SMALLS - Salcombe

Snuggled in the hillside across the Kingsbridge estuary from Salcombe, Smalls is an absolute dream for your large group holidays in Devon – great for happy family holidays, a few days away with friends, refined hen weekends and walking breaks any time of year. The house is set in extensive grounds that slope gently down to a private area of beach at Smalls Cove; there’s a hot tub, seating areas, a firepit and wonderful views across the waters. 4 bedrooms sleep 8 and there’s room for 1 more guest at no extra charge. The backdrop is of woodland and the emerald green hills of the South Hams and though you may not feel the need to go anywhere else at all, if you decide to venture out, you’ll find plenty to see and do nearby.

Just a few minutes stroll from Smalls you can wander down to the slipway and catch the passenger ferry at East Portlemouth to cross the estuary to Salcombe. It can get very busy in the summer months so the atmosphere is vibrant and there’s plenty going on, with festivals and regattas. Buy lines and bait and try crabbing from the harbour wall, amble about the narrow streets browsing the galleries and boutiques, mostly independent but with several big names. Tuck into seafood at Dick and Wills Waterside Grill or The Crab Shed; treat yourself to an ice cream from Salcombe Dairy and if you want to escape the crowds hire a self-drive boat and explore the creeks, or sit back and enjoy a leisurely cruise with Whitestrand Boat Hire. Salcombe is a big draw for boating and watersports so there are several places where you can hire kayaks, dinghies and paddleboards.

You’ll probably be perfectly happy to while away the hours on the beach at Smalls Cove, but when the tide is out you can walk to some of the other tucked-away bays on this side of the water; stroll along to Sunny Cove and Mill Bay, make sandcastles, have a swim. Bring your walking boots and take a hike on the South West Coast Path which passes very close to Smalls. Walk up to the headland at Gara Rock or cross over to Salcombe and go to Snapes Point where the panoramic views are breathtaking.

Have a pootle about in the car, just exploring, seeing where you end up. Some of the villages in these parts are so charming and you can’t help thinking how peaceful it would be to live here. South Pool is so quaint with its little bridge, and there’s a brilliant gastropub, The Millbrook Inn. East Prawle is lovely too; stop for lunch at the Pigs Nose Inn and walk it off with a bimble to Prawle Point, wild and rugged, and the most southerly point on the Devon coast.

If you’re planning days out with the family, start with Overbeck’s (NT) where bananas grow in the beautiful sub-tropical gardens. Head over to Dartmouth to stroll along the quay and take a boat trip along to Dartmouth Castle, take the little ones to Woodlands Family Theme Park or spend a day at Bigbury on Sea where you can spuddle in the rockpools or take the sea tractor across to Burgh Island, home to a fabulous Art Deco hotel where Agatha Christie penned two of her novels.

Back at Smalls you can slip into the hot tub, enjoy a barbecue together and then light the firepit, gather round and watch the sunset over the estuary. It’s the kind of stuff that good old-fashioned holidays by the coast are made of, time to unwind and make amazing memories.

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