A few days ago I went for a walk on North Sands beach in Salcombe. When I got there the tide was out, which meant I could get some really nice photos of the beach and the castle. Salcombe is a lovely in winter; out of season the the beaches are often quiet and empty and, although it’s cold, there’s still lots of fun to be had searching for (and photographing) all of the little interesting plants and animals hiding around the rockpools!
The really nice thing about this beach is that when the tide is this low, you can walk around to the left and find a nice old castle:
I should warn you that there are “NO ENTRY” signs all around castle because it is a ruin and the walls aren’t guaranteed to be structurally stable or safe. Here’s a bit of background information quoted from wikipedia’s article on Salcombe Castle though:
“The castle is thought to have been constructed originally during the reign of Henry VIII, to defend the Kingsbridge estuary against French andSpanish pirates. It was the last place to hold out in the Royal cause against the victorious Parliamentarian troops of Oliver Cromwell in theEnglish Civil War. Sir Edmund Fortescue was ordered to hold it in 1643, when nearby Plymouth rose against the king; he rebuilt the castle at a cost of £135 6s 11d, and gave it the name “Fort Charles”. The castle was besieged from 15 January to 7 May 1646, and surrendered then only because it became clear that all other royalist strongholds had been overrun; the garrison were allowed to withdraw with their colours flying. After the Civil War the castle was “slighted” (ruined) on the orders of Parliament as it was “too dangerous” to allow it to remain.”
Anyway, after that brief history lesson (and to finish) here’s a picture of a some inquisitive ducks. They seemed to be having a pretty good time down by the water’s edge.
Hope you’ve enjoyed the pictures! Feel free to comment – I’m happy to answer any questions or just have a nice chat!
H xxx
Hannah Sterry 
Love the Ducks! 🙂
How is North Sands at low tide? Are there plenty of rocky outcrops to investigate? I am leading a group out on fieldwork this week and hope to look for limpets down there
The good rockpools at North Sands are mostly on the left hand side of the beach, near the ruined castle. It should be easy to find plenty of limpets there (and anemones/shrimps/small fish) as long as you get there at low tide – at high tide there’s hardly any beach at all.
Hope that helps!
Hallo, I love the photos and the info, I am moving to Malborough in a weeks time and cant wait to explore the Salcombe area and beaches, I didnt even know there was a castle!
If you want to give guided tour one day do please let me know!! then I might not get lost and will be able to find everything:) as I have no idea how to get there! [I dont drive]
And would love to chat more about the area.
Hello!
I’m afraid I don’t drive yet either (I’m learning), but I’d be happy to give you a bit of a tour and help you find anything. I don’t know how much you know about the area already, but if you don’t mind a bit of a walk, the coast path between Salcombe and Hope Cove is beautiful and still amazes me. Buses run between Salcombe, Malborough and Kingsbridge almost every hour from about 8am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday too (Kingsbridge is where the nearest supermarkets are).
Most people here are friendly and will be happy to help out if you need anything. If there’s anything you’d like to know, just ask! 🙂