Only a week to go before the book finally hits the shops!

It has seemed like for ever waiting for the book to finally arrive, but finally a parcel should be winging its way from the publishers on its way to Devon. I'm finally starting to get excited to see the result of all those hundreds of hours of writing and early morning trips to the coast to take photos!

A mix of popular history (everything from the history of the seaside towns, to the history of the Devon cream tea), the book is also a celebration of the beautiful South Devon coast - a place that I love to walk whenever the sun shines, and hopefully through the pages of the book I can share with readers just a little of my passion for the beautiful South West of England. 

Dawlish sea front at sunrise

The photo of Dawlish sea front above was taken just a couple of weeks before the winter storms destroyed parts of Brunel's iconic railway, which clings to the sea front from Dawlish Warren to Teignmouth and is arguably one of the most scenic train journeys in Britain. This is not the first time that Brunel's railway has been breached by the tremendous power of wind and waves - a constant battle with the elements has been waged ever since the railway was first built in the mid 19th century, as the following extract from the book explains....

Brunel's atmospheric caper

On Brunel's recommendation, the South Devon Railway was initially built using an experimental atmospheric system. Instead of powering locomotives using steam, the atmospheric system used stationary pumps to produce a vacuum within iron pipes along the centre of the track, and this was used to propel the trains. Brunel believed the system would be cleaner and quieter than conventional steam trains, and help them to climb the steep hills that would be encountered as the railway pushed deeper into Devon. The experiment ultimately turned out to be an expensive failure, due to numerous technical problems, and in less than a year the trains were replaced by traditional steam engines. The last atmospheric train ran in 1848, but remnants of Brunel's project, nicknamed his “Atmospheric caper” can still be seen in the form of the Italianate pumping house at Starcross.

The South Devon Railway was built along the banks of the river Exe as far as Dawlish Warren, then it hugged the coast beneath the cliffs to Teignmouth, where it then travelled inland along the river Teign to Newton Abbot. A particularly impressive stretch runs along the sea wall for several miles between Dawlish Warren and Teignmouth, where the railway is wedged between the sea and dramatic red sandstone cliffs. As early as 1859 when the sea broke through defences at Teignmouth, there has been a constant battle to protect the exposed railway line from the power of the sea. After frequent landslips from the cliffs above and breaches by the sea below, several alternative inland diversions were considered in the 1930's, but the outbreak of war meant that these plans came to nothing, and those maintaining the line continue their battle with the elements to this day.

So, if you're interested in the history of South Devon, or just like to see beautiful photos of Devon's stunning coastline, then keep an eye out for my updates or visit my website at www.garyholpin.co.uk.