A quick post from the end of August as I do my best to catch up with my walks and outings. My youngest needed to head to Slapton Sands to do some Geography homework before going back to school. He needed to measure the beach there for some coursework he had coming up regarding tides, shifting sands and other elements. I’d said I would take him at some point, tape measure in hand to gather the required information, whilst there we could look at the destroyed road at the Torcross end and have a pub lunch as well. We achieved all we needed to do, however we happened to pick the only day of drizzle across the whole summer to do it, but the fish and chips in the Start Bay Inn made up for it. A good day out with the boys.
Before starting a bit of wildlife, these deer are regularly in the car park at workCouple of Small White butterflies, doing, well, you know!The M4 Shaerman tank at the Exercise Tiger memorial. Slapton Sands was used as a practice area for the D day landings, with thousands of American soldiers staying in the area. This tank was discovered in the 1980s on the sea floor and the story of how it came to be there was unearthed after it was kept quiet by the authorities. In April 1944 two disasters struck this area and the troops training here. 22nd April friendly fire from a live bombardment hit US troops training on the beach due a communications failure. Then on 28th April a German E boat intercepted a convoy of tank landing ships practicing in the area, they scuttled lots of ships killing around 900 servicemen. This was more than died on real landing Utah beach in June that year.Slapton Beach can be seen on the right and what is left of the sea wall at the Torcross end is in front of me. Nothing has been done by the councils or government to rebuild this road yet after the winter storms last year.Start Point is the other way, the pub is up there to the rightAs we made our way along the beach, measuring, then moving 20 metres, measuring again. We spotted this grey seal on the beach. As you can see from the foreground people are fishing and in fact the seal was chasing the fish that had been caught as they were wound in!People kept a decent distance, but clearly the seal was used to people being around, so I guess its a common event for them to steal the fish as they are brought ashoreAt the top of the beach were thousands of these little sprats, not sure what brought them here in such numbers to deposit them, maybe the seals chased them and they ended up beached. Either way we took handfuls back to the water and threw them in and the seal swam over to eat them.Here is the seal after picking up those we had thrown back inThere was a family fishing and the seal was always nearbyThe end of the road, the car park is still in order behind me but there is no longer a route to Strete and the Slapton Ley is in danger of being overrun by sea water, which would decimate the wildlife in that freshwater lake. Fingers crossed they can sort it soon. We enjoyed our fish and chips and then headed home with all the facts and figures needed for the upcoming school year.
Used to know Ken Small who raised the tank. Grand chap. In the 70s I often talked to American veterans who returned for a last look. One inspired the story I put in my book Under An English Sky.
Used to know Ken Small who raised the tank. Grand chap. In the 70s I often talked to American veterans who returned for a last look. One inspired the story I put in my book Under An English Sky.
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