Category: Blog
Our visit to Totnes by Conversant Traveller
Wild animals caught on camera at rewilding site Sharpham
Thrilling images of animals and birds have been caught on camera on the Sharpham Estate, near Totnes, South Devon.
Foxes, a tawny owl and a hedgehog are amongst the creatures caught unawares by hidden cameras on the Estate, around the site of the Sharpham Trust’s rewilding project which began earlier this year.
The Trust was awarded £177,400 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to make more space for wildlife and take action for nature in a three-year project called Sharpham Wild for People. The grant will help in turning the Sharpham Estate organic, re-wilding parts of its historic landscape and helping more people engage with the nature there – from members of the public to students of conservation learning to use camera traps.
“These first pictures of hedgehogs are amazing because as far as we know this is the first record of them being this far into the estate for over 20 years.” said Simon Roper, from Ambios Ltd, the nature conservation & education organisation which deployed the cameras via its trainees.
“Although our rewilding project has only just begun it is so encouraging to get this image of an animal likely to benefit from our future work in restoring nature. Sharing these pictures is a step towards connecting people with nature,” he added.
Camera Trapping
The day- and night-time images show a variety of feathered and furred animals, from a Tawny Owl in a tree to a Blackcap by a pool.
There’s a fox, believed to be a nursing mum, a song thrush bathed in the sun’s rays, a crow close-up and a variety of songbirds beside a pond.
One of the happiest sights is a hedgehog, caught in a night-sight shot, snuffling in undergrowth.
“Hedgehogs have been in decline for many years,” said Jack Skuse, Director of Ambios Ltd, the nature conservation training organisation helping Sharpham Trust to deliver The National Lottery Heritage Fund project. “It was exciting to catch one on camera. This is the mating season, so perhaps this one was looking for a mate.”
The images were collected by students on an Ambios course in camera trapping. The hedgehog pictures were gathered by student whose place is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund grant.
Organic conversion for Sharpham farmland
An important aspect of the project Sharpham Wild for People is the exploration of organic farming techniques such as less-intensive grazing, in order to support biodiversity.
Ambios Ltd already operates Lower Sharpham Farm, an organic farm on the Sharpham Estate, and has just signed a tenancy to take over a further 50 acres of Sharpham parkland, which will be restored to parkland and wood pasture (a habitat with trees that would have characterised Sharpham parkland at the time of its design, in 1762). An additional 137 acres of land has been leased to farmer David Camp for organic conversion.
“A key mission for Sharpham is to care for wildlife and enable people to connect with our natural world,” said Trust Director Julian Carnell.
“Because of this project, almost all the estate land will be managed organically which has proven benefits for wildlife,” he said.
The effects of Covid-19
The project was to include school visits, public events, volunteering & training opportunities this summer and autumn, in order to enable a wider range of people to engage with and understand the land’s natural heritage.
The Coronavirus pandemic has meant that these have been postponed. However, the Trust hopes to start some of these in September, and is pressing ahead with other project goals such as introducing livestock, fencing and surveying wildlife.
Totnes Castle
Support local businesses
We may still be asking visitors to #ComeBackLater due to the latest Government advice to #StayAlert and #StaySafe however you can still support many of our local, independent businesses by shopping online with many offering free postage, or if you're local you can take advantage of some of the home deliveries available.
As always, let me know if I've missed anything. Local businesses, if you have any updates or NHS / key worker special offers please DM me and I'll add them to the list, thanks.
nhs.uk OFFER
China Blue - they have been giving away a little box of treats to the NHS army in blue, carers, police force and all other key workers in the area to say thank you. You can collect from the front door
The Kitchen Table - they are offering free stews to Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust paid for by the lovely community members. They can be claimed at any time but need to be collected
Devon Yurts - will offer special discounts to NHS workers as soon as they're able to re-open. Get in touch with owner Liz to find out more, discounts depend on the length of stay (ID to be presented please)
TTS Tyre Services - offering NHS workers free puncture service, free tyre safety checks & discounts on purchases
A Choice of Gifts from Out of the Blue - they will be offering 20% off to all NHS staff as soon as they are able to re-open (ID to be presented please)
Canoe Adventures Devon - watch this space for their NHS offer for as soon as they're able to open again.
Smitty's Hairsalon - watch this space for their NHS offer for as soon as they're able to open again.
JazKids - watch this space for their NHS offer for as soon as they're able to open again.
