuary including Efford House (country home of the "Dashwoods"), Mothecombe House and Mothecombe Beach. ''
Rebecca
Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...
'' (1996) was filmed at Mothecombe.
Today
The estuary is now designated as an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of thei ...
, and an Erme Estuary Management Plan has been produced. The
South West Coast Path
The South West Coast Path is England's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Because it rises a ...
crosses between the slipways on the Wonwell (eastern) and Mothecombe (western) sides of the
estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
, but crossing is only possible at low tide - and even then walkers are very likely to get their knees wet. The alternative route by road is some 9 miles around the estuary. The 1947
Ordnance Survey
, nativename_a =
, nativename_r =
, logo = Ordnance Survey 2015 Logo.svg
, logo_width = 240px
, logo_caption =
, seal =
, seal_width =
, seal_caption =
, picture =
, picture_width =
, picture_caption =
, formed =
, preceding1 =
, di ...
map show this as a vehicular ford
[Ordnance Survey Sheet 20/64 Scale 1:25,000 1947] between the slipways. There is another ford marked on the 1947 map between Saltercrease and Efford, but this is now said to be too deep to cross.
Flora and fauna
Little egrets are now year-round residents.
Curlew
The curlews () are a group of nine species of birds in the genus ''Numenius'', characterised by their long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. The English name is imitative of the Eurasian curlew's call, but may have been in ...
s,
oystercatchers
The oystercatchers are a group of waders forming the family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, ''Haematopus''. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and South East Asia. The e ...
and
common shelduck
The common shelduck (''Tadorna tadorna'') is a waterfowl species of the shelduck genus, ''Tadorna''. It is widespread and common in the Euro-Siberian region of the Palearctic, mainly breeding in temperate and wintering in subtropical regions; i ...
s are all regular visitors and
kingfishers
Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...
are often seen above Holbeton.
Weaverfish bury themselves in the gravel in the low water.
Beaches
Mothecombe Beach (also called Meadowsfoot Beach) is only open on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The building on the south side of the beach was a private tea room built in 1873-1875 by Mr H Mildmay for use during private picnics. It is built on the foundations of an early lime kiln. Other private tea houses were built elsewhere on the Flete estate. A little further to the south there is a small circular stone wall which fills with water as the tide comes in. This used to be a swimming pool, but no longer functions as such. A little further on is a WW2
pillbox Pillbox may refer to:
* Pill organizer, a container for medicine
* Pillbox hat, a woman's hat with a flat crown, straight upright sides, and no brim
* Pillbox (military)
A pillbox is a type of blockhouse, or concrete dug-in guard-post, norm ...
.
Coastguards Beach and Wonwell Beach are open every day. Coastguards Beach also has a pillbox although it is now almost covered by undergrowth, and the remains of yet another lie a little south of Coastguards beach, but this has been damaged by the sea.
References
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erme
Rivers of Devon
Dartmoor
South Hams