A379 at Slapton, South Devon - 2 February 2026

[whole diary]

[Mark A]

The road at Slapton is on a shingle beach backed by a freshwater lake. Or rather, that's what it *was* on, the sea has removed a substantial length of the road. The A379 carries the bus route from Dartmouth to Kingsbridge.

Mark

https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2026-02-03/its-like-a-bombs-gone-off-shock-as-part-of-a-coast-road-is-washed-away

[Bob_Blakey]

The presence of (severely deformed) sheet piling indicates that this is almost certainly the same A379 section that was destroyed by Storm Emma in 2018.

In which case Devon County Council and/or National Highways should probably be looking for a much more robust solution this time.

[Marlburian]

I took  part a couple of times in a cycle race that started and finished in Totnes and went along the road. I also did some recreational cycling in the very hilly lanes (on one occasion a brake cable had snapped, which made descending a bit dodgy).

On the news last night there was a reference to the tank park where, presumably, Ken Small's tank  is still parked.

I still have a large sea shell from the beach.

[Mark A]

I read that as "I still have a large shell from the beach", and went pale.

Mark

[grahame]

The presence of (severely deformed) sheet piling indicates that this is almost certainly the same A379 section that was destroyed by Storm Emma in 2018.

In which case Devon County Council and/or National Highways should probably be looking for a much more robust solution this time.

Perhaps they should look for a northern route going the other side of Dartmoor .... oh ... wait ....

[bradshaw]

When I first visited the beach in the 1960s it still had the notices warning of unexploded ordnance.

[johnneyw]

When I first visited the beach in the 1960s it still had the notices warning of unexploded ordnance.

Back in October 1977 I spent a few days at the Slapton Field Studies Center as part of my A Level Geography course.  The whole group were walking back along the coast path from Start Point but myself and a few others were among the stragglers.  The ones ahead of us actually saw (and heard) a wartime mine, discoverd that day on Slapton Sands, being detonated by the bomb disposal chaps.
We didn't see or hear a thing, which rather puts a perspective on my definition of "stragglers".

[TonyK]

I have very fond memories of times around there when my kids (now in their 40s) were little, including walking up to the foot of Start Point lighthouse at the very moment the foghorn was tested, and dinner at the pub. It is going to cost a lot more to fix than the local council has. As yet, no word on how it will be achieved, but Slapton Ley ticks every conservation box there is. If that is breached, then - well, I don't know what will happen for sure, but it would be extremely sad.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

South Devon MP^▸ (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post (a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London), depending on context) starts petition after A379 Slapton coastal road collapse

[Image from here is not available to guests]
Part of the A379 Slapton Line near Torcross, Devon, collapsed during stormy weather on Monday night

Thousands have signed a petition calling for more government support for those affected by storm damage to a coastal road.

Caroline Voaden, Liberal Democrat MP for South Devon, set up the petition following the partial collapse of the A379 Slapton Line near Torcross, which has caused disruption in the area. As of 09:30 GMT on Saturday, more than 9,500 people had signed the petition, which calls for help for "communities affected by coastal erosion in Start Bay".

The government said it was aware the storm damage was a "big shock" to residents and that it was working with the county council to determine its "next steps". A government spokesperson said: "We are providing over £443m for roads maintenance in the area over the next four years, along with £667m across the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) into protecting communities from the sea."

The road is set to remain shut for an extended period after an estimated tens of millions of pounds of damage was caused.

County council leader Julian Brazil apologised after he suggested the road might not be repaired, which sparked angry comments from residents.

Voaden said the response to the petition showed the "strength of feeling about the crisis" and how worried people in the community were. "Communities affected by coastal erosion at Start Bay are the canary in the coalmine in our fight against climate change," she added. "The government must treat this issue with the seriousness and urgency it deserves."

(BBC news article continues)

[Chris from Nailsea]

In many years gone by, I have driven along that stretch of road (when it was still there, obviously. )