Explore Braunton - The Most Biodiverse Parish in England

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Hill farming at Knowle circa 1927. A romantic image of what was actually a laborious time in the farming calendar. From left to right are Philip and Will Avery with Jack Lock. The horses were, from left, Prince, Duke and Violet. Courtesy of Braunton Museum.

This set of three diagrams shows the gradual loss of strips on Braunton Great Field, from 1842 to 1950 to 1983

Bond stones were used to mark the furlong strips but it is popularly believed that they have all now succumbed to modern farming methods. Courtesy of John and Mary Breeds.

Wet areas like this slack are one of the best places to find life on the dunes and attract amphibians and insects. They also encourage a wider variety of plants and flowers such as the flag iris which are seen here. Courtesy John and Mary Breeds.

A raised square, grass covered seating area at Velator Wetlands

A swan at Velator Wetlands - by James

RAF Wrafton. The generator-house on the intermediate site. Courtesy of Mike Passmore.

There is no local slate and so that which was used for the slate stiles that are typically seen on the marshes was thought to have been imported from Wales. Courtesy of Dave Edgcombe.

Across Braunton Burrows to Saunton Sands Hotel. Dramatic in all weathers, the Burrows are treasured for many reasons. Courtesy of Neville Stanikk.

This is an adder, which is Britain’s only poisonous snake although it will very rarely attack. Their usual approach is to use their exceptional camouflage to avoid being spotted or to disappear into the undergrowth at speed if they feel the vibrations of a threat approaching. Hence, you will not often spot an adder on the Burrows but more likely see their tracks in the sand. Courtesy John and Mary Breeds.

Aerial view looking south along the beach. This shot captures the scale of the dunes. Saunton Sands extends to the right and, on the opposite side of the Estuary and the notorious Bideford Bar ahead is Northam Burrows. Courtesy John and Mary Breeds.

Flagpole Dune is the one with the largest expanse of bare sand showing and can be seen quite clearly on satellite images. The base of the flag pole is still visible near the centre but, as the dune has blown out and become more hollow in shape, the flag pole that was once on the summit has sunk. Flags were flown to warn the public that live firing was taking place. Courtesy John and Mary Breeds.

Saunton Sands car park can be seen to the left hand edge of the picture. There is more bare sand on the foredunes at this end of the Burrows than the southern end thanks to the popularity of the beach and higher level of human activity. Courtesy John and Mary Breeds.

To the right hand side of the picture, the ‘boardwalk’ can be made out, which crosses the dunes from the American Road to the beach and the site of the old lighthouse. The American Road can be seen cutting away to the left, behind the dunes. Courtesy John and Mary Breeds.

In the distance the airstrip belonging to former RAF Chivenor can be clearly seen. The base is nowadays home to the Royal Marines, although the RAF still have a presence at Chivenor, in the form of Search and Rescue with their familiar yellow helicopters. Courtesy John and Mary Breeds.

These are replica landing craft, which were constructed here from concrete to enable troops to train for D-Day. They are the best-preserved artefacts of a once vital endeavour and still bear marks of the training they were used for. Behind, the American Road traverses right to left and behind that the car park at Broadsands and, in the very top left of the picture, the White House can just be made out. Courtesy John and Mary Breeds.

Braunton Burrows is one of only two sites in the UK for the amber sand-bowl snail, which is found on the wet dune slacks. Courtesy of Dr D Holyoak.

Horsebreakers Slack is located to the south-west of Flagpole Dune. Dune slacks are wet areas between the hollows and valleys where the water table is much nearer the surface and are one of the richest areas of the dunes in terms of vegetation. Courtesy John and Mary Breeds.

An area of the dunes known as Partridge Slack. The vegetation inland is very different to that of the foredunes and it is worth exploring less well-known areas with the guidance of a knowledgeable walk leader. Courtesy John and Mary Breeds.

This wild species is a relative of the garden angelica, whose crystallised stems have been used to decorate cakes in the past. It’s roots and seeds have also been used to flavour gin. Courtesy John and Mary Breeds.

These anti-tank devices were used for training on Braunton Burrows. They were found near Crow Point. Courtesy of Katie James.

Archaeological survey work being carried out at Knowle Castle. For more information please see the Archaeology section of the Information Archive.

Autumn gentian. Braunton Burrows is the only site in the world where all three gentians grow together, with hybrids occurring between the species. The three species are Early Gentiana anglica, Dune Gentiana uliginosa and Autumn Gentian amarella. Courtesy John and Mary Breeds.

Bee orchids. So named because the flower looks very much as though it has a bee nestling inside it. Although brightly coloured, bee orchids are easy to miss among other tall flowering plants. Courtesy John and Mary Breeds.

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explore braunton, the most biodiverse parish in england - a north devon aonb project