Saltram and Bovisand

On 20th February we went to see the spring flowers in Saltram Gardens.  Most of the snowdrops were past their best, but the crocuses made a lovely display.




























As there were black clouds gathering we did not want to walk around Saltram Park, so instead drove on to Bovisand where we sheltered in the cafe until the rain had past.  We had heard that the recent storms had washed the sand away from Sandy Palour so when the rain stopped I walked down the steps to see for myself.  I hardly recognised the beach where I had spent may happy hours building sandcastles and dams to try to stop the water coming in.  Now it is a rocky beach, with only one small patch of sand.  Where will all the sunbathers lie you?  I came away feeling quite sad.

At the bottom of the steps where you walk across rocks I noticed that the rocks were showing interesting copper colours.  Also there were a number of cracks in the rocks and some had already been damaged.  I had never seen this before.

Storm damage at Mount Batten

We have weeks of storms and heavy seas, including last night.  Today it was dry so we thought we would go for a walk around Mount Batten.  As we walked along by the river we were surprised to see the damage that has been caused by the sea.  Stones had been flung from the river onto the path.  Paving stones on the path beside the water had been taken up and flung across the grass.

The wall around the seating area of the Mount Batten Inn had been damaged and men were making it safe.  The gangway to the ferry pontoon had also been damaged and the ferry was docking further up the river.

It was amazing that there was so much damage in what is a relatively sheltered spot, in the lee of  Mount Batten  and within in the breakwater.