Slapton

The wetland reed beds and woodlands which surround Slapton Ley are a haven for birds such as ducks, grebes, osprey, bittern, warblers, buntings, swans, moorhens, marsh harriers, purple heron, barn owls, starlings and swallows etc. The shingle ridge also attracts whitethroats and stonechats.

1.5 miles long, and covering 200 hectares, Slapton Ley supports 450 types of flora (including grassland, reed, fen, marsh, wild camomile, yellow iris, yellow horned poppy, and orchids) and 2,000 species of fungi (including 29 which are new to science). This is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a National Nature Reserve for the rare species which thrive in these unique conditions, including England's largest population of Cetti's Warbler and Britain's last remaining example of the vascular plant strapwort.

The ley is at risk of being lost to the encroaching sea, as was the neighbouring village of Hallsands which was lost to the sea in 1917 due to dredging of shingle from the Bay to build Devonport dockyard.