Picturesque villages, blue bays, glorious beaches and even Art Deco treasures can all be found along a short stretch of the South Devon coastline that is rich in wildlife and natural allure
ON A HALCYON early autumn day, a stroll on Bolt Tail headland in South Devon reveals a panoramic view northward along the rugged coast, unfolding with the sheltered harbour at Hope Cove. Beyond, secret coves are separated by lines of jagged rocks, ready to snare any storm-battered ships blown off-course. Several miles away, over the craggy crumbling cliffs, as the gull glides, there stretches the golden beach of South Milton Sands, overlooking Thurlestone Rock, with its natural arch.
Further afield, the village of Thurlestone wraps around a links golf course that hugs the coastline before rising steeply and disappearing from view as the path descends to Bantham and Bigbury villages. Here, set adrift from the mainland, rises Burgh Island, shimmering on the horizon in the gentle heat; beckoning still, as it famously has over the centuries, to buccaneers and fishermen; writers and celebrities.
Sheltered space
This breathtakingly beautiful 5-mile stretch of coastline is linked by the South West Coast Path – the longest of England’s National Trails – and is in an area of South Devon known as the South Hams region. It is said that the name derives from the Old English word ‘hamme’, meaning ‘a sheltered space’, and alludes to the climate of the area, which is one of the mildest in Britain, due to its southerly location and the protection that comes from Dartmoor’s granite hills.
From Bolt Tail, the coastal path descends through narrow wooded paths before arriving at Hope Cove; a picturesque former fishing village protected from the prevailing south-westerly winds by the headland. In common with much of this coastline, the village lies within a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. With its sandy shores, and narrow streets wedged between old, whitewashed thatched cottages, behind this respectable facade lies a long history of smuggling and plundering of the many ships wrecked on this coastline over the centuries.
