Visiting Devon

I'm still looking for clicks on Helium, but I see the cents in my account creeping up faster than they did before I started my campaign here. Many thanks to  everyone who has been contributing by clicking through to read my articles. I do hope you are enjoying them.

The one that follows is about the area where I was brought up in the county of Devon. Be warned that it is a relatively long piece with lots of information. I think that could be why it hasn't done well in the ratings over there and I hope it won't put you off taking a look.

The coast south of Brixham

The county of Devon, in the far south west of the UK, has long been a favourite holiday destination. Its attractions are varied and will satisfy the tastes of practically any family. At the peak of the holiday season, though, for some people, fighting through the crowds to get to and enjoy some of the most popular areas can seem just too much trouble.

One such area is the Borough of Torbay, which is known as The English Riviera. It encompasses the towns of Brixham, Paignton and Torquay, the latter being nicknamed the Queen of the English Riviera. Torquay has been a fashionable holiday resort since Victorian times, but these days the season gets too crowded for some. It even gets to me, and I grew up there and love the place.

But a desire for peace and quiet needn't rule out the Torbay area completely. If you have transport it's easy to get right away from the crowds. Go into some of the outlying villages and you will marvel that such tranquillity can exist so close to all the sophisticated resorts. Ignore the more famous beauty spots in nearby Dartmoor National Park, and you will have miles of wild and wonderful countryside to yourself. In fact, you can have the best of both worlds.

Either take your own wheels or hire a car, a motor-bike, or even a push bike if you have the energy. Arm yourself with a good map, like the Ordnance Survey Landranger Sheet 202, and off you go.

If you have to travel at a busy time and want to avoid the long crawl on stretches of the A380 to Torbay, past Newton Abbot, it might be a good idea to base yourself there, or in one of the comfortable guest houses half way between those two towns, in Kingskerswell. From there you can immediately take to the country lanes where you will only occasionally have the problem of finding a passing place because of oncoming traffic.

Kingskerswell is only a short drive to Torbay's main beaches as well as to the more remote coves at Watcombe and Maidencombe and the tranquil coast path. If you can manage the distance - 10.8 miles from Torquay Harbour - and several punishing climbs, you can walk this trail all the way to Shaldon, on the south bank of the mouth of the River Teign. Or you can drive the coast road with its glorious views.

Please read the rest of this article here of you have a few moments to spare.