National Trust make Wembury purchase

I have to say that I have a very soft spot for the Wembury area just east of Plymouth. It's not that it is a particularly spectacular part of our peninsular but it is nevertheless truly delightful. Although geographically close to Plymouth it has managed to avoid being enmeshed by that city's spreading tentacles; the fact that it lies in the South Devon AONB, that the National Trust have holdings here and that there is an active amenity society have all helped Wembury to retain its country feel. Yes its lovely little beach gets very crowded at times but a few minutes walk from this mass of humanity and its large car park full of shiny metal gets one into another world.

The "Wembury Peninsular" is bounded on the east side by the River Yealm and Cofflete Creek and its the sylvan west bank of the latter that forms Wembury Wood. The National Trust have just signed a deal to buy part of this wood which I understand will adjoin Hollacombe Wood, happily in the care of the Woodland Trust. This is great news because public access to the wooded banks of these creeks is quite limited. When people talk about the scenery of Devon and Cornwall attention is normally focused on the Moors and the Coast. That's understandable for sure bearing in mind the wonderful views and good walking opportunities they present. But I would like to sing the praises of our drowned river estuaries (or rias) and the deep woods that so often clothe their banks. Ideally viewed from a canoe there are still some examples such as at Lerryn in Cornwall where the rambler can enjoy that combination of trees and water.

Wembury Parish is criss-crossed by a number of paths and of course there is the coast path hugging the shoreline as well. It's always very satisfying to spend a day there.

Wonderful weather at Wembury

One of Plymouth's particular blessings is the very pleasing coastline close by to east and west. Not spectacular or demanding of the walker, you have to go slightly further away for that sort of scenery. But nevertheless these parts of the south west coast are really delightful. On the Cornish side the Mount Edgcumbe Country Park stretches from Rame Head to Cremyll with a short break at the twin villages of Cawsand and Kingsand. To the east of Plymouth Sound the coast runs more or less due south to Heybrook Bay before turning east at Wembury Point to pass mainly through National Trust land to Warren Point where the lovely little River Yealm makes its final turn to at last view the open sea. It was to Wembury village we made our way last Saturday.

Wembury has a particular resonance for us, my companion having lived there at one time whilst for myself well I just like it. One of the joys of the village is that it has its own distinct character being well separated from other settlements. The church is just above the beach but happily the village itself is just inland with a small buffer of rough fields and meadows in between. Well maintained toilets and a couple of low key retail outlets plus a large car park are the concessions to modernity adjacent to the little cove.

If driving from home in the mid Tamar Valley one has to go through part of Plymouth's suburbia. We used the alternative of train from Gunnislake to Plymouth and then on to Wembury by bus. Getting off the bus at the entry to the village we made our way by quiet lanes out to Warren Point passing on the way the beautiful almshouses. From Warren Point onwards we were above the Yealm estuary which one follows for about a mile with the Mewstone framed in the view. Then it's past the church and down to Wembury beach. This is an excellent example of its kind - small, sandy, gently shelving, plenty of rock pools and safe for swimming. My friend, who loves being in the water, had brought her swimming costume and didn't take long to enter the briny. Then it was on westward following the pleasantly level coast path as far as Wembury Point. This latter section not only benefits from being as close to the sea as one can get without being in it but is a fabulous location for blackberries! The area behind Wembury point was the site of HMS Cambridge, the Navy Gunnery School. Happily it is no more. The National Trust were able to purchase the land from the MoD so thankfully it is safe from development.

Throughout our stay at Wembury the weather was gloriously sunny, a dream of a September day. Including transport we had spent a superb 12 hours or so away from home.