FAB Totnes - watch this space for their NHS / Key Worker offer as soon as they're able to open again with a discount and relaxation package
GIFTS / HOMEWARE
ME AND EAST - check their website or send them a DM. FREE postage with orders over £50 or £2.95 https://meandeast.com
China Blue - online shop including paint your own kits https://china-blue-shop.co.uk/collections/arts-crafts/products/paint-your-own-kit-mug-1
A Choice of Gifts from Out of the Blue - buy online www.a-choice-of-gifts.co.uk
Yvonne Comber - offering a 25% discount off her prints, hand embellished canvases and original paintings. www.yvonnecoomber.com - enter code LOVEISTHEANSWER at the checkout
Love Frankie - buy online https://www.lovefrankie.com
Little Blue Budgie - buy online https://www.littlebluebudgie.co.uk/ or phone 01803 847800 / message via facebook
Penelope Tom - buy online https://www.penelopetom.com/
Pagoda Interiors - free delivery for online orders https://www.pagodainteriors.co.uk/
FASHION
Colony Life Store - online orders via their website with FREE delivery on orders over £20 https://colonyshops.com
Conker Shoes - UK customers get FREE UK delivery for all orders made online including shoes, belts, bags, use code FREESHIP20 https://conkershoes.com
Salago - check out their online shop with this season’s ADINI and the 2020 sandals by Earth Spirit all with BIG DISCOUNTS. https://salago.co.uk
Fifty5a and Fifty5a men's store - offering free p&p and personal Totnes delivery via their telephone ordering - 01803 866681 or DM or email [email protected]
SMALL-FOLK - check their online shop & free UK shipping (no end date). Use code POSITIVITY at checkout for the free postage https://small-folk.co.uk
ART
White Space Art - check out their online gallery. Offering 10% discount & free delivery on all artworks in the Easter exhibition (and across the site) while the gallery remains physically closed. Use discount code SPRING20. https://www.whitespaceart.com
Eastgate Gallery in Totnes - contemporary art and craft from local makers including jewellery, textiles, ceramics and much more. Shop online with FREE delivery https://eastgategallerytotnes.com/shop/
the bowie gallery Totnes Devon - the gallery lights are on daily during normal working hours (pre lockdown) so you can window shop at leisure. Contact Annie Bowie if there’s something you want to inspect closer or buy. Soon open by appointment!
TAKEAWAYS & HOT FOOD COLLECTIONS
The Cott Inn - open 7 DAYS A WEEK Monday to Saturday 4 - 8 pm and Sunday 12 - 3pm for takeaway services, drive through collection in the car park
Willow Vegetarian Restaurant - they will be offering take-aways from 3rd June. They're asking you to 'Keep your eye out for menus and details on ordering'
Waterside Bistro Totnes - their take-away menu is now open from Wed-Sat 5-8pm. Please order online https://www.watersidebistro.com/
Totnes Grill – Kebab and pizza delivery, call 01803 863835
Cafe Mumbai – From 5.30pm Tuesday to Sunday call 01803 866171
Room 101 – pizzas for delivery Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm, call 07727 278428
The Kitchen Table - still offering dairy, gluten & nut free stews and some houmous. Order for delivery call/ text Sima on 07583400998 or email [email protected] to collect from the Totnes Indsutrial Estate kitchen
Pie Street - from 13th May take away & delivery Wednesday to Sunday 1pm-8.30pm. Call 01803 868674 to order http://www.piestreet.co.uk/
Lamaro Bakery – Italian food on Friday and Saturday 5-9pm, call 01803 862288
Silver Grill - The Totnes Chippy - Opening hours Tuesday - Thursday 16:45-20:00 Friday - Saturday 11:45-14:00, 16:45-20:00 with orders taken over phone and social distancing with one entrance and one exit
tamarindtree.totnes - on the Industrial Estate next to Kitchen Table with superb Indian food on Friday 1-8pm or Saturday 4-8pm. Let them know what you want by DM, phone 07768964024 or email [email protected]
Taguchi-ya Canteen - Japanese food on Friday and Saturday collect 5-9pm, order online by Wednesday 12pm https://www.taguchiyacanteen.com/takeaway
Good Food House – Delivery from 6-10pm every day (except Tuesday when closed), call 01803 864696https://goodfoodhouse.co.uk/
Back for 2 Seconds – daytime opening in Fore Street
Pizzaside – Thursday to Sunday 5-8.30pm for collection or delivery. https://www.pizzaside.co.uk/
FOOD & DRINK
Sharpham Wine - grab a few bottles at sharpham.com at 10% off with the code sharpham10 on checkout
Roly's Fudge Totnes- buy online https://rolysfudge.co.uk
Ben's Farm Shops - Order and Collection service available via their website. Go to the collections form and add your order, they we will call for payment the next day and tell you to collect. https://bensfarmshop.co.uk/self-isolation-collection/
