I spent a few days in south Devon recently, around and about Paignton, Brixham, Salcombe and Hope. A great stretch of coast - rocky shores and sandy coves below green clifftops, between coastal towns and villages. A highlight for me was Brixham. I was there as a toddler in the mid-1960s, staying at the holiday camp. My only memories are the family photos. Blue seas, deck chairs, men in white vests, and my gran's leg in plaster. I called my mum from the harbour. "You'll never guess where I am?" She immediately told me to keep my eyes 'peeled' for her engagement ring, which had been lost somewhere on the grassy clifftop above the town. It was a familiar family story but I'd forgotten it had happened in Brixham. The harbour is busy and full. Some seventy fishing boats operate from here and it reckons to be the biggest in England in value terms. Another highlight was Hope Cove, a small village around the headland from Salcombe It's split into Inner Hope and Outer Hope, which I like as a distinction of both its space and more general being. It's a lovely spot. I managed a few sunset photos there after watching Man U beat City 3-2 in a bar overlooking the cove and waves. It was one of those 'it doesn't get much better than this' moments. The south-west coastal path provided some of the best open views. The sun came out for the trek from East Portlemouth - across the water from Salcombe - to Gara Rock. A brief bit of tee-shirt weather in April watching the waves hitting the rocks. It doesn't get much better than that.
