Seaweed Lane

This green lane travelling up from the shoreline, Spring Lane, is also known as Seaweed Lane. It is one of 191 ancient trackways restored in the South Hams as part of the District Council’s ‘Right Tracks’ project. Together the district’s green lanes cover a staggering 300km, and the same lanes have been in use for many thousands of years since people first started using them in prehistoric times.

Seaweed Lane leads to rich pastureland on the hillside above. Farmers used it to transport seaweed from the beach to spread this on the fields as a fertiliser. Some modern fertilisers are still based on seaweed, which has been found to contain high levels of potassium, as well as nitrogen and phosphates and trace elements such as iron, manganese, zinc, copper and boron. It increases a crop’s resistance to damage by frost and parasites, and the salt content deters slugs.

Smockpark Lane

Smockpark Lane is another green lane, or ‘holloway’, travelled by feet, hooves and wheels for many centuries.

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