Wembury is the name of a stretch of coast situated on
the south coast of Devon, very close to Plymouth Sound. The village of
Wembury, Wembury Beach, Wembury Point, the offshore island known as the
Great Mewstone and the surrounding coastline form a Marine Conservation
Area (MCA) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). It is an area well
known for its magnificent views, some of the best rock pools in the country,
its abundance of marine life, the vast array of bird-life and the reptiles
and insects of the newly created coastal grasslands. The Great Mewstone
is a small rocky island stands about half a mile out from Wembury Point
and is the largest offshore island for many miles along the South Devon
coast. It is now a nature reserve with no public access.
Its recent history is mixed. In 1928 Wembury Point was sold and developed
into two holiday camps. However in 1935 Wembury Cliffs were given to the
National Trust by da Sebag-Montefiore to protect them from development
and in 1939 the Trust acquired Wembury Mill on Wembury Beach. In 1940,
during the Second World War, the Ministry of Defence requisitioned Wembury
Point and built a radar station, observation posts and anti-aircraft guns.
The MOD held onto Wembury Point after the war and in 1956 established
HMS Cambridge Gunnery School there. There was no access to the public
for many years but in 2001 the Gunnery School was decommissioned and in
2005 the MOD decided to sell the site. The National Trust launched a public
appeal to raise £350,000 to purchase Wembury Point and to save the
site from commercial development. Over £1.4 million was raised and
the National Trust bought both Wembury Point and the Great Mewstone turning
the latter into a nature reserve and returning the former to its natural
environment of coastal grassland.
There are many walks along this stretch of coast with the National Trust
having six defined trails stretching from Heybrook Bay to the Yealm estuary
and beyond to Noss Mayo and Gara Point. The south-west coastal path also
runs through the area. Details of the National Trust walks can be found
on their site at http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wembury/lists/walks-around-wembury | 
