Us Brits are always on the lookout for new places to spend sunny days - and, here in Bristol, we're fortunate enough to sit not too far away from the glorious beaches of the south west. Award-winning beaches, vast stretches of golden sand and even some quirkier hidden gems lay waiting to be explored - and one of these is the stunning Ness Cove beach in Shaldon, not far from Teignmouth.
Just under a two-hour drive away, this hidden gem of a beach in Devon is accessed through a secret tunnel, said to have been used by smugglers, just around the corner from the picturesque fishing village of Shaldon, at the mouth of the Teign Estuary. Devon is an extremely popular holiday destination with us Bristolians, but just how was this tunnel created - and when?
Nobody's sure exactly how long ago the tunnel was dug through the cliffs above the beach, reports DevonLive, however legend has it that smugglers first created it as a secret passageway to transport their contraband inland. The beach is hidden out of sight from anywhere, bar the coast path and water, meaning the little bay would have been the perfect location for buccaneers and bootleggers wanting to offload their booty.
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Anchoring their ships further out to sea, they might have rowed their cargoes of tea, tobacco, spices, silks and spirits in the dead of night and avoided paying out heavy duties demanded at the county's official ports. Some believe the domed, sloped and stepped red brick tunnel - now the official route down to the beautiful sands, shingle and clean waters at Ness Cove - was built to solve that dilemma.
Smuggling tunnels from the 19th century were certainly reported in a lot of other coastal villages off the beaten track along the Devon and Cornwall coast, although most have long been lost or bricked up. The dark tunnel doorway, entered close to the village’s little zoo, opens out to a fantastic view a few metres above the beach.
There may once have been rocks there to climb up and down, but there’s now a modern concrete surround with steps down to the waterfront, supported by a sturdy wall, metal bannister and fencing. The tunnel itself, while generally well maintained, is original and its skilful construction suggests it was built to last.
Some history enthusiasts believe it was actually constructed as a way to reach the previously inaccessible beach from Ness House, just around the headland. This beautiful Grade II listed building, next to the South West Coast Path, is now a stunning pub and hotel.
It was built in 1810 as a holiday home for the wealthy Clifford family, on land passed down from Baron Clifford of Chudleigh, once King Charles II’s Lord High Treasurer, and it’s rumoured that they enlarged their fortune through illegal smuggling activities. A contradictory theory, backed up by the ruined lime kiln at the entrance, is that the tunnel was cut to access limestone shipped into Ness Cove from Oddicombe along the coast.
Yet another explanation is that the tunnels were part of Shaldon’s coastal defences built during the Second World War after the village and next door town of Teignmouth suffered terrible losses in successive German bombing raids. While many defences and obstructions were built, reports indicate that the tunnel’s original entrance - marked by a much larger and now unused door closer to the beach - was actually blocked up during the war.
When it was reopened, a new door and entrance was built higher up, with the exterior steps needed to climb up to it. Perhaps over the centuries the unique Ness Cove tunnel has served all those purposes, but these days it’s simply a rather different and exciting way to reach a tucked-away gem of a beach - just mind your head on the way in and out.
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