| Braunton
 | | •
A dramatic Saunton beach. |
LEAVING Barnstaple via the
main road to Ilfracombe, you will come to a number of interesting villages. The
first of these is Braunton, which claims to be the largest village in England.
The main attractions are two marvellous coastal features – Braunton Burrows
and Saunton Sands. | | •
Saunton Rocks |
Braunton also boasts a countryside centre
and museum, which details the rich history of the area. The village has a comprehensive
range of shopping facilities, pubs and restaurants for the visitor to enjoy.
There
is also an active Braunton in Bloom committee and the whole village throws itself
enthusiastically into the task of growing blooms.
Do not leave Braunton without
visiting the Elliott Gallery, a fine exhibition centre for works by many prominent
artists.
You can see paintings, carvings, pottery, leather work, hand-made
clocks, stained glass and sculpture.
There are also painting and video
demonstrations daily. Visitors can enjoy refreshments in the centre’s lounge.
Braunton Burrows | | •
Braunton Burrows |
Braunton Burrows has been given international
status by becoming Britain's first new–style UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It
puts the Burrows and surrounding North Devon coastal areas alongside 400 similar
biospheres worldwide, including the Okavango Delta in Southern Africa, the area
around Mount Vesuvius in Italy and the Danube Delta in Eastern Europe.
The
area has also been expanded to now cover more than 3,000 hectares, including a
buffer zone which incorporates Northam Burrows, the Taw–Torridge estuary,
Braunton Marshes and Great Field and stretching as far as Croyde Dunes and Kipling
Tors.
The Burrows, which has been in the ownership of the Christie family
for the past 350 years, is one of the largest systems of sand dunes in the UK.
It
is considered of international importance because of the diversity and abundance
of rare plants and its continuous human use from ancient times.
 | | •
The dunes contain around 500 species of flowering plant. |
The
dunes contain around 500 species of flowering plant. It is one of only two sites
in the UK for the water germander and is an excellent site for a range of rare
orchids.
Unusually for dunes, there is also a long history of human activity
in the area, including the original overland route linking North Devon to the
rest of the country.
The biosphere area also incorporates one of the few
surviving medieval field systems and in more recent times was used by American
Forces for D-Day training in the Second World War.
Nowadays it is a popular
recreation area for local people and visitors and incorporates the Saunton golf
course and a military exercise range.
The Saunton Sands conference attracted
delegates to learn about the background to UNESCO's biosphere reserves programme
and the experience of reserves in other countries. |