Earth.Food.Love - free delivery on orders over £20. Full product & price list on their website. Order via email. Click & collect option for those not in the delivery area. http://thezerowasteshop.co.uk
The Happy Apple - open with social distancing rules in place
A W Luscombe Butchers - delivering their products and a range of products from other local businesses including Annies Fruit Shop, New Lion Brewery, The Almond Thief, The Wild Fig Deli and more - check their FB page for more details and list of products in one of the images
Bridgetown Butchers - call 01803 866165/863323 to order where possible to help reduce waiting times in the shop. Minimum order for delivery £25 - free delivery within the Totnes area
McCabes and Halls Butchers are both also operating
Majestic Wine - email for delivery or call if over 70. [email protected]
Annies Fruit Shop - online with delivery to Totnes & the wider area www.anniesoftotnes.co.uk
The Refillery Totnes - daily deliveries to Totnes & Dartmouth areas, visit the website or call Tracy 07950 269955
Dartmouth Dairy - deliver to Totnes & surrounding villages on Monday & Thursday https://www.dartmouthdairy.com
Wine & Greene - delivering nationwide via courier and doing local drops every weekday (free over £20 to TQ9) - www.wineandgreene.com
Seeds 2 Tonnes - delivery service available, check their FB page
Bridgetown Stores - open Monday - Friday 2pm - 6pm Saturday & Sunday 11am - 3pm and delivering
Follaton stores - open normal hours 7am-8pm mon to sun with social distancing rules in place
Dartmouth Fine Foods - home delivery of frozen ready meals, alongside boxes of veg and essentials to Totnes and the surrounding areas - www.dartmoutfinefoods.co.uk
SERVICES
Barnes the Cleaners - free deliveries & collections daily for Totnes residents
The Potting Shed Totnes - email [email protected] with your order, name, address and PHONE NUMBER and they will call you back
PHARMACIES
Most pharmacies are open with reduced hours and social distancing - please check each page and site for more details. Keep safe and well everyone
Totnes and surrounding area in the Spotlight . . .
Finding the perfect holiday cottage by the River Dart
Eat al fresco in and around Totnes
Experiencing the River Dart has never been easier…
To say that we’re raring to go is an understatement! Like everyone at the moment, we’re poised and ready to go just as soon as the government says we can: shiny clean SUPS, canoes and kayaks ready for hire; river sparkling; safety measures in place; and instructors shaven and shorn (OK, maybe not the last bit). We’re hoping to open up on March 29th and are taking bookings from now.
If you’re itching to get out onto the river after walking its banks for these long winter months, you’ll be pleased to know that the wait is over. Whether pootling off or powering away, wobbling or gliding on the SUP, you’re welcome to hire the boats and paddleboards, no experience necessary. A gorgeous family-friendly stretch of the Dart with enough space to feel like you have it to yourself.
Find us at the beach at the bottom of the concrete track on the meadows (Dartington Estate) every weekend + 7 days a week through school holidays* where you can turn up any time between 10-4pm and hire whatever craft you fancy for only £10pp/h (50% NHS discount on the first hour). If you’d prefer to let someone else do the work, book a half or full day with an instructor who’ll teach you some tricks and take you wherever you want, within reason! Book at: dynamicadventurescic.co.uk/activities
Leaning into local outdoor life.
If you prefer to stay dry, there’s plenty of options. Let us take you rock climbing, bouldering, weaselling, scrambling and abseiling on Dartmoor. Or build your own Half Day Adventure by combining any three of these fun activities: assault course, abseiling, ziplining, high ropes, archery and climbing on our 70ft crag.
Outdoors together again.
Thank you for your ongoing support of our CIC - we’re looking forward to seeing you as soon as is safe and whatever the weather! Hurrah!
*subject to river conditions – check Facebook/ Instragram/ website for update
For more information, see out page by clicking here.
The atmospheric town taken by the sea
It took 18 years from the start of the dredging to the final destruction of Hallsands village. It had been assumed that the removal of any shingle would be replaced naturally but we now know that the same shingle which protects the nearby villages of Beesands and Torcross was deposited thousands of years ago during the ice ages, and is not being replaced.
