wemburywaves

On this day in Wembury – 13 July

1997
The Western Evening Herald reported that Greenpeace was recruiting volunteers for a sponsored “Whale Walk” starting in Wembury on 13 July. The planned 10 mile route would leave Wembury at 10.00 am, then follow the coast and lanes through Down Thomas and Heybrook Bay, before completing the circular walk.

The event formed part of a wider Greenpeace campaign highlighting the state of the world’s oceans, timed to coincide with international “Waveland” actions taking place in cities around the globe. In South Devon the choice of Wembury was no accident. The parish sits on one of the most ecologically rich stretches of coastline in the region, later designated as part of the Wembury Marine Conservation Area. Campaigners regularly used its cliffs and coves as visible reminders of what environmental activism sought to protect.

The Whale Walk offered local residents a way to support marine conservation in a hands on way, combining fundraising, public visibility, and a well loved coastal walk that linked several South Hams communities. It also reflects the growing environmental awareness of the late 1990s, when Wembury’s shoreline became a focal point for both local enjoyment and national environmental messaging.

Western Evening Herald, 11 July 1997.