Help me decide where to holiday in Devon

[Rainydaysandmondays2]

Please help me decide where to go. I’m looking to spend 5-7 days later on in the year (hopefully during summer) in Devon. Would really love an old school type Enid Blyton-esque holiday. Will be and a friend and my dog. Looking for somewhere with lots of old world charm, good food and lovely beaches.

Am completely confusing myself between Torquay, Salcombe, Woolacombe, Paignton.

Any hints or tips or advice???

Ordinarily woolacombe is lovely (have a relative there & know it well) but last summer it was absolutely rammed with tourists who weren’t distancing or wearing masks. I guess everywhere will be similar this year though too. Putsborough end of the beach is usually quieter.

@Rainydaysandmondays2

Gosh, thank you so much for all the info.

I have no kids but I am a big kid at heart and desperate to recreate some of my childhood stories and enjoy that part of the country which I never go to!

I’ve just spotted a lovely little place in abbotsham when I was looking for places to stay near woolacombe. Would that not be a bad shout, do you reckon?

I’m really looking for lovely places I can swim and eat good food and go on walks with my dog.

Sorry, I thought with the End Blyton thing you were looking for something for children.

Abbotsham is nice 🙂 near to me and very near to the beach at Westward Ho! and some countryside too 🙂

I love being able to walk to the sea 💕

Dartmouth is gorgeous and you can go on a boat trip to Totnes, and get the steam train. I'd avoid Torquay, was a bit run down last time I went.

The North Devon beaches are lovely - Saunton Sands, Croyde, Putsborough. Braunton looks a nice place to stay to access those beaches if you can't get closer.
We live in Somerset but they are our beaches of choice - plus Saunton is huge so isn't crowded (it is near the top) but carry on walking - same with Putsborough that becomes Woolacombe beach so a very long stretch.
Also the toilets at Putsborough are really nice - a huge plus when you have kids!
Croyde has a lovely craft market on Thursday's & Bank Holidays & a couple of decent pubs/cafes.

To all the people saying Torquay and Paignton are rough as arseholes, Oi!!!

Dartmouth is beautiful, the boat/steam train trip from Paignton is really nice, you can probably ‘do’ Paignton in a day - walk the coast path towards Brixham and you will alternate big sweeping beaches with facilities and little quiet coves.

I think you would enjoy Shaldon village which is just over the river from Teignmouth, it’s very quaint and pretty, there are several pubs with beer gardens opening straight onto the beach and plenty of things to do.

Topsham near Exeter is lovely, many naice restaurants and shops but not crazy Salcombe posh. It’s on the Exe estuary but you have Exmouth nearby which has a really good beach. Turf Locks pub is a good day’s adventure, either a long river walk or a kayak to get there, there’s no road!

The Paignton-Exmouth train line is your friend to beat the traffic, it’s very scenic and you could enjoy a different seaside town every day for a week.

Ahhhh gosh you are all so helpful. So do you think Devon over fowey?

We loved Noss Mayo, a bit further down the coast from Salcombe, fabulous walks and gorgeous views.

Abbotsham is a 40 minute drive to Woolacombe.

Salcombe is gorgeous.

There’s a nice documentary series on walks in Devon and Cornwall that’s available on catch up, that you might find useful. I’ll look it up.

I know totnes and the area really well. That could be a good base for exploring beaches. Blackpool sands and bantham are both around 8 miles from totnes, those are my two favourites. Then you could also go to Dartmoor for more famous five type adventures such as walks to Sharrah pools for wild swimming and walking up hay tor.
It was all v busy last summer though, i would recommend getting to beaches early to make sure you get parked ok etc

www.itv.com/hub/cornwall-and-devon-walks-with-julia-bradbury/10a0852a0001

Here you go. Just pick out the Devon episodes obviously.

We holiday in North Devon every year as my parents have retired down there. They're in Bideford. So much to do for the children (old & young), Westward Ho beach is lovely, Clovelly is nearby and absolutely beautiful too.
Honestly can't recommend that area enough.

Salcombe is lovely. Beautiful part of the world.

@oohmamama

Abbotsham is a 40 minute drive to Woolacombe.

But westward ho is within walking distance 😉 along with lots of other beautiful beaches

@ILoveFlumps

We holiday in North Devon every year as my parents have retired down there. They're in Bideford. So much to do for the children (old & young), Westward Ho beach is lovely, Clovelly is nearby and absolutely beautiful too. Honestly can't recommend that area enough.

I live in Bideford 🙂 it’s lovely

Salcombe is beautiful. I also like Kingsbridge

swampytiggaa So jealous! I love it down there. The kids love visiting, and can't wait until we can come back again

Fowey is one small place and Devon has loads of small places! I'd go for Fowey over anywhere in Torbay. Do you care if it's rammed with tourists? There are quieter and busier parts..

Salcombe is nice but it’s quite yachtie, sort of the opposite of Paignton! It’s where the original Jack Wills shop was I think so that gives you an idea of what it’s like ...

Torquay is alright thanks! And it's really not that bad with traffic in the summer!

I have an Airbnb in Brixham which is perfectly placed to explore South Devon. Just 20 minutes drive from Totnes, Dartmouth (via the ferry), Torquay Dartmoor etc plus Exeter and Plymouth are only like 45 minutes away and it's close enough to do a day trip to the Jurassic coast.

Torbay has 22 miles of stunning coastline and is a UNESCO global geo park.

Bantham beach is gorgeous and well worth a day trip if the weather is good. Plus Greenway (Agatha Christie's house) is just down the road from Brixham if you're looking for some story book charm.

Torbay has its down sides sure but it also has some lovely areas if you know where to look.

@ILoveFlumps

swampytiggaa So jealous! I love it down there. The kids love visiting, and can't wait until we can come back again

We moved down 11 years ago 🙂 absolutely love it!

Aw I love Torbay we go every year it has beautiful coastline and the kids love it but yes it’s not necessarily going to meet the ops requirements.

I would add to the Dartmouth recommendations. The castle and Sugary Cove - can't get more enid Blyton than that!!

You're actually spoilt for choice in Devon - it's a huge county with two coastlines, so lots of options.

I grew up in East Devon, our beaches of choice were Sidmouth, Beer, Branscombe, Budleigh Salterton, Lyme Regis (technically Dorset I think), Exmouth (though that's a bit rougher lol), but most of those are pebbly, and although lovely, probably wouldn't be the first place I headed to in Devon if I didn't know where to go.

I adore the S Hams (Salcombe/Dartmouth area), lovely small beaches and coves, a bit posh, quite boat-y crowd.

N Devon has some stunning large beaches, as recommended above, Braunton, Saunton, Putsborough, Croyde, Woolacombe.

Now, if you want adventurous walks as well as beaches, consider S Hams for Dartmoor, and N Devon for Exmoor.

I don't mind Torbay, but wouldn't choose it above the other areas recommended.

Devon's lovely, make sure you get to Exeter as well (although I'd skip Plymouth).