About

Seabirds and Seafood Feast at Guardhouse Cafe and Berry Head, Brixham

Date: Tuesday 4th October 2022

Times: Start 8am prompt until 10.45am approx.

Breakfast served at 10am 

Other: Only 16 places available for this exclusive event

Cost: £25 including guided walk, cooked seafood breakfast ordered on the day from England's Seafood Feast special menu and a drink at the Guardhouse café

How to book: Directly with your guide Mike Langman by emailing mikelangman@blueyonder.co.uk

What to bring: Binoculars, clothing to suit the weather – Berry Head can be surprisingly cold early in the mornings. Optional notepad and paper

A special event in conjunction with the @guardhousecafé and England’s Seafood Feast.

Enjoy a guided walk by Mike Langman around Berry Head followed by a seafood breakfast from England's Seafood Coast at the Guardhouse Café.

By early October the first of the returning winter flock of Guillemots will be back on the cliffs after spending the summer out at sea. Torbay and Lyme Bay can be alive with be seabirds at this time of year - Kittiwakes, Skuas and Shearwaters are some of the species we’ll be looking for. There’s a good chance of seeing Dolphins, and Porpoises and we may even be lucky enough to see the splashes of huge Atlantic Bluefin Tuna further out to sea.

October is the most exciting month for passing land migrants and can include rare waifs and strays, often tucked into the scrub around the headland or just passing overhead. The various calls, diagnostic behaviour or plumage will be a feature of the mornings walk.

At 10am we’ll head to the Guardhouse café for a fantastic choice seafood breakfast ordered on the day from a selection of England's Seafood Feast specials. Dietary requirements on request. 

NOTE: Meet beside the picnic benches beside Berry Head National Nature Reserve car park – payment on exit approx. £6 – or free for Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust @countryside-trust members with passes.

MORE ON MIKE: With over 40 years’ experience as a birdwatcher Mike’s knowledge of birds around Torbay is unparalleled. He leads walks for Naturetrek, Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust & Sharpham Trust. Mike is also an artist and illustrator. https://mikelangman.co.uk/

AWARD WINNING GUARDHOUSE CAFE: 

The Berry Head fort was built at the very start of the 19th century, to protect a battery of guns on the end of the headland.

The guardhouse, completed in 1802, was used by the troops defending the fortress. Inside the café you can still see part of the tunnel system which was built inside the fort all those years ago.

There has been a tea room in the Guardhouse for over 100 years. Ladies in bonnets and crinolines used to visit with their parasols. Fashions might have changed but a cafe remains. We still serve cream teas and ice cream but have extended the menu somewhat. In 2010 an extension was built by the Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, which includes large windows looking out to sea and underfloor heating. The light and airy room can sit 40 guests inside, and 64 on wooden tables outside in warm weather.