Blackpool Sands

The shingle beach at Blackpool Sands stretches out properly sheltered between high sandstone cliffs, which is the real draw here. You get that South Coast feel without the full crush of somewhere like Brighton - the water's clear enough to see your feet, and the whole setup is backed by decent facilities and a café. It's a proper family spot. Kids can spend hours turning stones over, and there's enough sand trapped between the shingle to build castles if they're determined enough. The cliffs themselves are worth a look if you're geology-minded; all those striations tell a story if you know what to read.

Realistically, allow two to three hours. You're not going to spend a full day here unless you're quite lazy, but that's fine - it's not that sort of beach. There's a car park right behind, which saves the trek some other Devon beaches demand. Peak season gets busy, so come in May or September if you can. The water's proper cold even in summer, which filters out the fair-weather swimmers.

If you're basing yourself at Start Bay Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite - just 4 miles away - this works nicely as a morning swim before heading to Totnes for lunch. It's far enough from the tourist trail that you won't feel herded, but close enough to the Riviera resorts that you can hop between beaches if the mood takes you. Brings that wild Devon coast feeling back into focus after all the cream teas.