Two Coasts, Two Very Different Kinds of Shore

Devon's two coastlines could hardly be more different, and that is good news for rockpoolers. The north coast faces the Atlantic, and its slate and sandstone ledges at places such as Lee Bay, Hele Bay, Combe Martin and the coves around Hartland are scoured by swell. Expect dramatic gullies, deep weedy pools and hardy creatures built to withstand a battering. The south coast is gentler. Sheltered limestone around Torbay, Anstey's Cove, Babbacombe and Wembury holds warmer, calmer water, thick seaweed cover and a far greater variety of species. If you have small children, a south-coast beach with sand and rock within easy reach is the easier introduction.

Get the Tide Right Before Anything Else

Everything about a rockpooling trip is decided by the tide, and the best sessions happen on big spring tides when the water pulls back furthest. Aim to arrive about an hour before low water and to leave the low-water mark no later than an hour after it. Neap tides expose far less and often feel disappointing.

Check an official tide table the day before and again on the morning. Tides around Devon move quickly — on some beaches the water can cross 20 to 30 metres of flat sand in minutes — and it always arrives sooner than you expect. Choose a beach with an obvious exit route, note which way the sea is coming from, and set a phone alarm for your turnaround time. Turning back early is never a wasted trip.

The Kit That Actually Helps

• Wellies or sturdy shoes with grip. Wet rock covered in weed is genuinely slippery.
• A white-bottomed tray or shallow plastic tub. Far better than a bucket for seeing what you have found, and gentler on the animals.
• A small net and a magnifying glass. A cheap magnifier turns a dull-looking pool into another world.
• A soft paintbrush for coaxing creatures into the tray without damaging them.
• Warm layers and waterproofs. Even in August, a Devon sea breeze cuts through a T-shirt.
• A basic first aid kit with plasters and tweezers.

Leave glass jars at home, and never poke at anything with a stick.

Look, Learn, Put It Back

Rockpools are tough places to live, and everything in them is already working hard to survive. A few simple habits keep a shore healthy for the next visit.

• Turn rocks over gently and always replace them exactly as you found them, dark side down. Entire communities live on that underside.
• Never prise limpets or barnacles off the rock. They cannot reattach.
• Keep creatures in water for no more than ten minutes, then return them to the same pool you took them from.
• Handle crabs with wet hands and from behind, supporting the shell. Dry hands and sun cream harm soft-bodied creatures.
• Leave seaweed attached where it grows. It is cover and food for everything else.
• Take home photographs, not animals — and take your litter with you, including any you find.

What You Are Likely to Find

Beadlet anemones, those dark red blobs that look like squashed tomatoes, are everywhere, and they open into a crown of tentacles if you sit still and wait. Snakelocks anemones, with long green tentacles tipped in purple, prefer the sunnier south-coast pools.

Under the weed you will find common shore crabs, velvet swimming crabs and hermit crabs in borrowed shells, along with common prawns that dart away in a blur. Look closely at the rock itself for limpets, topshells, dog whelks, chitons and tiny, perfectly formed barnacles. In deeper pools, blennies and gobies rest on the bottom, and a torch shone along a shaded ledge might reveal a cushion star, a brittle star or a sea squirt. On the south coast, some of the species that make places like Wembury so special are rare and protected — all the more reason to tread carefully.

Staying Safe on Rocky Shores

Most rockpooling injuries are slips, and most scares involve the tide. Wear grippy footwear, test every step before committing to it, and keep clear of cliff bases and wet, green-looking rock at the waterline. Avoid deep gullies and caves on a rising tide, and never turn your back on the sea on an exposed north-coast beach where swell can arrive without warning.

Watch where you put hands and feet in sandy shallows: the lesser weever fish lies buried in the sand and its sting is painful. If someone is stung, soak the area in water as hot as can be tolerated and seek medical advice. Finally, tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back. Mobile signal is patchy in many Devon coves, and a plan made at home is worth more than a phone in your pocket.