The Strand slipway, Shaldon
This slipway sits on The Strand in Shaldon, on the south bank of the tidal Teign Estuary opposite Teignmouth. Shaldon looks north across the estuary mouth toward Teignmouth's harbour and quays, with a passenger ferry linking the two towns a short way downstream toward the sea. To the south, the Ness, a bold red sandstone headland, marks the seaward edge of Shaldon and the south side of the estuary entrance.
The Teign Estuary
The Teign Estuary runs roughly west to east for about 6.5km from Newton Abbot to its mouth at Teignmouth and Shaldon. Its appearance changes considerably with the tide, from a full sheet of water at high water to open flats at low water. Shaldon Bridge, rebuilt in 1931 on the site of the 1827 crossing, stands a short way upstream and is the lowest road crossing of the estuary; it prevents onward navigation for larger craft, though small craft can pass beneath it on a rising tide.
Strong tidal flows have scoured a deep pit up to 9 metres below chart datum at the mouth, with a bed of mostly soft sediment, coarser at the mouth and muddier upriver, and hard bedrock shores at the Ness. The estuary carries no Marine Protected Area designation but is a designated Shellfish Water, with mussels and oysters cultivated under the River Teign Mussel Fishery Order 1966.
Nearby
Conditions to check
Spring tidal streams in the entrance and lower estuary can reach up to 5 knots at their peak.
SourceA shifting sand bar lies across the estuary mouth; its position can move within a few hours in fresh or strong onshore winds, and depth over the bar is approximately 0 to 2.0 metres below chart datum. Onshore winds also build broken water across the bar, particularly on an ebb tide and at low water.
SourceA large drying bank known as The Salty dominates the harbour at low tide, leaving only a narrow channel holding water.
SourceThe estuary carries around 600 moorings, both maintained and unmaintained, and is used by leisure, fishing and commercial vessels; shipping movements are concentrated within about an hour either side of high water.
SourceA passenger ferry operates on demand between Teignmouth and Shaldon Beach, downstream of The Strand, running roughly every 10 to 15 minutes at busy times.
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