For fantastic summers in Salcombe, the owners of Soar Mill Cove know everything. Having lived there for three generations they’re the experts on who’s who and what’s on so here is a roundup of their favourite family activities to get involved in this summer.
1/9 Bait, line and skuttler
For free, traditional seaside fun let your mob while away an afternoon on Victoria Quay in the pursuit of creatures from the deep. All they need is a bucket, a crab line, a net, some bacon or tasty squid (crabs love ‘em) and a suitable perch in front of the town’s chocolate box houses overlooking the estuary. The deserved reward has to be a trip to Island Street for a big dollop of Salcombe Dairy’s famous ice cream.
Where to stay
Family rooms available at Soar Mill Cove from £259 per night inclusive of bed and breakfast based on a family of 4 sharing. Complimentary cream tea included on arrival with all direct bookings.
Find out more about family friendly breaks at Soar Mill Cove.
2/9 Swallows & Amazons
If you and your kids love the water then Salcombe Dinghy Sailing is for you. Husband and wife team Zoe & Ross can tailor everything to your ability, from RYA certified tuition to simple hourly or daily dinghy hire. Their family boats are great for a trip along the Salcombe Estuary where you can haul up in quiet coves or pootle slowly downriver, among the rolling Devonshire hills. Head up to Kingsbridge or Salcombe’s Captain Morgan’s for a perfect bite to eat after a lazy afternoon’s sailing.
Should getting stuck-in be more your style then pop into Sea kayak and SUP Salcombe at South Sands Beach and rent a Kayak or Stand Up Paddleboard to uncover sheltered bays and hidden beaches, plus shipwrecks and shores teeming with wildlife.
Another perfect family sailing experience includes Salcombe Sailing Days where Jon Clift, owner and skipper of 32 foot sailing yacht Tinushi, will guide you along the coast, stopping along the way to anchor for lunch and maybe even a swim, if you dare brave the chilly UK waters.
Salcombe Boat Hire & Fishmongers also offer self-drive boating experiences thanks to a fleet of 12-16ft fibreglass boats with steering wheels.
Where to stay
Family rooms available at Soar Mill Cove from £259 per night inclusive of bed and breakfast based on a family of 4 sharing. Complimentary cream tea included on arrival with all direct bookings.
Find out more about family friendly breaks at Soar Mill Cove.
3/9 Gnarly Dudes
Your budding boardriders will thank you for dropping them off during school holidays for Discovery Surf School’s Surf Camp (usually running from Mondays to Thursdays) or Bantham Surf Academy’s Surf Club for 9-16 year olds during weekends. For younger surf dudes, their 1-hour Kiddies Class (ages 5-8yrs) is a perfect way to let the little ones experience the thrill of surfing in a fun and safe environment. Even better, guests who stay at Soar Mill Cove Hotel will get discounted surf lessons.
Where to stay
Family rooms available at Soar Mill Cove from £259 per night inclusive of bed and breakfast based on a family of 4 sharing. Complimentary cream tea included on arrival with all direct bookings.
Find out more about family friendly breaks at Soar Mill Cove.
4/9 Avast, Me Hearties!
The town has plenty of pirate, smuggler and Maritime stories that will captivate all ages. Until about 100 years ago in fact, Salcombe earned its living from fishing, seafaring and shipbuilding but the town also has a more shady past involving smuggling, piracy and even the kidnapping of Salcombe’s residents in the 1600s. They were bound up and shipped off to the Moroccan slave markets of Algiers and Sallee, with some ransomed while others were never to be seen again.
Recounting these tales and firing up the imagination of young minds is the Salcombe Maritime Museum. Thanks to its treasure trove of paintings, photographs and artefacts, as well as some life like models and pirates’ treasure in the ‘young sailors’ corner, it’s the perfect maritime stop off.
Continuing the maritime theme is a walk through one of the most interesting parts of the town, past the traditional boatyards along Island Street. The Salcombe Yawl is still handcrafted here with wooden clinker-built boats always on display as they receive some TLC. It’s a cottage industry that stretches back hundreds of years into Salcombe’s past and gives the town its authentic, rich culture and heritage. You can always hire a Salcombe Yawl from well-known local Scratch Hitchen.
Where to stay
Family rooms available at Soar Mill Cove from £259 per night inclusive of bed and breakfast based on a family of 4 sharing. Complimentary cream tea included on arrival with all direct bookings.
Find out more about family friendly breaks at Soar Mill Cove.
5/9 Baby Beachcombers
Free bucket & spade fun, golden sand beaches and crystal clear waters…what’s not to like?
If your kids enjoy the feel of sand between their toes and love nothing more than pottering among rock pools then simply head to one of Salcombe’s sweeping golden sand beaches or coves.
