Author Archives: manonabeach

About manonabeach

On a beach…welcome to manonabeach.com, where I’ll regularly add video of my beach visits, so you can enjoy a flavour of the beach, even when you’re not there.

Dartmouth

Season: winter

Dartmouth has a rich heritage, in terms of both maritime leisure and naval traditions. It’s one of the most well-to-do towns in South Devon and is a magnet for visitors and yachting enthusiasts, who sail here from near and far. The River Dart provides the setting and the town supplies the up-market facilities that these visitors demand. It’s a pleasure to wander through the well-preserved Elizabethan streets, perhaps stopping at one of the many seafood restaurants, cafes and bars that are dotted among the shops on the west bank of the river.

What the beach means to Gary and Vicky.

Jon’s place by the sea.

A view from the ferry pontoon by the River Dart.

Hope Cove

Season: autumn

Bright sunshine and a stiff breeze greeted me at Hope Cove, the beaches still attracting plenty of visitors to both Inner and Outer Hope. This is an affluent part of the South Hams and the restaurants and hotel were doing a brisk trade. This section of the South West Coast Path is highly recommended. There are views across to Burgh Island and Bigbury-on-Sea from Outer Hope beach and the cliffs give a fine perspective to both beaches.

A view from the beach at low tide.

Dinghies on the beach at Hope Cove.

The appeal of the beach to Pamela and Steven.

The view from Outer Hope beach.

Season: winter

Hope Cove, comprising Inner and Outer Hope, nestles beneath dramatic cliffs and among sharp eroded rocks, which sit just offshore. An exceptionally scenic part of the South West Coast Path passes above the beach and there are plenty of facilities immediately behind the cove. The coast here is part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and both peregrine falcons and kestrels can be found just inland among the greenery. Protected by the National Trust, there is also a rich maritime history, featuring the wreck of a Spanish galleon in Tudor times and the loss of 708 souls on HMS Ramillie in 1760. This is also a notable smuggling area, with fishermen collecting barrels of brandy from the seabed in far flung days.

What the beach means to Stephen, despite here mixing up Inner and Outer Hope.

Church Cove beach, Gunwalloe

Season: winter

The high tide at Church Cove coincided with a wild, stormy morning. The sea looked, smelled, sounded and felt magnificent as it pounded onto the headlands and beach. Days like this display wonderful, natural power and harmony, uncontrollable and reassuring. Safe in the lea by the Church of St Winwalloe next to the stripped tamarisk, you can imagine the effect of another storm on the Portuguese sailors who spilled their silver, just round the corner at Dollar Cove.

An ever changing beach and the buzz of being near it for Joe.

Nick reflects on his enjoyment of the beach.

Shelter from the storm at Church Cove.

Season: summer

It was a magical summer morning at Church Cove. You’ll find this unspoilt beach just outside Gunwalloe, sitting between Poldhu Cove to the south and Halzephron Cove to the north. For this visit there was a soothing, mild breeze and bright sunshine, with tempestuous breakers crashing in on a rising tide. Church Cove, including Dollar Cove next door, has an inexplicably benign atmosphere, as testified by Andy in his chat below. Great beach, highly recommended.

Andy puts this beach into a global context.

What the beach and the sea means to Paul over a lifetime.

On the rocks at Church Cove on the Lizard Peninsula.

Season: spring

By the water at Church Cove the incoming waves were so aerated that they piled in like swathes of meringue, exploding on the black cliffs into white shards. It was sunny and warm; this felt like a timeless cove, facing the prevailing elements.

Miles explains the role of the beach and the coast in his foraging and brewing.

Picture yourself, on a beach by the ocean…