Salcombe Harbour
Salcombe is one of the most beautiful and sought-after harbours on the south Devon coast, a sheltered estuary town that combines maritime heritage, superb sailing waters and the kind of compact, well-preserved Victorian seaside character that makes it immediately attractive. The town sits at the mouth of the Kingsbridge Estuary, a drowned river valley or ria that creates a network of sheltered inlets reaching deep into the South Hams countryside, providing some of the finest sailing and small-boat waters in the southwest of England. The estuary's natural shelter from the Atlantic swell and its extensive navigable waters have made Salcombe a centre for pleasure boating, yacht chartering and watersports for well over a century. The approach to the harbour by sea, through the narrow bar at the mouth where the estuary meets the English Channel, has a certain drama: the bar can be treacherous in onshore conditions, and vessels approaching in difficult weather must time their entry carefully. Within the harbour the contrast between the sparkling water, the green hillsides and the colourful buildings of the town is immediately appealing. The town's history is closely bound with the sea. In the nineteenth century Salcombe was a significant centre for the building of fast, light sailing vessels known as Salcombe Fruiters, schooners designed for the rapid transport of fruit from the Mediterranean, Azores and West Indies that needed to reach English ports before their cargo deteriorated. The speed and seakeeping qualities of these vessels earned them a considerable reputation, and the men who sailed them a particular expertise in working the tides and weather of the western approaches. The beaches within and around the estuary are exceptional. North Sands and South Sands beaches provide safe bathing within the estuary, while the more exposed beaches on the coast to either side, including Soar Mill Cove and Bolt Head, are reachable on foot along the South West Coast Path that runs along the stunning cliff scenery of this stretch of the Devon coast. The coastal path between Salcombe and Hope Cove is particularly dramatic, passing along clifftops with views across Bigbury Bay. The town's excellent selection of restaurants, the ferry crossings to sandy beaches on the opposite shore and the general atmosphere of unhurried coastal enjoyment make Salcombe one of the most popular, if increasingly expensive, summer destinations in Devon.