Salcombe is a playground for all manner of outdoor activities both on and off the water. I left with the impression that pretty much anything is possible. We restricted ourselves to water-related activities this time but I’ve included here things I’d like to do when I next visit.
South Sands ferry
There are plenty of beaches and coves to play in both in Salcombe, South Pool and up towards Kingsbridge. We went to South Sands and to the coves on the east side of the estuary. We arrived by tender but regretted that we didn’t have an anchor. We used a stone as a substitute but needed to keep an eye on our tender too. The tide is strong so it can be a bit of a work out. Along the coast there are plenty of rock pools for crabbing or admiring the wildlife.
I’d wanted to have a go at Stand Up Paddle boarding but the lessons were booked up. A few people had hired boards and were paddling around the bay. There were also lots of kayakers touring both the upper reaches of the harbour and out in the falls at the entrance.
There are plenty of walking routes. The walk to and around Bolt Head is supposed to be incredible. We didn’t have time to do this walk but I’d go back especially to give it a try. There are plenty of other walks both long and short and judicious use of the ferries can be a fun way to get about/take a rest en route.
Bolt Head
Overbeck was the former home of an eccentric scientist and inventor. The description of walking through a banana grove and looking at a ‘rejuvenator’ piqued my interest. Sadly I have to go another time.
Start point
On previous times we’ve seen dolphins at Start Point and if you don’t want to lose your mooring you can even take a tour boat to look for basking sharks and dolphins.
Perhaps a wet-weather trip but I’m fond of steam trains and the Kingswear to Dartmouth round trip is also on my list to try.
Secrets
I didn’t know this but according to Wikipedia Salcombe is the home of a curious piece of criminal history. John Allen (originally Anthony John Angel) was convicted of murdering his wife Patricia and their two children 27 years after the event. They disappeared without trace in May 1975 and were never found. He claimed that she had walked out on him but his ex-lover, Eunice Yabsley, later claimed that she had seen scratches on his forearms. After falling out with him, she wrote a book “Presumed Dead” in 1992 and the police re-investigated the case. John Allen was convicted in December 2002.
On Land 