Devon: 48 Hours in Salcombe
Spending 48 hours in Salcombe, Devon
If you have 48 hours for a quick break and want to go somewhere quaint, cosy and off the beaten track with great food and drink as well as luxurious hotels then Salcombe is the perfect spot.
After a pleasant 4 hour drive down the M25/M4/M5 motorways and onwards towards the South Devon coast and arrived at Salcombe, the tiny estuary village with a big personality!
Salcombe was once a major fruit trade port before becoming a safe haven for family holidays and visiting yachtsmen. Travel east or west from Salcombe and you will find a plethora of inlets, coves and beaches.
The RNLI is kept busy and of course staffed by volunteers living in the local environment and their boat sits ready to launch at a moment’s notice. They also have an RNLI museum worth a visit.
Where we stayed:-
South Sands Hotel – We spent our first two nights at this lovely hotel right on the beach called South Sands. The decor was soft and muted as if time and waves had a say in the decoration. I really like the beach style with striped linens and cushions and loads of soft light wood.
I could have just curled up surrounded by the cushions and forgotten the world for a short period of time!
Our room was cosy but well equipped with a lovely view of the sands. The bed mattress was really firm much to Mr R’s delight but slightly too much for me. I prefer a slight less firm mattress personally.
The hotel faces out towards the South Sands beach and at low tide you can walk way out. If you want you can take the water tractor out to the South Sands Ferry which will take you into the town. We were lucky with the weather and the sun was shining (except for a couple of light showers that quickly passed and storm Hannah which came and went during the night).
Salcombe Harbour Hotel & Spa – For our anniversary we booked into The Salcombe Harbour Hotel & Spa, a 4 star hotel on Cliff Road which is just a couple of minutes walk into the centre of town(I will cover this in greater detail in a forthcoming post). We sat outside in the sunshine protected from the wind by the clear barriers and drinking bubbly on the terrace of the estuary facing hotel (there is not much of the hotel facing the main Cliff Road).
Our room was light and with plenty of room. I have to say the bed was perfect for me – not too firm and I woke up feeling like I had been sleeping on a cloud!
Loads of little extras were in the room for us which were very much appreciated such as a tray with a Nespresso coffee machine, decanter of sherry and decanter of gin for our use as well as a basket containing binoculars, cosy blankets and slippers. Little things to make us feel even more welcome!
The hotel has an award winning restaurant serving local and seasonal dishes (see where we ate below) as well as a spa, sauna and steam room, gym and cinema complete with a popcorn machine!!
The views of the Salcombe Estuary were every where you looked. The staff really friendly and genuine and happy to help wherever they could (putting our sausages that we bought at the butcher in the hotel fridge for example).
We would certainly recommend the Salcombe Harbour Hotel & Spa for a luxurious and relaxing long weekend break.
Where we ate:-
South Sands Hotel and Restaurant – After a long car journey we arrived at our first hotel. We had a quick stroll around the town but decided to eat in our hotel. I had the Seafood Linguini – it was awesome! Light and delicious yet full of different seafood pieces including mussels. I followed the with an Apple and Rhubarb Crumble with Clotted Cream Ice Cream – heavenly!
Salcombe Harbour Hotel & Spa – On the Cliff Road just a short walk from the centre of town is the Salcombe Harbour Hotel. We stayed one night here for our anniversary and enjoyed a meal in the Jetty Restaurant.
I had the Chunky Fish Soup – a fish and shellfish rich bisque. It was totally awesome! It was like having a soup lagoon in a bowl with with loads of chunky fish pieces lurking at the bottom, just when you thought you had found them all!!
I went on to have the Cod & Crab – a cod fillet topped with a crab & herb crust & mashed potatoes, Mr R had the Creedy Carver Duck – braised chicory, blood orange confit leg with fondant potato. The real delight was the surprise place of sweet treats on a plate saying ‘Happy Anniversary’ and ‘Happy Birthday’ to Mr R as it was his birthday the following day!
Fortescue Inn – Just a stone’s throw from the estuary is the Fortescue Inn, a pub with rooms right in the centre of Salcome. It is a Grade 2 listed 18th Century public house where you can see the old sea wall and sometimes the sea advances and will come right up the street when there is a high tide with a storm behind it!
We were there for dinner following our Salcombe Gin School session. The menu features as much local produce as possible and there is a ‘Specials’ board on the wall.
