A working fishing village, home to Berry Head, Sharkham Point and Gillard Road Nature Reserve.
A working fishing village, home to Berry Head, Sharkham Point and Gillard Road Nature Reserve.
Berry Head is a National Nature Reserve, home to the rare greater horseshoe bat, the UK’s most southerly guillemot colony and a variety of rare or threatened flora and fauna. The headland, which juts out in to the sea in front of Brixham, offers magnificent views across Torbay and features some of the UK’s best-preserved Napoleonic fortifications. You will find a visitor centre and cafe in the guardhouse. For more about Berry Head NNR.
Managed as part of Berry Head NNR, this site has a car park, footpaths and horse-riding route. Although it was once a landfill site, the Trust is trying to manage and improve the site for wildlife.
Sharkham Point is part of the South Hams Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Berry Head National Nature Reserve (NNR). It was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1952. The former quarry and capped landfill site in the centre of Sharkham Point is also designated as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR). The underlying Devonian limestone gives rise to the particular diversity of plants found here.
Running along the coast from Elberry Cove to Brixham, these woods have been replanted with native broad-leaves following the extensive felling of diseased larch. The restoration will improve the woodland for wildlife and secure the future of the woodland. Walk through the woods to the peaceful Churston Cove, a pretty shingle cove with clear water, excellent for swimming and snorkelling!
This coastal farm occupies an important green belt area at Broadsands. Once threatened with development, it was leased to the Trust by Torbay Council for safe keeping and is run by a long-term farming family. Elberry Cove is a shingle beach with clear water in a peaceful setting but is an approved water-ski site. The Cove is also important for its sea-grass beds just offshore, which are breeding grounds for young fish and native seahorses. Next to the cove are the ruins of the Elberry Bath House where Lord Churston used to take a cold dip after sweating it out in a hot tub!
This land was given to Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust to provide much-needed habitat for the greater horseshoe bat and cirl bunting. The fields are grazed by the Trust’s organic ‘Ruby Red’ Devon cattle and the hedges allowed to grow tall and bushy. This will encourage an abundance of large insects including dung beetles, cockchafers and moths, which provide food for bats. The land is managed specifically for cirl buntings too. There are surfaced paths running around and across the site.
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Amazing wildlife, family fun, tree climbing, cookery schools, animal visits, woodland trails, historic fortifications and beautiful cliff top walks…
You just need the time to fit it all in.
