The day: Sunday. Our mission: to swim from Aveton Gifford to Bantham, down the Avon estuary. Taking part: a motley crew of women and children armed with surfboards, dinghies, one blow-up armchair and one inflatable banana. The idea was that we would drift in a leisurely fashion on the outward tide, languidly floating down the river. In reality there was a very strong wind against us, and quite low water, so there was much paddling and wading. Highlights: the swallows swooping down on us, flashing their iridescent blue plumage; the herons; and the sand on the bottom swirling through the light as we neared the beach, after our two and a half hour odyssey.
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62% of those questioned had been on a day trip and 50% on holiday to the coast or seaside. 65% felt the coast mattered to them for fresh air and exercise, 43% for peace and freedom. 59% have kept something at home that they found on a beach; 49% considered their happiest childhood memory as being by the sea; 16% want to have their ashes scattered at sea or on a beach and 7% have proposed on the beach or coastline. 34% often day-dream about being by the sea when going about their everyday life. natural england survey 2005
I love the Avon river estuary, we walked up it from Bantham last weekend. I like the Ham on the west side thats sort of half moor, half dunes. I mooted the idea of floating down on a rubber ring from Aveton Gifford. Nice one for doing it! The photo on my website shows the Ham at Bantham, I did take some up the river, but not uploaded them yet!
Hi Mark, yes the estuary is stunning, especially when seen from the vantage point of the water. Something I intend to do again in 2209.
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