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Help me decide where to holiday in Devon
Rainydaysandmondays2 · 22/02/2021 08:10
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???
ancientgran · 22/02/2021 16:44
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. Very true, I haven't been on it since before the first lockdown but it is a lovely journey. If you get off at Paignton you can get on the steam train and carry on to Kingswear and then cross the river to Dartmouth.
Persipan · 22/02/2021 16:45
Seconding that Topsham has nice places to eat. Also, a particularly nice bit of cost path to walk is the bit between Paignton and Brixham. It has lots of variety, and you can get the ferry across to/from Torquay so you can easily get back to where you started.
Rainydaysandmondays2 · 22/02/2021 20:16
Oh thank you everyone. So I’ve narrowed it down to 3 nights in beer and now I’m just looking for another 4-7 nights further along. I have to say I love the sound of salcombe and the beaches and coves. But finding it tricky to find anywhere suitable to stay. Is torcross any good? Would it be easy to get from there to salcombe? Also looking at kingsbridge too
orangenasturtium · 22/02/2021 20:37
If you like the idea of the beaches around Torquay and Paignton (and don't like Brixham), you could avoid the tacky town centres and the touristy beaches and have your Enid Blyton fantasy if you stayed in either of these places:
Babbacombe is a slightly more "genteel" suburb on the outskirts of Torquay, and the Cary Arms Hotel and Spa is right on the beach. The beach is reached by a funicular railway and the hotel is perched halfway down the cliffs.
www.caryarms.co.uk/
Cockington is a picture postcard village of thatched cottages and a manor house in a valley that is technically in Torquay but distanced by gardens, lakes, water meadows and woodlands 
. It's walking distance to the beach. It gets quite busy in the summer though.
cockingtoncottages.co.uk/
costco · 22/02/2021 21:25
North over south Devon. Salcombe gas a beautiful clifftop walk , but apart from that the town itself is just ram packed and has tiny beaches. It would be a great place if you wanted to do some sailing but is a nightmare by car. North Devon much better, woolacombe and the surrounding area. Avoid Barnstaple!!
ivykaty44 · 23/02/2021 07:28
places I can swim
don't swim at Bude or Instow/Appeldore due to tide currents is my advice
Abbotsham is a pleasant village and used to be a good pub up in the village, instal is a good beach to walk or sit and couple or 3 decent places to eat, Appledore is a pretty town and great for crabbing - there is a row boat to Appledore
Rainydaysandmondays2 · 23/02/2021 11:34
So many great ideas on this thread! I may never go abroad again. I think I will try and holiday as much as I can in England and particularly in this area since so many of my childhood stories seem to be set there, silly as that may seem.
BeastOfBODMAS · 23/02/2021 12:56
@Rainydaysandmondays2
Can I ask what might be a stupid question - will it be warm enough to swim in the sea mid June?
I have swam in the sea in June but wouldn’t describe it as warm, nor bitterly cold.
Maybe invest in a wetsuit, especially if you are planning to holiday much more in the UK. You will get the wear out of it!
DobbyTheHouseElk · 23/02/2021 13:32
Fowey is Cornwall. I’m not sure I understand Enid Blyton. But Dartmouth is lovely, no seaside there, but not far. Salcombe land of second homes is vair posh. Ice creams will set you back. It’s a ££ place. Beautiful though.
North Devon is better for surf.
Devon is great, but it takes ages to drive anywhere in the summer. Lots of coves, but they are off the beaten track so facilities. Depends what you like. I like off the beaten track to get away from buckets and ice creams.
Torquay and Paignton are a bit tacky but have charm. I wouldn’t stay, but maybe visit for the day. The zoo at Paignton is good.
VenusClapTrap · 23/02/2021 13:38
@Rainydaysandmondays2
Not silly. I’ve booked a holiday in Cornwall as a direct result of watching Poldark galloping along the cliffs...
Paramaribo0 · 23/02/2021 17:43
I live in Torquay and I'm very picky about holiday destinations! Cockington and Babbacombe are beautiful all year round, we have so many glorious beaches some busy and some quieter. Oddicombe is lovely and a trip down to it on the cliff railway is so very Enid Blyton. We frequently head down to North Sands beach in Salcombe, it takes around 45 mins to get there. You will be lucky to find accommodation in Salcombe for this summer. It has been booked up already but it's easily accessible from other parts of South Devon.
We have felt very lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world over the last year, being able to go to the beach or have a walk along a pretty coastal path has been fantastic. Don't be to hasty to discount Torquay from your list!
Wishihadanalgorithm · 23/02/2021 18:11
Love north Devon and as there’s have said, Woolacombe and Mortehoe are lovely. Staunton Sands and Croyde beaches are fab too and IIRC all are dog friendly in parts.
Incidentally, the best fish and chips I ever had were in Brixham when I was pregnant. I remember them so well as I couldn’t eat very much due to the baby taking up all the space where those fish and chips were supposed to go.
Fa1rhaven · 23/02/2021 18:52
So because Salcmbe (Boden by the sea) gets rammed North Devon is better🤔
1)South has an awful more to offer than just Salcombe(it’s massive)
2) Woolacombe etc is nothing like some of the lovely places you find in South Devon. It’s just a massive dirty beach by a town. We couldn’t wait to leave last time we went.
I live in the South. If it was me I’d base myself near Dartmoor as it’s true Enid Blyton and has some gorgeous walks, villages, towns, lidos and wild swimming. My favourite beaches are Blackpool Sands( it’s pebbly but has a lovely cafe and is lovely to swim in, you can hire kayaks and in the summer it has a pontoon), Beesands with its lovely walk to a gorgeous hidden beach( Mattiscombe)and Starte Point lighthouse. It has a lovely fish cafe on the beach. We go to Sunny Cove and Mill Bay opposite the town in Salcombe. There is a stunning walk that side but you need to get there early and the yachting crowd can be annoying. NT South Milton Sands is lovely. For an old fashioned seaside town with a pier Teignmouth is sweet.The donkey sanctuary has a gorgeous walk down to Western Mouth Beach. South Hams are gorgeous with the beautiful Dartington Hall to walk in and Totnes......
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