Salcombe

Standing at the mouth of the Kingsbridge ‘estuary’, the captivating town of Salcombe enjoys one of the most beautiful natural settings in the country. Sheltered from the prevailing westerly winds by steep hills, it also basks in one of the mildest micro-climates in England. In the terraced gardens rising from the water’s edge, it’s not unusual to see mimosa, palms, and even orange and lemon trees bearing fruit. The peaceful gardens at Overbecks Museum and Garden (National Trust), overlooking Salcombe Bar, have an almost Mediterranean character. Otto Overbeck, who lived in the charming Edwardian house here between 1918 and 1937, amassed a wide-ranging collection that includes late 19th-century photographs of the area, local shipbuilding tools, model boats, toys and much more.

Like other small South Devon ports, Salcombe developed its own special area of trading. While Dartmouth specialised in French and Spanish wine, at Salcombe high-sailed clippers arrived carrying the first fruits of the pineapple harvest from the West Indies, and oranges from the Azores. That traffic has ceased, but pleasure craft throng the harbour and a small fishing fleet still operates from Batson Creek, a picturesque location where the fish quay is piled high with lobster creels. The town’s seafaring history is interestingly evoked in the Salcombe Maritime and Local History Museum on Market Street. A unique gallery here is devoted to the work of Victorian ‘pier head painters’.

The coastline to the south and west of Salcombe, some of the most magnificent in Britain, is now largely owned by the National Trust. Great slanting slabs of gneiss and schist tower above the sea, making the clifftop walk here both literally and metaphorically breathtaking.