Slapton

To the south of Slapton, the A379 runs for 2½ miles along the top of a remarkable sand and shingle bank, which divides the salt water of Start Bay from the fresh water of Slapton Ley, the largest natural lake in Devon. Continually replenished by three small rivers, this shallow body of water is a designated Nature Reserve and home to large numbers of freshwater fish, insects, water-loving plants and native and migrating birds. The  Slapton Ley Field Study Centre, located in Slapton village, has leaflets detailing the delightful circular nature trails through this fascinating Site of Special Scientific Interest. 

An obelisk on the beach near Slapton, presented in 1954 by the US Army authorities to the people of the South Hams, commemorates the period in 1943 when the beach was used by Allied troops as a ‘dress rehearsal’ for the D-Day landings. The story is well told in Leslie Thomas’s novel, The Magic Army.