Budleigh Salterton

The red cliffs tell you everything about this stretch of East Devon coast. Budleigh Salterton sits where the River Otter meets the sea, its pebble beach stretching between dramatic sandstone headlands that glow amber in the late afternoon sun. This isn't your typical bucket-and-spade resort - it's proper old-school English seaside, where beach huts cost more than some people's cars and the high street still has an actual ironmonger.

Climbing up to Beacon Hill rewards you with views that stretch from Exmouth to Lyme Bay on clear days. The walk's a bit of a slog but well worth it. Down on the beach, fossil hunting along the pebbles keeps families busy for hours - the Triassic deposits here are legendary among geology buffs.

Otterton village, just inland, feels like stepping back fifty years. The mill still turns, and the Sir Walter Raleigh statue reminds you this is where Devon's most famous explorer was born. Bicton Park Botanical Gardens sprawls magnificently nearby, its Victorian glasshouses and formal gardens a lovely contrast to the wild coast.

Sidmouth's bright Georgian terraces lie just three miles east, connected by the spectacular South West Coast Path. Jacob's Ladder beach there offers calmer waters when Budleigh's surf gets too enthusiastic. The walk between the two towns via High Peak takes about an hour and delivers some of the finest coastal scenery in Devon.

Staying at one of the holiday parks scattered along this coast - Ladram Bay sits right on the beach while others like Oakdown offer more countryside tranquillity - puts you perfectly placed for exploring both the dramatic coastline and the gentle Otter Valley that rolls inland through picture-postcard villages.