Outwitting the winds

There were Easterly winds today which scotched my plan to swim in Tor Bay. Looking at the map to find somewhere sheltered I hit upon Cellars Beach at the mouth of the Yealm at Noss Mayo. We walked up from the village in a circular direction around the headland, along Lord Revelstoke's Drive. This, as you might guess, was created by the local lord so he could drive his carriage around the coast and enjoy the grandiose views without the bother of walking. The drive follows the massive bulge of the headland, overlooking the uncompromising triangularity of the Mew Stone, and then turns into a path along the estuary where you find the beach. The water was calm, in contrast to the exposed coast around the corner, where huge waves were crashing. Although it didn't exactly feel warm, especially when we first got in, we soon got used to it, relishing the freshness. It is still surprisingly mild. We swam out towards the red buoys (just visible in the left of the picture) and then pottered along the rocky edges of the river mouth.