Departing from Jubilee Pier by the Ferry Inn, you can hop on the Salcombe Ferry for a one minute crossing to East Portlemouth’s pristine beach with crystal clear, turquoise waters that promise an afternoon full of exploration for your little adventurers. When the tide is right, more than one kilometre of beach is exposed, weaving gently all along the estuary’s edge with Salcombe town in full view, clinging to the hillside opposite.
Opt to board the South Sands Ferry instead, though, and you’ll head out from Whitestrand in the centre of town before being met by the famous ‘sea tractor’, which travels out into the water to greet the ferry as it arrives at South Sands Beach. Carrying foot passengers, prams, bicycles and dogs, you and your baby beachcombers will experience Devon’s finest taxi ride.
Where to stay
Family rooms available at Soar Mill Cove from £259 per night inclusive of bed and breakfast based on a family of 4 sharing. Complimentary cream tea included on arrival with all direct bookings.
Find out more about family friendly breaks at Soar Mill Cove.
6/9 Land Lubbers
If your children prefer their feet to be on solid ground, how about a trip to Salcombe Shooting School for an Air Rifle experience where getting ‘zeroed in’ is what it’s all about. Pit your skills against animal knock down targets or the more challenging moving targets to see how good you really are. They’ve even created an online game to practice before you visit.
If shooting isn’t your thing then behold Salcombe’s fashion houses. Not only will you find the Crew Clothing store a stones’ throw from Jack Wills, Joules, Quba, Henri Lloyd and Fat Face, but with its art galleries, gift shops and designer sailing outlets Salcombe is definitely the place to bedeck oneself in the latest nautically inspired gear.
Where to stay
Family rooms available at Soar Mill Cove from £259 per night inclusive of bed and breakfast based on a family of 4 sharing. Complimentary cream tea included on arrival with all direct bookings.
Find out more about family friendly breaks at Soar Mill Cove.
7/9 Budding Attenboroughs
If your kids can tell their bugs from their critters and their basking sharks from their seals then they are in for a treat in Salcombe.
Head up to Sharpitor and Overbeck’s Edwardian house for a search of Overbeck’s beautiful grounds for bugs and beasties. You’ll discover weird and wonderful creatures hiding in the pond. Meander through the woodland, wander through the banana garden or just relax beneath the palms and soak up the spectacular panoramic view across miles of beautiful coastline and estuary.
If Bugs and beasties don’t quite hit the mark then Sea-N-Shore’s 75 minute Seal watching trip on super-fast Ribquest ribs should do the trick. Complete with on-board binoculars for Seal, Basking Shark and Dolphin spotting, their Aqua scopes and hydrophones ensure an underwater wildlife experience too where passengers can see and listen in to the action beneath the waves.
Where to stay
Family rooms available at Soar Mill Cove from £259 per night inclusive of bed and breakfast based on a family of 4 sharing. Complimentary cream tea included on arrival with all direct bookings.
Find out more about family friendly breaks at Soar Mill Cove.
8/9 Multi-Gen Family Fun
If a ‘multi-gen’ escape is on the cards then Salcombe is the perfect destination, giving kids precious time with their grandparents while lucky parents grab a bit of ‘me time’.
For active families, Sea-N-Shore’s Banana Boat, RIB Coasteering, Wakeboarding and RIB are a must. This super fun offering comes complete with your own driver, spotter, equipment and tuition. Sea-N-Shore owner Ali Turner-Jones and her team will ensure you have a wild time, whether booking by the hour, half day or full family day, prices from just £15 per person.
Their Photographic Treasure Hunt is also a winner when it comes to some unique group fun. It’s carefully developed to entertain you while discovering Salcombe’s beaches, ferrymen, RNLI crew, as well as the local wildlife, flora, fauna and lively locals. To end, there is an environmentally friendly raft building exercise before the winner is announced and prizes are handed out.
Where to stay
Family rooms available at Soar Mill Cove from £259 per night inclusive of bed and breakfast based on a family of 4 sharing. Complimentary cream tea included on arrival with all direct bookings.
Find out more about family friendly breaks at Soar Mill Cove.
9/9 The perfect place to stay
Total family summerness awaits you at Soar Mill Cove cove. You’ll notice the welcoming atmosphere from the moment you arrive at this family-run Devon hotel. It’s something the Makepeace family pride themselves on and have been passionate about for three generations.
Together they’ll help you have the perfect time. Inside there’s plenty to keep the small ones smiling with games in all shapes and sizes and a scrummy high tea. Plenty for adults too with grown-up pampering luxury. Then just stroll outside…
Capture young imaginations down at Soar Mill Cove’s own private beach. Explore rock pools, build castles, play games, spot dolphins or just relax and wriggle toes in glorious sand.
Take the dog and family walkies along the spectacular coastal paths. There are adventures to be had and memories to be made. Perfect.
Where to stay
Family rooms available at Soar Mill Cove from £259 per night inclusive of bed and breakfast based on a family of 4 sharing. Complimentary cream tea included on arrival with all direct bookings.