I had the Chunky Seafood Chowder – it was so delicious! Traditionally to be a chowder it must be chunky seafood, potatoes and a milk base. I could eat this everyday! Mr R had the Salcombe Crab Salad with Lemon Mayonnaise and fresh bread from The Bake House opposite!
We both had traditional, locally caught and beer battered fish and chips. The batter was the lightest and crispiest on a piece of fish I have ever had.
Fortescue Inn also has 8 rooms accommodation all decorated in local colours and designs. One room is kept pet free however the other seven are dog friendly.
Salcombe Coffee Company – The aroma of richly roasted coffee gets as you walk along the Main Street you long before you see the Salcombe Coffee Company. We just wanted a light breakfast so I ordered a bacon sandwich and a coffee. I was not expecting a huge sandwich of delicious and fresh soft white bread with loads of bacon slices. Truly delicious.
What we did:-
Salcombe Distillery Gin School – One of the main reasons we took a trip to Salcome was to attend the Salcombe Distillery’s Gin School (I will cover this in greater detail in a forthcoming post). As a keen gin drinker I was intrigued to attend the session along with Mr R. We were welcomed with a Salcombe Start Point gin & tonic before being introduced to their main still ‘Provident’ which is named after an 18th century sailing ship!
Under the tuition of two of their distillers we picked our own botanicals from their huge selection and set to making our own bottle of gin. Mr R and I picked botanicals that were all available on the Caribbean island of Grenada and ended up with a delicious gin with subtle hints of island spices including nutmeg, mace and cinnamon. We named our one of a kind gin – Grenada Sunrise!
Salcombe Brewery – Salcombe Brewery started in the town centre when the founder’s favourite local beer was in danger of disappearing. He bought the small company so he could continue brewing his beer and one thing led to another. The brewery expanded, added more beers to their list and moved out of town to the tiny village of Ledstone where it has gone from strength to award winning strength.
We visited on a Saturday morning only expecting to buy some beer to take home. They do brewery tours on a Friday (booking is advised) however one of the brewers had come to do some testing so he kindly showed us around ending with a quick taste of ‘Gold’ a light gold ale with a citrus hoppy finish.
Other places of interest:-
Salcombe Seafood Deli – We had their crab pasty. The pastry was a light as you can make filled with loads of freshly caught crab meat. It was served slightly warmed and although we were covered in pastry crumbs it made a great morning snack sitting outside watching the sea gulls.
Salcombe Ice Cream – Right in the middle of town is Salcombe Ice Cream. All of the ice creams are made in house mostly with local ingredients. We had the vanilla clotted cream – you must have something with clotted cream when you are in Devon.
Roly’s Fudge – Shelves lined with bags of fudge to tempt you. They also make one or two batches right in the shop each day. You should try the Salcome Gin flavour – not too sweet but with a hint of the juniper berry botanicals at the end!
The Bake House Salcombe – You could smell the enticing freshly baking bread long before you could see the shop. All of their breads and pastries are freshly made every day including Sunday. We left for home with a huge amount of bread, croissants, cheese twists (the best I have ever had), Chelsea Buns and lovely fruit jams.
Can you guess we are foodies! There are of course loads of non-food things to do and see in the region and along the coast however I shall save them for my next visit to Salcombe in South Devon!
War Memorial – Along Cliff Road is a simple war memorial to the residents of the are who died in WW1 and WW2.
Tourist Information Centre – The lovely ladies at the Tourist Information Centre right in the middle of the town are helpful and knowledgeable. There are loads of leaflets to help you get the best from your break.
One thing to bear in mind is that parking is limited so if you do have parking at your hotel or you are lucky enough to find a spot somewhere you might like to consider taking a taxi. And of course a taxi is essential if you are attending Salcombe Distillery Gin School!! We used Clark Cars of Salcome (01548 842914/07976 551532) a couple of times and were really pleased with the friendly and professional service.
For a small town there are plenty of things to see and places to eat to keep you coming back time and time again! We certainly had some fantastic food this weekend and some really cosy beds to sleep on! I am looking forward to going back again.
If you liked this post and want to know more about my exciting weekend in Salcome here are a couple of other posts you might enjoy:-
I was hosted by Salcombe Distillery Gin School, Salcombe Harbour Hotel and Fortescue Inn. I was not required to write any positive reviews. All opinions and photographs are my own. No photographs may be reproduced in any manner without my written permission.
