Head to Salcombe for butterscotch beaches and bright blue waters

Butterscotch-coloured beaches, electric blue water and a hotchpotch of pastel-coloured houses huddled around the harbour. Salcombe has all the ingredients for a relaxing seaside break with the family – including chocolate mice, barley sugars and aniseed twists.These are just some of the treats you’ll find in Cranch’s Sweet Store, which has been here since 1869 and is still a bit of a local institution. After bagging a quarter of something sweet, why not hit the beach with a bucket, spade and picnic, and let the afternoon drift lazily by?

Salcombe is located on the Kingsbridge Estuary, just a mile or so from the south coast, and there are several nearby beaches where you can stretch out on the sand while the kids run around exploring the rock pools and splashing about on the shore.Our favourites are Salcombe North Sands and its sibling, Salcombe South Sands, two sheltered coves surrounded by little cottages that cling to the tree-covered hills.Or why not take the ferry across to East Portlemouth – the little village perched on a hill, where you can look down over the estuary and wonder why you’d ever consider the hassle of flying to the Mediterranean…