CHALLABOROUGH BEACH
CHALLABOROUGH BEACH
SOUTH DEVON, ENGLAND
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| Challaborough Beach 2002 |
"Our idyllic life at Challaborough - our special place!"
BIOGRAPHY
Challaborough is a small coastal village on the south
coast of Devon, and is within the South Hams district and Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty (AONB). It is built at the end of a long valley culminating in one the
south coast’s best beaches. The villages of Ringmore and Bigbury-on-Sea are
nearby.
Challaborough started life as a Pilchard fishing hamlet
circa 1400’s. On early maps it is marked as Chale which means ‘throat’ in old
English I believe; probably a reference to its location at the throat of a
valley. Evidence that the main industry was the fishing, smoking and salting of
pilchards is well documented. Some structures that relate to the pilchard trade
still exist today.
Smuggling must have been a popular “second career” in those early times, as
there are references to this in local folklore and place names, adding to the
areas “old-time” charisma.
The village consists
of a few dozen private houses on the hillsides, with a large caravan park just
behind the beach and it stretches inland along the valley floor. Caravan
holidays are the new industry, a far cry from the old days of Pilchard
fishing. It has changed little during my lifetime, and for me, it still retains
the ‘old-fashioned’ enchantment that first attracted me to it.
Challaborough Beach 1994
CHARM
The charm of Challaborough is in its isolation and resistance to
development. The latter is helped by its location within an AONB. Its remote
location at the end of a long narrow single track road also helps to
maintain its undiscovered beauty. Once there, facilities in the village are
adequate but sparse, even more so in winter months. This inaccessibility and
lack of trendy amenities is almost certainly Challaborough’s greatest asset. It’s disconnected from hectic urban living. The reward
is a tranquil way of life that is difficult match.
OUR SPECIAL PLACE
Many people have a certain nostalgic affection for places where they have experienced happy and good times. Do you have a special place?
Your childhood home perhaps or the place you were married. I would wager most
would reply “yes.”
For our family and me
especially, the seaside village of Challaborough is that special place.
1972 was my first visit to Challaborough, I was 15 years old; we rented
a caravan for a week so that I could go to Navy days in nearby Plymouth, a
precursor to a career in the navy. We had traveled down from Wiltshire. The
whole family were drawn to the place instantly, and that first holiday there
will never be forgotten. I remember good weather, swimming and surfing, badminton
next to our caravan, balmy evenings, cider, pasties, and fish and chips. Halcyon
days indeed! That was the start a lifetime of affection for Challaborough.
I eventually settled in Plymouth, and visits to Challaborough with my
wife and children became a regular event. Eventually we bought a static caravan
there; cited on the hillside it had a spectacular view across Challaborough and
Bigbury Bay. We spent most of our summers in Challaborough, school holidays,
half terms and many weekends. I remember fondly with almost childlike excitement
rushing home from work on a Friday afternoon, packing the car, and heading for
our caravan. We would all be playing in the surf by 5 o’clock. Then later we enjoyed
our supper and watched the sunset over Bigbury bay from our terrace.
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| Author & Toto Surfing 2001 |
LIFE AT CHALLABOROUGH
Challaborough beach is one of the best; it’s clean, safe, gently sloping
and shallow. There is a sand bar across the entrance and it’s nice to wade out
to it at low tide. An ideal beach for families on calm days, and great for
surfers when there is a swell.
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| Author at Hoist Point 2002 |
Whilst we were there we walked the rugged South Hams cliffs as far as the eye could see, and ate picnics with amazing views. Visits to nearby beaches at Bigbury-on-sea and Ayrmer Cove kept beach days varied; and our two girls always enjoyed crabbing and exploring over the rocks and rock pools. An evening walk around to Burgh Island and The Pilchard Inn, or a walk up the hill to Ringmore village and the Journeys End Inn were always pleasant. The caravan park had a clubhouse with entertainment also.
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| Pilchard Inn (Burgh Island) 2002 |
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| Journeys End Inn (Ringmore) 2003 |
On a sunny summer day Challaborough can be busy with excited young
families noisily enjoying the beach. The air is alive with joyful squeals,
shouts, cries, and a bustle of happiness as hundreds of people enjoy
themselves.
But evenings are transformed into a delightful hushed stillness;
quiet music drifts through the air, accompanied with the smell of tasty barbecues,
low voices are heard chatting over unhurried drinks while waiting for dinner. A
gentle warm breeze blows in from a blue sea, and you watch the progress of a
passing ship out along the horizon. The orange glow of the low setting sun
casts long shadows as it shines across the valley. Summer evenings in
Challaborough were quite simply the best evenings in the world.
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| Challaborough Bay Evening 2001 |
MEMORABLE EVENTS AT CHALLABOROUGH
Challaborough was the place that we chose to celebrate a
couple of memorable life events.
The first was the total solar eclipse on 11th
August, 1999. We sat outside our caravan and watched the Moon's shadow race
across Bigbury Bay towards us. The whole village, beach and caravan park broke
out in spontaneous applause as we plunged into darkness.
The second was the new millennium. On 31st December,
1999, our family stood on the beach at midnight holding lanterns. We toasted in the
New Year and New Millennium with champagne, sang “Auld-Lang-Syne”, while listening in the dark to
the eternal sound of the sea softly landing on our ‘special’ beach.
THE END
These wonderful days came to an end when our girls grew
up and left home. My wife and I wanted to travel further and see the world. We
sold our caravan at Challaborough in the winter of 2005. It was the end of an
era, and a very sad day. We still visit the place for a walks and days out. We
still remember fondly all those great times we had there.
I can look back to a few times in my life and say they
were idyllic. Without doubt, those years at Challaborough were idyllic! For us, Challaborough
will always be a special place!
Best wishes, Phil.
LINKS + FURTHER READING
Challaborough Wiki:
Challaborough Holiday Park:
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