Antony Training Area is situated in South East Cornwall, to the west of Plymouth.
Site Description
Owned freehold by the MOD, the area stretches from the sandy beaches of Whitsand Bay in the south across 350 hectares of rolling pasture to the mud estuary of the River Lynher. The conservation interests of the coastal fringes are recognised by designation as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).
Antony Training Area is used by members of all three services (Army, Navy and RAF) and their cadet organisations and their use is administered by Headquarters Defence Training Estate South West.
Within the training area there are two forts, Tregantle and Scraesdon, both Scheduled Ancient Monuments which were built in the 1850's as part of a 'ring of fire' to protect the naval port of Plymouth. Created out of dressed granite and limestone, Tregantle Fort stands high on the Cornish coastline.
It provides accommodation for visiting units who may be using the adjoining firing ranges, other parts of the training area, or may be exercising elsewhere in Cornwall or Devon. Scraesdon Fort is used for many types of military training and its labyrinth of rooms and passages are ideal for training soldiers to operate within a built environment.
Access Opportunities
When the Ranges to the south of Tregantle Fort are not being used for live firing, the MOD owned beach is open for public use. Access is by the permissive path, which runs to the beach from the car park alongside the highway. For public safety reasons, the path is closed when the Ranges are in use and the red flags are flying (or red lamps lit at night).
The South West Coastal Path, a National Trail from Minehead in Somerset to South Haven Point in Poole, runs through the Training Area alongside the B3247 so that access is not interrupted by the use of the Firing Ranges.
Lying alongside the Lynher River, Wacker Quay is leased to the local council who have developed a public picnic site. Wacker Quay was once used to dock barges delivering stores to Scraesdon and Tregantle Forts. After being unloaded from the barge, the stores would have been transported by railway to the Forts.
Further Information from...
Live firing notices are issued to the local parish councils, Harbour Masters, Post Offices, coastguards, and published in two newspapers, The Cornish Times and The Western Morning News.
For further information on live firing times, contact 01752 822516.
OS Map References
OS Landranger Map Sheet 201 (Plymouth & Launceston Area) 1:50,000
OS Explorer Sheet 108 (Lower Tamar Valley & Plymouth) 1:25,000