Where salty and sweet meet...

I love estuaries. There's something special about places where rivers and seas meet, display the definite and distinct influence of both, and combine to create an ecosystem all of their own: a mingling of both fresh and saltwater, where changeable oceanic tidal forces meet rivers that are travelling usually at their most sedate pace but are still unstoppable in their mission to join with the sea.... However calmly or fiercely they collide, and the extent to which this occurs varies hugely depending on the geography they've helped create in the past, whether it's a brackish lagoon or an only slightly diluted rough sea inlet, they meet. And we have an estuary. It's almost like a love story of opposites. And they come together to create some of the richest and most beautiful natural habitats on the planet - both in the water and along their shores. When I volunteered at a marine aquarium some years ago I used to know a lot more details about these special environments but I recall figures suggesting that a huge proportion of the human population of the world is settled on estuaries and nearby coastal areas. It's something phenomenal like fifty to sixty percent - I forget the exact numbers. (Frightening when I realise how much stuff I know I knew once but can no longer claim to know 'cause those brain cells are all fuzzy now. Scary!)

Anyway, the area I was in down in Devon is a huge and remarkable estuary of the kind known as a Ria (I did actually remember this, which is a relief as it signifies that not all the grey matter has turned to a sieve yet!), and this means that the estuary is disproportionately large in relation to the size of the rivers that flow into it because of a change of sea level and so the influence of the sea tends to be way more evident than that of the river or rivers that join it: the smell of salt in the air, gulls, tides, waves, beaches with briny pebbles and seashells and driftwood... Lovely!

One of the delights of this particular area to me was how when the tide was in, there were almost no beaches and yet, when the tide withdrew, lots and lots of beautiful little sandy coves were revealed. It was a delight to walk them and from one to the other along the coastal paths that connect them like a string of jewels. This area of the country has been declared an AONB and I would vouch for that. Even in the rain.

And when the sun came out, they truly sparkled, these little beaches. Just like gems. The bottom photographs in each set of three are of the little cove directly in front of the hotel I stayed in and the very last one below is the view from my balcony on Saturday morning. The sunshine only lasted a few hours but it was so lovely to see it.

AONB? I thought so. How 'bout you?

p.s. apparently the little hotel I was in is one that Rod Stewart likes to stay in when he's in the area, which is still quite regularly I'm told although I believe he lives full-time in the US now. I was a little surprised to discover this. Not an obvious choice for a rock star of means. It's an absolutely lovely little place - family run for years and years, only about 30 very spacious and comfortable rooms (if mine was anything to go by), with great friendly and very professional service - but hardly rock and roll. Granted, it is still out of season so wonderfully quiet but I was probably the youngest guest by a decade or two (which I suppose is the right demographic for Mr Stewart, now that I think about it) and the decor, although immaculate, was very reminiscent of the 70s - maybe the very early 80s in the more recently updated sections - and not in a cool, hip-and-retro kind of a way. I did not spot Rod. But I did see several teased and lacquered hairdos I think he would have approved of.

p.p.s. if you are ever in the area of Salcombe, I would highly recommend this place for a bite to eat. Dick and Will know how to do seafood, and hospitality. Their tempura prawns and squid with sweet chili and wasabi is one of the most perfectly cooked and delicious things I've eaten in a long time. Washed down with a chilled pear cider. And again, the location... gorgeous!

p.p.p.s several people expressed an interest in the ponies from the post below and if you'd like to know a little more about them, this might be worth a peek.  For those who prefer the Cliffs notes version, my friend C, who knows her ponies, tells me: they are Exmoor ponies - the most ancient of British native wild ponies - and apparently this little herd is a semi-wild or semi-feral one (this accounts for the fact that they allowed me to get really quite close without any signs of concern, because they are used to hikers and walkers) and are treasured as part of the natural heritage as well as being factored into the conservation grazing strategies of the area.

Here's another picture, which shows the distinctive light markings around the muzzle that makes them easy to recognise as not being Dartmoor ponies, in case you should ever wish to make that distinction in future...

...and just because they're adorable.