Help clean up the beaches in Devon, England

Our Devon Beachsweep's take you to some gorgeous beaches in South Devon, from Plymouth all along this beautiful coast to Salcombe. Wherever we end up there will be striking cliffscapes with a myriad of remote and easily accessible beaches, taking you to a Devon you may not otherwise get to see.

The week will include a mix of litter collection/surveying and educational activities. All the marine litter collected will be surveyed before bagging and the data fed into the Marine Conservation Society's annual waste survey, in order to identify litter problems and tackle them at source. You will visit a variety of beaches travelling between 30 to 45 mins to reach your destination. Throughout the week there will be three workshops by professional and local people involved in protecting marine wildlife around our coasts. These are:

'Learn to Sea' who raise awareness of the dangers and pressures on our local coast and seas and how they can be prevented.

A rock pool ramble will be delivered by 'Learn to Sea' to gain an insight into the amazing underwater world along the Devon coastline.

A guided visit to the Plymouth National Marine Aquarium.

These trips should fuel your enthusiasm and give an insight into the impact that pollution has on marine wildlife. You will be guided by an experienced group leader who know's the local area well and has a good knowledge of the practical work. They will be assisted by a co leader. The holiday will involve travelling in the BTCV minibus from one beach to the next, work on the beach is is not tiring but extremely rewarding.

The Accomodation is situated within Dartmoor National Park in Bittaford where you can enjoy South Devon's majestic countryside. Staying at Blackadon Barns overlooking the coast at Mothecombe, this is a high standard conversion of the Victorian Barns incorporating many of the original features. Buzzard cottage has views up to Western Beacon on the southern slopes of Dartmoor and is very spacious, yet cosy. The lounge has ample comfortable seating, the dining area comfortably seats 17 and the bedrooms of two to four have ensuite facilities. Veg, Meat and Dairy will be sourced using local producers where possible and the tea and coffee will be fair trade.

The accommodation is 30 minutes from the beach and is an easy drive to the stunning Devon coast for a well earned stroll on your day off or you could visit Plymouth which is only 25mins away to enjoy a city with an amazing water frontage. Dartmoor is on your doorstep for activities such as walking or cycling whilst taking in this amazing landscape. You'll also have the opportunity to have a guided walk by a local Dartmoor guide visiting a bronze age archeological site and ending up walking down the river Erme into Ivybridge.

At the end of your holiday we think you'll have had some great exercise, learnt oodles about the Devon coastline and its wildlife and have had a both relaxing and exhilarating week.

What some previous volunteers said about the Devon beachsweep holidays :

"A great way to see Devon, play a role in conservation and to learn about marine wildlife".

"I was very impressed with the quality of the holiday and sense of achievement. A rewarding experience".