Out Of Focus | Surreptitious South Hams

It’s no secret that the South Hams in Devon is a beauty to behold and a well trodden path for many British beach goers, but we think that there are still some under-explored secrets yet to discover. The quickly developing area of South Devon coastline blends natural beauty and luxurious amenities in abundance! If you have visited one of our three Devon stores, then likely we will have (enthusiastically) given away most of our go to spots already - but we are here to indulge you a few more. Salcombe, of course, has our heart being the birthplace of our first store and the keeper of many happy memories. It’s probably the spot for you too, if sun drenched afternoons on the beach and pub hopping by boat are your idea of fun.

It can be hard to know where to base yourself, as the area covers a vast patch all along the South Devon coast and up to the Edges of Dartmoor. If woodland hiking and postcard picture English villages are your style then you can stay in your very own ‘Chocolate box’ cottage on the edge of the moors. Others prefer a five star spar on a clifftop, so there’s really something for everyone... We recently visited with the lesser known Stoke Gabriel for a team canoeing experience with Canoe Adventures. We spent a cruisey day exploring some of the beautiful eateries on the river Dart. Starting with breakfast and coffees at the River Shack, before paddling our way down to Dittisham for lunch at The Ferry Boat Inn. If you’ve got an engine, there’s plenty more places to pop into on this stretch of river but for us it was back to Stoke Gabriel where again, we cannot recommend the River Shack enough, so check out what’s on, because dinners are worth a go too!

With a team dotted all along this stretch of The South Hams we have a real variety of spots for a sunny day swim, whether its on the coastal road at Beesands, or in the beach at Blackpool Sands the choices are endless. Alongside the swim spots, the food and drink scene is starting to pop off in a way that would rival the Camel Estuary or Soho! From luxurious lunches at the Seahorse in Dartmouth, to light breakfasts at the newly opened Wild Oats kitchen it has it all. For seafood, Mark finds it very hard to defer from his all time favourite the Crab Shed in Salcombe, but with the arrival of Rockfish on Island street (amongst others) the Salcombe food scene is heating up and it’s getting harder to choose!