Axmouth Harbour, Seaton Bay on the Devonshire Coast.

On recent very breezy December day, just after storm Desmond or was it Clodagh, I can’t remember which, I decided to take a stroll by the sea.  Seaton on the Devonshire coast is only about 10 miles from the border with Somerset so off I went down the A358.  The road follows, roughly, the old World War Two Taunton stop-line, a defence line built in 1940/41 to counter any German advance from beachheads to the west.  It’s remarkable that so many old pill-boxes, gun emplacements and dragon’s teeth survive.  They can be seen here and there all the way to Axmouth – if you know where to look.

I parked on the sea front at Seaton – free at this time of year – and headed east along the pebble beach past the Axe Yacht Club toward the seaward end of Axmouth Harbour. The tide was coming in and the sea was quite rough with a strong south west wind whipping up the waves.  Some hardy souls were walking their dogs along the shoreline, not sure I would have done the same with my old dog – if she was still around.  Although I enjoyed the walk the air was not as fresh as I had hoped, in fact it seemed a bit damp.  I could see why when looking back across Seaton Bay.  The very strong wind was whipping up the spray from the breaking waves and creating a light mist – not the best conditions for asthmatics like me.  Nevertheless, it was a bright day with lots of blue sky and I had my camera with me so was able to take some photos.  



Outside Axmouth Harbour in Seaton Bay the sea was noisy and turbulent.



Inside Axmouth Harbour all was tranquil.

Over time, storms and the movement of shingle eastward along the beach from Seaton have caused changes to the Axe estuary mouth.  Today the river inlet is not as wide and deep as it was from the Iron Age to the Middle Ages when it had the most important harbour in the West of England.  In the sixteenth century Axmouth Harbour accounted for one sixth of Devonshire’s trade and improvements in the nineteenth century allowed cargo ships of up to 100 tons to use the harbour.  Today it is used only by pleasure craft and fishing boats.