Berry Head and St Mary’s Bay

Spring weather is always a bit chancy, but I and a friend were lucky with a dry day for our walk. We parked near the harbour in Brixham, and enjoyed the chaotic visual feast that is the working port. Wouldn’t they make great jigsaws?

I can never resist the delights of fishing paraphernalia, although I have a huge collection of photos of nets, lobster pots and floats already!

Then, we walked south to Berry Head nature reserve through woodland loud with birdsong and dotted with wild cyclamen, and onto the clifftop where we had wonderful views over Torbay.

There are two Napoleonic forts on the headland, both constructed with massive stone walls and crenellated. Most of the structures inside the walls are now gone, but the magazine remains, with its thick brick lining and barrel-shaped roof.

After exploring the forts, we walked on to St Mary’s Bay on a clifftop path with lovely views of the rocky coast under dramatic cloudy skies, bird colonies and early spring flowers. Less lovely is the sprawling rash of holiday chalets and modern housing that covers the clifftops for what seems like miles. We found a path through one of the eerily tidy and silent private estates which was reminiscent of scenes from “The Prisoner”, before descending into the normality of council estates and back to the centre of town for a sandwich and a cuppa.

I’m already looking forward to planning another visit to see the lighthouse and go down to the beach. Happy days!