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Instow Beach

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GB from Devizes
GB from Devizes
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
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1
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3
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Instow Beach

  • May 14, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by GB from Devizes from Devizes, United Kingdom
Instow Beach

For all my travels through Devon I had never visited this little seaside town that sits on the estuary of the River Torridge and overlooks the town made famous by Charles Kingsley in his novel Westward Ho!

Instow sits between the two bustling towns of Bideford and Barnstaple and is a gentle 30 minute drive along the wooded Torridge Valley from my base in Dolton.

First impressions are those of a place slightly caught in a time warp; rows of Victorian villas, the promenade that flanks the broad beach and an air of quiet sophistication. I slide into an parking space and unload the dogs who are keen to explore this pooch-friendly beach, along with the other paraphernalia necessary for a couple of hours on the yellow sand. Being so close to the sea here means that the Torridge estuary is tidal and it’s clear to see that the tide is receding at some rate of knots, as various sand bars are revealed and the number of yachts sitting on their keels increases by the minute.

The expanse of sand here is incredible; at low tide it’s possible to walk across the estuary to Appledore and Northam whilst the golden crescent stretches away to the north towards the River Taw estuary that meets the sea at right angles to the Torridge to form one huge sand dune and wetlands area, a haven for wading birds.

I stake my temporary claim on a area of sand, whack in the wind break and let the dogs off for a sniff around. Of course, with the ebbing tide, they find a multitude of hitherto non experienced smells and sights such as crabs scuttling to find the next rapidly draining rock pool and the intense aroma of bladder-rack seaweed desiccating in the warm sunshine.

The beach appears to be filling up with families, speaking with a selection of Mancunian, Liverpudlian, Tyneside, and Black Country accents. I bet they can’t believe their luck at how lovely the weather is today for what is traditionally a wet month here in the UK.

I settle back for a well-earned snooze knowing that the dogs will settle down once they’ve exhausted all these new found delights and sure enough, after 15 minutes or so, they return to my little den and lay down in the sun beside me.

I awake after an hour or so and take a stroll along the beach right down to the low water mark. It seems strange to be walking past yachts that are normally sitting in 12 or 15 feet of water. Beachcombing!! – what a delight, whomever invented this glorious past-time should be knighted. Cuttlefish bones, driftwood, seaweed, crabs, shells, the occasional discarded child’s sandal, barnacles, limpets and cockles all clinging to the drying rocks with the ever-hopeful seagulls wheeling overhead – how much fun can you have for free?

Soon it’s time to go and I wave a fond farewell to Instow, knowing I'll be back one day soon.

From journal Under Canvas in North Devon

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