Braunton Burrows

Saunton Sands is a beach near the English village of Saunton on the North Devon coast near Braunton, popular for longboard surfing. Beyond its southern end, Crow Point, England is the mouth of the River Taw estuary. It is part of the Taw-Torridge estuary Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is at the centre of the UNESCO-designated North Devon's Biosphere Reserve, where Braunton Burrows lies at the heart. Saunton Sands Hotel overlooks the beach at the northern end. The beach is cordoned off a few times a year and the beach used as an airstrip for military transport planes, usually Lockheed C-130 Hercules of the Royal Air Force, to practise STOL beach landings and take offs. Flying kites is prohibited, accordingly, on part of the beach. Saunton Sands is popular with surfers because the beach is long, an unusually exposed westerly, and provides space for large groups. The beach has no life guards and is known to have dangerous riptides. Swimming here is dangerous and has resulted in many coast guard call outs. On 3 August 1990, a temperature of 35.4 °C (95.7 °F) was recorded at Saunton Sands, which is the highest temperature recorded in the Devon and Cornwall region.

Saunton Golf Club is a private golf club in England, that is located about 2 miles (3 km) to the west of Braunton, Devon. It was founded in 1897. During the months of May and June 1944 the United States Army used the links as a camping area for the 771st Tank Destroyer Battalion. Saunton has two golf courses, East and West, and has hosted many prestigious amateur championships including the English Amateur, the Seniors Amateur Championship in 2006 and 2024 and the Brabazon Trophy on several occasions. In 1997, Sergio García won the British Boys' Championship at Saunton.

Saunton is a village located approximately two miles from Braunton on the North Devon coast in the South West of England. Several kilometres long, the village borders Braunton Burrows, the heart of North Devon's Biosphere Reserve, the first "new style" UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserve. Its beach Saunton Sands is part of the Taw-Torridge Estuary. In 1994 termites, of the species Reticulitermes grassei, were identified in two bungalows in Saunton. Anecdotal evidence suggests the infestation could date back 70 years before the official identification. In 1998 Termite Eradication Programme was set-up, with the intention of containing and eradicating the colony. In 2021 the UK’s Termite Eradication Programme announced the eradication of the colony, the first time a country has eradicated termites. The Saunton Surf Life Saving Club is based here. The South West Coast Path National Trail runs through the village, and gives access to walks along the rugged North Devon coast. Saunton Down lies within the North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Served by Stagecoach 308 bus service between Barnstaple, Croyde and Georgeham

Swanpool, near Braunton, Devon, England, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) managed by the Devon Wildlife Trust as a nature reserve. It is a small area of coastal grassland and marsh. Swanpool Marsh nature reserve forms part of the Braunton-Swanpool coastal marshland SSSI. Devon Wildlife Trust purchased it in 1988. Because it is close to sea level and poorly drained, the water table is at or near the surface for much of the year.

Croyde is a village on the west-facing coastline of North Devon, England. The village lies on the South West Coast Path near Baggy Point, which is owned by the National Trust. It lies within the North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Croyde village and its beach is on the Bristol Channel.The beach faces westwards toward the Atlantic Ocean, which begins at Hartland Point some 22 miles in the distance. Croyde Stream runs through the village, eventually leading to the beach. The centre of the village is roughly at the intersection of Hobbes' Hill, Jones' Hill and St. Mary's Road. At this spot, Croyde Bridge carries the road over the stream. Public services are provided by the North Devon District Council (NDDC) based in Barnstaple. The village is in the civil parish of Georgeham, and for ecclesiastical purposes within the Diocese of Exeter.

Georgeham is a village and civil parish near Croyde, in North Devon. The appropriate electoral ward is termed Georgeham and Mortehoe with total population at the 2011 census of 3,748. Georgeham is an historic village lying close to some of the most dramatic beaches of the North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which are flanked by the rocky headlands of Baggy Point and Saunton Down, although there are no views of the sea or coastline from the village itself. The character of the village is typically rural. The majority of the historic development in the village is east and south-west of the church. The village is also characterized by thatched cottages arranged in an irregular fashion along narrow lanes. There is a Victorian village school, a medieval church and two 17th Century public houses, the main one in the middle of the village, The King's Arms, and another one up a small lane, The Rock.Pronunciation is a controversial issue. Traditionalists maintain that there is in fact an emphasis on both the syllables George and ham. Others, usually outsiders not originally from North Devon, believe there to be no pronunciation on the ham, thus making it sound George-um. The hamlets of Cross and Forda lie between Georgeham and Croyde. Pickwell is part of the parish and lies between Georgeham and Putsborough.

St George's Church is the Anglican parish church for the village of Georgeham in Devon. Dedicated to Saint George, the 13th-century church comes under the Diocese of Exeter and has been designated a Grade I listed building since 25 February 1965.

The River Caen is a short river running through Braunton in north Devon. It flows into the estuary of the River Taw. It was formerly improved to make it more navigable as the Braunton Canal. The river is considered a flood risk due to several damaging flash floods in history.

Pickwell is a small settlement with a converted manor house in the civil parish of Georgeham, in the North Devon district, in the county of Devon, England. Pickwell lies between the village of Georgeham and the coast above Woolacombe and Putsborough beach, close to the South West Coast Path. It gives its name to the Pickwell Down Sandstones Formation which are red and brown sandstones with shales which extend from the hills of Pickwell Down and Woolacombe Down overlooking Morte Bay east-southeastwards to Muddiford and Bratton Fleming.

Knowle Hill Castle is an Iron Age hill fort situated close to Braunton in Devon, England. The fort is situated on a hillside forming a promontory above the River Caen at approx 90 metres above sea level to the north of the town, close to the village of Knowle.

Lee Wood is the location of an Iron Age enclosure or hill fort situated near to Braunton and Barnstaple in Devon, England. The enclosure is situated on a sloping hillside forming a promontory above the Knowle Water at approx 120 metres (390 ft) above sea level to the northeast of Braunton and northwest of Barnstaple.

Baggy Point is a headland in north Devon, England. It separates Croyde Bay and Morte Bay which includes the beaches of Woolacombe and Putsborough. There is evidence of human occupation from the Mesolithic era. It was used during World War II by American forces training for the Normandy Landings. The land has been owned by the National Trust since 1939 when it was donated Constance and Florence Hyde. Baggy Point forms part of the North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the Saunton To Baggy Point Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The SSSI designation is for both geological and botanical interest. The geological interest is in the Upper Devonian Sandstones. The fauna in the rocks is poor but contains bivalves, possibly of brackish to freshwater affinities, and plant remains. The botanical designation is for maritime heathland, grassland and lichens. Lichens which are common in this SSI but unusual elsewhere include Pannaria microphylla, Pannaria nebulosa, Squamarina crassa and the rare Lecania ralfsii. The birds which can be seen at Baggy Point include guillemots, razorbills, Dartford warblers, stonechats and cormorants. Seals are often seen swimming around the point and the grazing land is used by Hebridean sheep and Ruby Red cattle which have been introduced to keep down the brambles, gorse and bracken. The National Trust have also laid out a variety of walking and cycling trails. The sandstone rocks are popular with climbers. The climbing routes range in difficulty. Some cannot be accessed at high tide.