Four miles south of the estuary of the Teign is Babbacombe Bay, in whose
beautiful cliffs of red and grey is some of the richest colouring on the
whole coast. The paler-toned cliffs round the picturesque little inlet
of Anstis Cove are of limestone. Half a mile farther is the prominent
cape called Hope's Nose, the northern limit of Torbay, and a spot
of much interest to the geologist on account of the raised sea-beach
which, at a height of some thirty feet above the present high tide-line,
may be traced under the headland, and also, at a lower level, on the
Thatcher Rock. Among the marine shells of the latter deposit is _Trophon
truncatus_, an arctic species, whose presence here is another proof that
the climate of Devonshire was once far colder than it is now.
[Illustration: Torquay from Vane Hill]
Torbay, which extends from Hope's Nose on the north to Berry Head on
the south--two prominent headlands nearly five miles apart--is one of
the best known and most beautiful bays on the coast of England. In all
except easterly winds it affords an excellent anchorage which was much
used by ships of the Royal Navy in the old sailing days, and it
is still a great yachting station. At the northern end of the bay,
occupying, it is said, more ground in proportion to its population than
any other town in the island, is the much frequented watering-place
of Torquay, widely celebrated for the beauty of its situation and the
mildness of its winter climate. Along the whole coast of Torbay, at
a level which shows that the land has sunk some forty feet, lies a
submerged forest, in which have been found bones of the wild boar,
red-deer antlers, and mammoth's teeth. But proofs of an elevation on a
still greater scale are to be found in the borings of sea-shells in the
limestone cliffs above Kent's Cavern, within the limits of the town, at
a height of 200 feet above the present sea level.
Half-way along the shore of Torbay is Paignton, another favourite
seaside resort, famous for its fine beach, and on a steep slope at the
head of an inlet rather more than a mile before coming to Berry Head
stands Brixham, a town second only in importance to Plymouth among
the fishing-stations of the south coast of England. Here, on the 5th
of November, 1688, the Prince of Orange landed. And here, six weeks
after the Battle of Waterloo, the _Bellerophon_ anchored, with Napoleon
Buonaparte a prisoner on board.
[Illustration: Brixham]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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