Last week we had a reasonably good weather day and decided
to head for the beach, something we don’t do as often as we should. Dog
friendly beaches are few and far between at this time of year, and we decided
on one we had not previously visited: Ness Cove at Shaldon near Teignmouth. The
cliffs and therefore the sand are that amazing red sandstone, and when we
returned, we all had deep red stained feet.
It was important that Snippet had a good day too as he’s been missing
out on our long, post lunch walks during the holidays. We parked in a very
reasonably priced car park (a miracle these days), and walked down a long,
eerie tunnel cut into the cliff, emerging at the top of a steep flight of steps
down to the beach. It was soggy and dark, dripping with red water.
Snip was extremely good. It was his 3rd birthday
on the 21st and I think he’s beginning to grow up a bit. He used to
rush off after every dog he saw and get into scraps a lot. He was attached by a
black spaniel that actually got into our car when he was a puppy and he tends
to react badly if growled at, so we’ve have to be very careful about letting
him off the lead around other dogs, particularly black ones. However, he was
very, very calm and stayed close by and was very responsible when other dogs
came along. Here is a record of his day…..
We had a very pleasant few hours and even I went in the
water, trousers rolled up, looking for sea-life and scouring the cliffs for
wildlife and flora. Lots of scary signs with pictures of boulders falling and
exclamation marks so I was a bit careful. Not a great deal about but here’s
what I did find:
Common or Painted Top Shell
Tiny, tiny shore crabs
Snakelocks Anenome
Sea Campion
Restharrow
Lovely supper in a pub and then home to stain the bath red with
our feet and an early bed after all that sea air. We VERY rarely have days out
together like that. My partner is a slave to our woodburner and the chopping to
keep it fuelled, so there just isn’t usually time. It’s our only source of heat
or hot water so it’s rather crucial that it’s organised. We should definitely get out more
often as we all had a great day. Until next time, when we’ll resume moorland
service, have a lovely time wherever you are.
