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About The South Hams
South of Torbay and stretching west to the outskirts of Plymouth, you will find part of Devon that takes its name of the South Hams. The country side is very hilly, with little towns, villages and farmsteads scattered over a patchwork of small irregular fields and wooded river valleys.
Picture this, classic landscapes, small sandy coves, secluded boating creeks, wooded estuaries and most the striking 60 miles of coastline. These are some of the sights that make the South Hams one of the most sought after areas in Devon.
The South Hams has no really big towns, nothing industrial. It shares Torbay`s mild climate yet lacks the English Riviera`s highly developed tourism. Much of the land is unspoilt, protected either by agriculture, the National Trust or its Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Kingsbridge/Salcombe Estuary is a site of Special Scientific Interest
Many of the villages are pristine, protected by the wealth of those who can afford to live in some of Devon`s most expensive postcodes.
The South Hams is primarily known as a boating haven because of its two extensive estuaries with their navigable inlets and picturesque moorings. The South Hams includes some of Devon`s best and cleanest beaches too, these include Blackpool Sands, Salcombe South and Bigbury-on Sea.
Slapton Ley National Nature Reserve is a remarkable area of fresh water and marsh lying behind a shingle bar which divides it from the sea. The bar runs from Strete, three miles along the edge of the coast, just a few metres away from the sea. The beach continues for another five miles past Torcross, a tiny and often battered string of houses lying between the Ley and the sea to Hallsands. Winter storms are legendary in this part of the South West coast, but on a summers day it is a good place to explore.
The whole area is a naturalists paradise and the paths along the edges of the reserve afford plenty of opportunity to watch activities in and around the lake.
South Devon as a whole was a wash with American troops in 1944 in the run up to D Day and Slapton saw plenty of action during practise for the D-Day landings. At Torcross an old Sherman tank, recovered from the seabed stands as a memorial to 800 American soldiers who lost their lives in a disastrous D-Day training exercise.
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