Our area is rich in history and has strong connections with the Second World War as many troops were stationed and preparations made for D day in our locality. One story of this period is of the ‘ghost’ village we visited today.  It was a small village of 100 households who in December  1943 were ordered to move out of the village for the war effort but promised they could return at the end of the war.  Sadly the promise was not kept, the residents never returned and the village was left to ruin.  Over the past few years, some development has been undertaken to make it more informative and interesting, information boards in the ruined houses, a recreation of the school house, artefacts displayed etc..  However because of the legalities of the land, owned by the MOD with exercises still taking place nearby it is not a developed tourist attraction, only open at certain periods of the year and all commercial ventures are forbidden.  Such restrictions have made the area an unusual haven for stunning wildlife, we heard cuckoos today and walked through woods full of wild garlic on our way to the bay.  We had Grandad with us and his breadth of knowledge about wildlife is incredible.  I love the way he engages the children in their natural world, he makes me want to learn more too.