Westcountry Beaches

"The only app you'll need this summer!" Our new social app 'Westcountry Beaches - the beach app' showcases beaches in Devon, beaches in Cornwall and much, much more. Find out about each beach and the facilities available including: car parking, access to the beach, toilets, restaurant / cafe, whether dogs are allowed, if lifeguards are present, whether its a blue flag beach, is it good for surfing and most importantly, how to get there. If you fancy learning to surf, want to go shopping or need a meal during or after your day at the beach then search our app for nearby surf schools, surf shops, fast food outlets, restaurants and pubs. Featuring the Jamie Oliver inspired Fifteen Cornwall, Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurants and Bar, McDonalds, Burger King, Subway and hundreds more independent businesses our beach app caters for every taste and budget. It integrates with your existing Facebook, Twitter and Flickr accounts allowing you to share the fun with friends, family and work colleagues! Now available for download from Google Play and the App Store. If you'd like to share a photo, video or article related to Westcountry Beaches get in touch with us on Tumblr, Twitter or Facebook.

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Weather today in Devon and Cornwall is great!

If you're at the beach already or planning on going to the beach its the perfect weather to take some photos. If you do, share them with us here on TUMBLR. 

If you've downloaded our new Westcountry Beaches app don't forget to CHECKIN, SHOUT and SHARE the fun in app with your friends and family. Check out the WALL, FRIENDS and SOCIAL tabs and if your friends have the app as well you can message directly!

Messages will appear in the MESSAGES tab.

Link your existing FACEBOOK and TWITTER accounts but above all, make sure you have fun with Westcountry Beaches.

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Following This Is Cornwall's article today on the return of Basking Sharks to Cornwall we thought we'd upload a link to a great video, shot last year by Jochem Bermon.

Jochem says: 'Spring 2011, finally headed for Cornwall to see the second biggest fish in the world: the Basking Shark. Have fun watching, puts a smile on my face everytime I see it' and we agree.

Have you seen Basking Sharks before?

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Great photo from Matt Brown enjoying lunch at Monty's on the Barbican in Plymouth!

Thanks Matt. Keep them coming to our Tumblr page and don't forget to sign up to Tumblr to get the full experience. 

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One of our favourite's - Leas Foot Beach on the South Devon coast.

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Explore Devon and Cornwall and find new beaches!

Explore all that Devon and Cornwall have to offer with our new app 'Westcountry Beaches - the beach app', featuring over 190 beaches located in Devon and Cornwall. 

What's more...our new app is truly social! By linking your existing Twitter, Facebook and Flickr accounts you can CHECKIN at a beach, SHOUT where you are and SHARE the fun!

Use our app to find and make new friends by seeing who's on the same beach...who's on a beach nearby or SHOUT out and invite others to join you.

Finally, we'd like to invite you to share your photos with us of beaches in Devon and Cornwall. Be creative and have fun...from shots of surfing to kitesurfing...exploring rock pools...driftwood...or even just a close up of your feet in the sand!

We'll feature them here on Tumblr.

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Dinosaur Egg Beach, Cornwall

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“Bedruthan Steps” by Andreas Jones

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So you decide to shoot some dramatic skies in monochrome. White clouds, blue skies should be easy, right? So how come they come out all wishy washy. 

The Canon EOS 5D MkII, like most DSLR’s not only gives you the option of being able to shoot in black & white, it also has an option for filtration. Back in those lazy, hazy, crazy days of film no serious monochrome photographer would be found without a selection of coloured filters in his or her gadget bag. Yellow, orange & red filters were the black & white photographers main choice of weapon with green also throwing in the odd appearance. But why? I hear you say, what difference would a coloured filter have on a black and white image? Well the answer is in the question, filtration. You’re not using a red filter to add red you’re using a red filter to eliminate the blue. Yellow, orange & red does just that in varying degrees, yellow being the weakest and red having the strongest effect so now those dramatic skies are beginning to look exactly that, dramatic. 

As I said earlier, DSLR’s have this filter system built in so you don’t even need to go out and spend your cash. My own preference is if I’m going for dramatic skies then I’m going to go for really dramatic skies. With this in mind I’m going to give that red filter a helping hand in the shape of a polarising filter. Polarising filters are actually magic, there’s no scientific reason for how they work all you need to know is, they are real magic. Now this is a traditional ‘screw on the front of your lens’ type filter. Once on there you’ll notice the front rotates giving varying degrees of polarisation. They work best with the sun at about 90 degrees to the camera and you know those chocolate box images with lovely blue skies and white fluffy clouds? Well that’s the polariser effect. 

So by using the polariser I’m actually strengthening the blue in my skies, then by shooting in black & white and applying red filtration in camera I’m actually taking that blue out leaving me with an almost black where once was blue. It’s that easy. 

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If you're looking to take dramatic photographs of beaches in Devon and Cornwall check out this great article...

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Sand Storming at Bantham Beach!

A great little film by Robin Sinclair Johnston shot at Bantham Beach on the South Devon coast. This short film is about a trip to Bantham, and the thrills and literal spills they encountered and features some cool kitesurfing.

Bantham is featured in the beach app...olus some great places to get food when you've finished! 

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Great video on Sam Bleakley - Portrait of a surfer by Swamis

Filmed on location in West Cornwall, Swami's short film profiles multiple British and European longboard champion Sam Bleakley: surfer, explorer and writer. It gives you a glimpse into a surfer's state of mind, travel wonder lust and the ultimate draw back home.

Are you a surfer? Check our app to find a surf school if you'd like to learn?

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There's lots you can do at the beach! Here's a great little video on skim boarding taken at Preston Sands Beach in Paignton.

Toby Jones & Co organised a sweet little early spring skim jam to promote XEE SKIM MEDIA. Good turn out and overall quality day.

Have you been skim boarding? Where do you go?

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Great shot looking down Blackpool Sands Beach.

Explore the South Devon coastline and make sure you pay a visit to this beautiful beach this summer.

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A Spring storm at Newquay by Mark Cass on Flickr.

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Gew-Gaze, Lizard Peninsula on Flickr.

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Hungry, Cornwall

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rock pool on Flickr.

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Great video of Micah Lester, Sunday surfing at Constantine Bay Beach.

Constantine Bay Beach is one of the beaches we feature in the Westcountry Beaches app. Have you surfed at Constantine Bay Beach before? Do you have any photos you'd like to share with others?