Exploring Budleigh Salterton

Struggling with your UK holiday destination? With Brexit looming, fewer Brits are choosing EU locations for the summer holidays. Beyond Europe, many families will be priced out of a summer holiday abroad this year, but for a pebbly seaside retreat, we need look no further than the South Devonian Coast.

If you’re looking for a short retreat, a day trip to the seaside is a good shout (depending on your location). Whilst spending the May bank holiday in Exeter, I took a detour and ticked off another UK travel moment off my bucket list and visited the Jurassic Coast. Sadly, no dinosaurs, but I did enjoy my day at the beach.

It was a cold but sunny day, rare in the South West, so I decided to make the most of the weather with a trip to the seaside. Budleigh Salterton is a small seaside town on the South coast of Devon. The town lies within the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and is a protected site as part of the Jurassic Coast. The red clay cliffs, pebbles and beach huts make it a quintessential British seaside. Here’s my brief guide to Budleigh Salterton.

What To Expect

Pebbles. Lots of pebbles! The beach itself is smooth and solid, with waves perfect for water sports and fishing. It’s also an ideal place to just take a walk, taking in the sights, smells and sounds of the ocean and seaside town. So if you’re looking for a quiet pebbly beach, this could very well be the one!

Expect a lot of fresh fish too. Fishermen regularly pull their boats to shore and sell their freshly caught wares and honestly, it doesn’t get much fresher than fresh off the fishing boat. Well worth a visit and a purchase (if you’re into fish, that is).

A quiet town, Budleigh Salterton is not the most diverse place in the UK, so if you’re a person of colour, you might feel a little out of place. However, the people are welcoming and the dogs even more so, so don’t let that put you off!

When To Go

As it’s a pebbly beach, I wouldn’t recommend it for a hot day of sunbathing on the beach. However, if there’s sunshine and a slight chill, it’s the perfect time to walk the length of the beach, into town, and escape the day-to-day. Even in the rain, Budleigh Salterton provides views and a trek, so you can still enjoy a wander before going inside to warm up with tea or hot chocolate. Speaking of…

Where To Eat

As a seaside town, the high street is fairly small, and full of independent shops and restaurants. For lunch with locally sourced ingredients, Slice of Lyme would be my recommendation. The specials board is varied, and their take on fish and chips had a grilled sole option which tasted fresh and light. They also had a Sunday roast option, but I was saving myself for afternoon tea.

There are tons of options, but I would look no further than Tea & Tittle Tattle. Providing High Tea, complete with Devonian clotted cream and fine china, the family-run café had a warm and welcoming ambience, though I expect there would have been judgement if one decided to spread jam instead of cream onto one’s scone first. But we’re not barbarians here.

If you’re still struggling with where to go on your UK holiday, stay tuned because I have a lot more UK travel suggestions coming up. We’re a beautiful country, and London is not the only holiday destination in the England.

Where’s your favourite UK travel destination?

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