Each May half term my family would make a pilgrimage to the 90s incarnation of the Gara Rock Hotel near Salcombe: then a place with fold down beds in its row of tired coastguard cottages, an icy outdoor pool and Barbie pink prawn Marie rose sarnies in the carpeted bar. Arriving in the dark, disorientated by those winding south Devon lanes, we’d wake up the next morning and hotfoot it to the hotel’s ‘Shop at the Top’ with its tubs of tooth-rotting rock, before hibernating in the thatched witch’s hut perched on the cliff overlooking this stretch of the Devon coastline. My adult mind knows that the Gara Rock of today is unarguably preferable – overhauled in 2018 with a spa, rolltop bathtubs and 12-seater cinema. But you can’t help feeling protective of those blissful childhood memories. And that’s the risk with revisiting Devon: tarnishing the bucket and spade nostalgia and dripping ice-cream innocence of the place that you remember. Unwanted news of a favourite jukebox-kind-of-pub now irredeemably gastro’d perhaps, or a hole in the wall ice cream spot that’s morphed into a craft coffee hub. But here’s the charmed thing about this county: a child’s holiday here is indistinguishable from one 30 years ago (sandcastles, wave jumping, pasties and repeat), but plenty has changed too. Come at it afresh, and there are farm-to-fork tables to book, wood-fired suppers on the beach, organic vineyards and hotbeds of creatives who’ve made this jewel in the West Country home.
What is the best time to visit Devon?
There’s a sweet spot at the end of June when summer is teetering towards its peak but before the schools break up and the high-banked lanes fill with people carriers: the bunting strung towns are humming with promise, the sand in each hidden bay has started to warm and the sea is at its most turquoise. It’s not just a quick dip you can brave, but instead the days are the long, in-and-out of the sea, salty kind, crowned with a sundowner before you’ve bothered to shower (a cold bottle of Exeter Avocet organic ale is the one).
What is Devon best known for?
Storybook-worthy sandy beaches: long and wild to the north where the Atlantic waves roll in and sheltered, sunny coves to the south. There’s the surfing Mecca at Croyde on the north coast, flanked by Saunton Sands and Woolacombe, but there are more secluded spots too. At Lee Bay near Ilfracombe – dubbed Fuscia Valley with its scarlet hedgerows in spring – a sandy beach and rock-pooling playground is revealed when the tide is out. And at the remote-feeling Broad Sands Beach near Combe Martin, the 200-step descent from the road helpfully deters the crowds. To the south, East Portelmouth’s beaches, made up of Fishermans Cove, Smalls Cove and Mill Bay are the place to bask to the soundtrack of children paddling in the shallows and boaty types landing from chichi Salcombe across the estuary. Or scramble along the South West Coast Path to the hidden spot at Maceley Cove, before descending on the dimly lit Pigs Nose Inn in the nearby village of East Prawle as the sun sets, where pizzas are served from a shack outside and live music cranks into gear.
What is the prettiest village in Devon?
Nestled on the banks of the River Dart, which weaves its way into the South Hams patchwork countryside, is the village of Dittisham with its Neapolitan ice cream-coloured houses strung along the front. Dinghies calmly bob on the water, birds lurk and those quick enough will have bagged a table at the Anchorstone Café for stacks of local mussels cooked in cider and cream. Ring the bell outside the Ferryboat Inn to summon a ferry to cross the river to Agatha Christie’s 1950s haven Greenway House, still packed with a collection of the author’s ceramics, Tunbridgeware, silver, and first editions of her novels.
The best things to do in Devon
Inland and happily scruffy, Totnes was long overlooked in favour of Devon’s smarter spots. But that’s all changed: here’s a high street where independents reign, a destination in its own right. Start with a silky flat white at The Hairy Barista, before diving into Folk Interiors for Nordic ceramics, French linen quilts and an encyclopaedic collection of Maileg Mice. For the best pick of sustainable toys head to Small Folk (circus tent baskets and wooden knights on horseback) and Butterwalk is the place for a curation of linen shirts from Naainaai Devon, botanical art by local artist Allison Sylvester and skincare by Earth To You – with strong wood roasted coffee to revive you in the Curator Café inside. Mark your diaries for the monthly supper clubs at the Curator Café’s standalone shop a short hop from the high street, celebrating the plentiful local produce (think slow-cooked hogget and fennel gratin), paired with natural wines.
Moving from Hackney to the wilds of Dartmoor spawned the design brand Feldspar (named after an abundant mineral on the moor) for Jeremy and Cath Brown, making everyday objects from wonky profiled mugs to hand-painted juicers. For ex-Londoners Alistair and Alex Cooke, their first container of products for their ethical homewares brand Nkuku was delivered to a hayloft on Dartmoor, with their shop now in sprawling former cattle barns outside Totnes. And Devon is awash with people who had the same idea: taking the plunge deep enough into the West Country to exercise their creative and entrepreneurial ambitions. Each September the Devon Artist Network hosts Devon Open Studios, where over 330 artists showcase their work – from potter Lucy Bell at The Clay Yard on the River Dart, to a hub of artists in the Positive Lights Projects in the middle of Exeter.
Paddle-boarding into South Milton Sands might be the most serene way to take in the south Devon coastline (boards and wetsuits can be hired from Surfin’ Sam Watersports on the beach), weaving under the arch of Thurlestone Rock and smugly pitying the queues in departures bothering with more exotic climes. At Putsborough brave the swell without the crowds of neighbouring Croyde and Woolacombe, with surfing lessons from the Barefoot Surf School and refuel with a Sri Lankan curry from the Barricane Beach café a hop along the beach as the sun goes down. For something altogether more sedentary, opt for the pint-sized passenger ferry from Salcombe to East Portlemouth across the estuary, nursing a pale ale on the waterfront at The Ferry Inn while you wait.
When Guy Singh-Watson launched Riverford Organics at Wash Farm in Buckfastleigh using a borrowed tractor and delivering boxes to friends, there was something revolutionary about his feat. But in the nearly-40 years since this earthy approach to food has reverberated across the county. His Riverford Field Kitchen is fabled, with vegetable-centric set menus that might include grilled pepper with turmeric pickled cucumber or labneh with grated tomato. A 10-minute drive away is Emilia, created by Tom Hill and Clare Lattin of Soho’s Ducksoup with seasonal Italian plates (perhaps braised veal breast, pea and pancetta risotto or pickled tropea onions with chilli and oregano). And back towards the coast along the River Dart is Circa, in a converted milking parlour at the Sandridge Barton vineyard, with meat raised on the 450-acre estate and fish from Brixham less than five miles away. Further east outside Axminster you can bag a spot at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s long table feasts at River Cottage, and in a quiet pebbly cove along the Jurassic Coast, Glebe House’s Hugo Guest hosts twilight dinners on the beach, starting with a guided mackerel fishing trip to catch your fare.
