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Landmarks by the sea

 

 

What could be better than a beautiful beach or coastline within walking distance? Whether viewed from the roof of Kingswear Castle with the waves crashing below, or strolling along the beach at Luttrell's Tower, choosing a seaside Landmark can add another dimension to your holiday or short break.

 

Click on a picture to find out more about the building featured, or hover over for a short description.

 

Cul-na-Shee, meaning 'nook of peace' in Gaelic, is situated within a minute bay, backed by steep woods on the Saddell Estate. It is reached by a path along the beach, overlooked by no other building and with just the sea and Arran to look at.

 

Luttrell's Tower is an exceptionally fine Georgian folly, possibly the only surviving work of Thomas Sandby, first Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy, stands on the Solent looking towards Cowes. It was built for Temple Luttrell, a Member of Parliament (and reputedly also a smuggler) and there is still a 'smugglers tunnel' that runs from the tower to the beach.

 

Peters Tower was built by a local landowner in memory of his wife and looks across the broad estuary of the Exe to the green fields beyond. It is a short walk from the railway station in the large and pleasant village of Lympstone. It has quite tiny rooms, but the views are fascinating and you will find yourself surveying and participating in the daily bustle of life on the foreshore.

 

Fort Clonque, built in the 1840s, is nestled into a group of large rocks off the steep south-west tip of Alderney. It is reached by a causeway and at some high tides is cut off from the mainland. The rest of Alderney is extremely pleasant, the island being just small enough to explore on foot, or by bicycle, and in the centre is St Anne, a very pretty little town, English with a hint of France.

Clavell Tower stands sentinel on a wild and open stretch of the Dorset coast. Built in 1830 and known as The Tower of the Winds, it has a special place in literary history, with links to both Hardy and PD James.

 

West Blockhouse was completed in 1857 and contained accommodation for a garrison of 34 men and one officer. Built with comfort in mind it has fine views along the Pembrokeshire coast and there is a sheltered, south-facing beach within a few hundred yards.

 

The Bath Tower is one tower within the medieval town wall facing the Menai Strait, this was used more recently as part of a public Bath House. Its two great windows look along the outside of the town wall in one direction and across the Strait in the other. At the bottom of a spiral stair you can sleep like soldiers in the lower bedroom, or in seclusion at the top of the tower, with just the sky and the battlements.

Built in 1502 to support Dartmouth Castle, Kingswear Castle almost stands on the water's edge. From the windows you can look across to Dartmouth; or down the rocky coast with its woods of maritime pine and out to sea.

 

Lundy, in the approaches to the Bristol Channel, offers a unique taste of life in an island community.

 

Martello Tower is the largest and most northerly of a chain of towers built to keep Napoleon out, this quatrefoil shaped building stands at the foot of the Orford Ness peninsula, between the River Alde and the sea. Here you may live with the sea, the wind and rain, and sometimes the light at Orford Ness flashing at night with Aldeburgh at just the right distance. The stone-flagged battery on the roof, with the mountings of guns and a high, thick parapet for shelter, is a very pleasant place to be.

 

Castle Bungalow stands at the mouth of Peppercombe Valley, one of many steep valleys which punctuate the dramatic coastline of North Devon. Its windows are latticed, and inside the rooms are snug as only wood-lined rooms can be. Beside it are the remains of Peppercombe castle and the windows offer views of the magnificent coastline which curves away in both directions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
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