#westwardho

Northam Burrows sits where the Taw and Torridge Estuary opens out toward Bideford Bay — a place of sand, salt marsh, old stones, big sky and shifting ground.

These were taken around The Skern, where the tide fills and empties the mudflats and the land never feels entirely settled. It is beautiful, but it is not soft. Deep channels, wet mud, fast water, and that strange estuary silence all remind you to watch your step.

I took these with one eye on the photograph and the other on whether I was about to sink into the mud.

The reward was that extraordinary North Devon light: hard, silver, bruised by cloud, turning the beach, the bike, the rocks and the coast path into something half real, half remembered.

Worth the risk.

Fresh footage sheds new light on the long-term deterioration of two prominent derelict buildings in Westward Ho! — structures that have shaped local conversation for years.

By Ray Smith – The Appledore Channel / North Devon Community Desk

Recent videos released by YouTuber TroyBot14 have brought renewed attention to two abandoned Westward Ho! developments: the Atlantic Apartments off Nelson Road and the older Atlantic Flatlets on Atlantic Way. Both buildings have become part of the area’s visual landscape, their stalled construction and slow decline raising questions about planning, ownership, and safety in one of North Devon’s busiest coastal communities.

With many residents having watched these shells stand untouched year after year, the footage forms the clearest recent record of how far deterioration has progressed — and the challenges these derelict sites pose for the surrounding area.

Atlantic Apartments: a modern build frozen in time

In the first film, Urban Exploring Derelict Seaside Holiday Homes / Flat Block, the explorer moves through the unfinished Atlantic Apartments, a development originally pitched as high-spec coastal accommodation.

Construction halted abruptly several years ago. Inside, the rooms remain exactly as they were left:

rusting steelwork and bare concrete

internal walls stripped or collapsed

exposed wiring

plasterboard, tiles and flooring left where builders placed them

signs of squatting, including improvised bedding and barriers

Despite being a relatively new build, water damage, salt-air corrosion, and vandalism have accelerated decay. The explorer’s footage shows walkways crumbling and rooms that have never benefitted from proper weatherproofing.

Atlantic Flatlets: fire damage and structural failure in an older block

The second video, Urban Exploring Old Abandoned Atlantic Flatlets – 2nd Visit, documents the nearby Atlantic Flatlets, an older building whose deterioration has been more dramatic.

The footage reveals:

extensive fire damage

multiple rooms reduced to soot-blackened shells

weakened floors and ceilings

roof sections torn open during storms

evidence of repeated blazes over several years

The degree of destruction in the Flatlets appears to have increased since earlier urban-explorer visits, with structural integrity now visibly compromised.

Part of a wider collapse

Both Westward Ho! buildings were once linked to wider development ambitions that collapsed during a period of insolvency. As that situation unfolded, contractors, investors and residents across the UK identified similar issues at more than twenty other incomplete or abandoned schemes involving connected companies and directorships.

Some raised concerns with national authorities. The Serious Fraud Office reviewed aspects of the case but later closed its inquiry without reaching findings or locating key individuals.

For many in the community, the Atlantic sites became symbols of this wider pattern: promising starts, sudden stops, and long local consequences.

Community concerns: safety, visibility and accountability

Because both sites sit close to residential areas and the seafront, locals have repeatedly raised concerns about:

unsafe access for young people

exposed steelwork and open drops

weakened floors and roof sections

fire hazards in the Flatlets

unsecured entry points

the visual impact on Westward Ho!’s popular coastal routes

The videos show that the buildings remain open and accessible.

Torridge District Council has previously stated that both structures are in private ownership, and have passed through receivership stages — limiting the authority’s power to act without cooperation from owners.

No recent planning submissions indicate imminent redevelopment.

Landmarks of limbo

Whatever happens next, both the Atlantic Apartments and Atlantic Flatlets have become familiar landmarks — not through their intended use, but through their prolonged abandonment.

For local residents, they are reminders of:

the fragility of large-scale coastal development

the wider fallout from complex insolvency cases

the need for clearer oversight on prominent sites

the importance of safeguarding structures left in limbo

Come with me for a wild, sunlit coastal walk through North Devon. Starting at the golf club end of Sandymere (Westward Ho!), I make my way along the beach—wind howling, waves crashing, and the sun glowing above. It’s just me, the sound of nature… and my bike, which I had to carry across boulders and shifting pebbles while filming.

A peaceful, raw slice of seaside life—perfect for late-night headphones or calming background vibes.

✨ No talking. Just ambient sounds and a little silent determination.

📍 Route: Westward Ho! Golf Club (Sandymere) → along the beach → Northam Burrows Car Park

🎧 ASMR features:

Whistling wind

Rhythmic waves

Pebble crunching