Blog: Salcombe Estuary

Beneath the beautiful Salcombe-Kingsbridge estuary lurks one of Britain’s most valuable and threatened habitats. Recognised as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a local nature reserve, the estuary supports significant seagrass meadows, teeming with life. (more...)

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June and July have been action-packed months for the team here in South Devon, with lots of activities and events being held alongside our daily estate work.  With the tourist season upon us, we have been working hard to ensure the footpaths are cut and accessible, but please get in touch with us if you come across any that are needing attention. Some local residents and the South Hams Society continues to do a fantastic job cleaning the beach at South Milton: a big thank you to all the individuals who work hard to ensure that they  are clean and enjoyable for everyone at this busy time of year,...

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Last week a group of 20 Beaver Scouts spent their first ever night camping with us near Salcombe, South Devon, having been inspired by the Trust's '50 things to do before you're 11 3/4 ' campaign.  As you will see, spending a night away from home was quite an adventure - let alone being in a tent!! (more...)

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After the glorious sunshine of early Spring, the past few weeks have been a bit of a wash out, but despite the downpours the work goes on and a decent pair of waterproofs suddenly become invaluable!! The recent rainfall has resulted in a rapid growth of vegetation and many of our sites are now looking lush and green. All of this growth definitely keep's the rangers on their toes though with lots of strimming and mowing to be done to ensure the myriad of  footpaths across our 8000 acre estate remain open and easily accessible.  If you are fortunate enough to come across some of our ranger team...

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It seems a while back now, but last year ss part of our 2011 Walking Festival the National Trust launched ‘NT One’... 101 one mile walks in the South West. In our opinion this was a fantastic little concept which is why we thought it was deserving of its own article to highlight those 1 mile walks across South Devon countryside. As a concept ‘NT One’ aimed to encourage the South West population to get out and about and explore the country’s beautiful coast and countryside, through manageable one mile walks that would appeal to individuals of all abilities. Graded for difficulty, from...

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So there’s a bit of a short turnaround on this one, but we are looking for a Seasonal Car Park Ranger for Mill Bay for the 2012 season. Mill Bay is the National Trust car park over in East Portlemouth, so all in not a bad location to work for the summer months. During the season Mill Bay on the East Portlemouth side of the Salcombe Estuary is a busy little place thanks to its great access to the local beaches of East Portlemouth and out onto the South West Coast Path towards Prawle.
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It’s nearly the end of 2011, another year which has flown by for the ranger team. The winter brings some quieter months and with that, time to reflect on some of our highlights from 2011, so here’s a few key moments from the last 365 days!! (more...)

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Last Wednesday and Thursday our rangers were joined by volunteers from as far as Cornwall and North Devon to hone their hedgelaying skills as we staged a two day hedgelaying course down at Snapes Point on the edge of the Salcombe Estuary. The headland of Snapes is bounded by hedges which provide a wonderful habitat for the rare Cirl Bunting. A close relative of the more widespread Yellowhammer, the Cirl Bunting populations in Britain are restricted to only the most southerly tip of South Devon. Cirl Buntings rarely stray far from their breeding sites and so the management of the extensive hedge...

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Perhaps you caught the National Trust paddling the Salcombe Estuary on Countryfile, or maybe you have used our waterproof canoe map this summer? Well now on Tuesday 25 October you can come and join us on the water for the last time this year on a Canadian canoe adventure with our guide Dave Halsall of Singing Paddles. (more...)

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Autumns in the air, which for the rangers means that it is time to begin our annual tree inspections. Each year the trees across our land are given an annual health check for dead, dying or dangerous specimens. Whilst monitoring of the condition of our trees and woodlands is a continual process throughout the year, autumn is the perfect time for a thorough inspection, as once the leaves begin to fall it is much easier to assess the condition of the trees canopy. (more...)

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