An inquiry was established in response to protests from villagers who feared the dredging might threaten their beach and village, but dredging continued after it was decided that the activity was not likely to pose a significant threat. However by 1900 the level of the beach had started to fall and in the autumn storms that year, part of the sea wall was washed away. In November 1900, villagers petitioned their Member of Parliament, Frank Mildmay complaining of damage to their houses, and in March 1901 Kingsbridge Council wrote to the Board of Trade complaining of damage to the road. The Liberal MP for the area was extremely supportive of the residents of Hallsands and on more than one occasion offered his own money to help out the residents. In September 1901 a new Board of Trade inspector concluded that further severe storms could cause serious damage and recommended that dredging be stopped and on 8th January 1902 the dredging licence was revoked. On 26th January 1917 a combination of easterly gales and exceptionally high tides breached Hallsands' defences and the village fell into the sea! Miraculously no one was hurt but many families had to relocate to neighbouring villages having lost everything. Only one house was left standing after the destruction. The owner Elizabeth Prettyjohn stubbornly refused to leave and lived there with her chickens until her death in 1964. She acted as a guide to the visitors who came over the years curious to see the remains of the village. Today her house is used as a summer holiday home. Another famous Hallsands resident was Ella Trout together with her sisters Patience, Clara and Edith. When their fisherman father, William, became sick, Patience and then Ella gave up school and operated his boat which was the only source of income for the family. William died in 1910 when Ella was 15 years old. On 8th September 1917, after the Hallsands disaster, Ella was crab fishing with her 10 year old cousin William when they saw the SS Newholm struck by a naval mine one mile south of Start Point. With William Stone, another fisherman in the vicinity, they rowed to the scene and helped rescue nine men. In recognition of her bravery she received the Order of the British Empire. The sisters, with compensation for the destruction of their cottage at Hallsands plus some earnings, built Trout's Hotel on the cliff above the deserted village. The Trouts ran the hotel successfully until 1959. More recent owners moved down from London and attracted some of their well-known friends to stay including Danny La Rue and Larry Grayson, and for years their signed photographs hung on the walls of the dining room. The hotel has since been turned into apartments now called Prospect House. In more recent years the story of Hallsands has been turned into an opera called ‘Whirlwind’ commissioned by acclaimed company Streetwise Opera and written by Will Todd, one of the country’s leading young opera composers, and Ben Duwell, and has also featured in a book by Steve Melia called “Hallsands; A Village Betrayed”. You can walk to Hallsands from the villages of Beesands or Torcross following the South West Coast Path. Beesands, albeit a small village, has a café and toilets and free car parking. Torcross is bigger with a few cafes and a pub and more (charged) parking. Please note that you can no longer drive from Blackpool Sands to Slapton Sands and then on to Torcross because of the recent storms and road damage which in itself is somewhat ironic. Hallsands and Beesands are both walkable with a moderate degree of accessibility from Torcross, which has ample (paid) parking. Beesands however has free parking. If driving from Totnes head for Dartmouth, then Slapton and finally Torcross. If you want to travel by bus you can take the 164 to Kingsbridge or the X64 to Dartmouth and then catch the number 3 to Torcross. All routes joining the coastal villages are part of the South West Coast Path and therefore accessible at all times.Award-winning Roly’s Fudge
Roly's Fudge are celebrating winning the Taste of the West "Sauces and Accompaniment" Champion Award for 2021, with their Roly's Salted Caramel Fudge Sauce.
The award is the most coveted food and drinks award in the South West for foods at the top of their category.
Roly's Fudge Sauce beat many other contenders for the Champion award.
It is the fourth Champion award for Roly's Fudge, which has previously won Champion Confectionery for Salted Maple & Pecan twice, as well as Champion Confectionery for Cherry Bakewell Fudge last year.
All of the fudge flavours and sauces entered were handmade with traditional ingredients in Roly's Fudge, which continues with the same recipes that the Totnes shop has used for more than 20 years.
According to John Sheaves, Chief Executive of Taste of the West: “These awards underpin our core values and strengthen our regional brand, a brand which is attracting considerable interest from new markets – both nationally and internationally, and is now helping to attract more and more visitors to our region each year so playing a major part in our visitor economy. Our sincere congratulations to all the finalists and overall winners, and to all of our valued sponsors and partners who continue to support us.”