Sandy Cove

The walk down to Sandy Cove takes you through gorse and wild grasses, and suddenly you're standing on a proper secluded beach with the kind of sand that squeaks under your trainers. It's small - you'll clock the whole thing in about five minutes from end to end - but that's rather the point. No seafront sprawl, no amusement arcades, just a crescent of golden sand backed by reddish cliffs and enough rock pools to keep children occupied for hours if the tide's out.

You'll share it with maybe a dozen other people even in peak season, which makes it the sort of place you'd actually want to come back to. The beach faces south-southwest, so it catches proper warmth on a decent day. Families with younger kids will appreciate the gentle shelving and the fact you can actually relax without losing sight of them. Walkers enjoy the coastal path access, and if you're based at Hidden Hill Devon - those luxury glamping spots three and a half miles away - this is a cracking half-day excursion that doesn't require driving halfway across the county.

Timing matters. Come at low tide and you get far more sand to explore. High tide pushes you right up against the cliffs, which is fine if you're after a moody photograph but less ideal with a toddler and a picnic. The drive from Plymouth takes about twenty minutes. There's no café, no facilities beyond whatever you bring, so pack accordingly. That's also precisely why it hasn't been ruined.