Route Highlight

Port Isaac

The biggest of a trio of tiny adjoining coves, Port Isaac was thrust into the spotlight when serving as the location for TV’s Doc Martin series. Along with Port Quin and Port Gaverne, expect rocky inlets with tiny beaches sheltering a handful of fishing boats… and very limited parking. At Port Isaac use car parks on the village edge then stroll down to explore cobbled alleys between old whitewashed stone cottages, craft galleries and nautical pubs while hoping to spot Martin Clunes.

During your trip

Other Route Highlights

Rock

The old estuary village of Rock is enjoying a similar up-market transformation to Padstow on the opposite shore. Rock always had beaches, views and walks – and now there are gourmet restaurants and designer shops too.

Clovelly

See beyond the expensive car park, commercialised visitor centre and the awkwardly steep cobbled main street and Clovelly is one of THE essential Devon sights. Thanks to its private aristocratic owners, nothing architectural has changed here for almost 300 years.

Tintagel

Don’t let the touristy high street full of homemade fudge and Arthurian replica swords deter you – it leads to one of the great sights of Cornwall. You’ll cross the new spectacular footbridge to reach the romantic ruins of Tintagel’s medieval island fortress.

Boscastle

A craggy inlet twists inland to a harbour where wonky cottages climb uphill from a cleft in the cliffs. Boscastle’s quirky appeal includes individual artists’ galleries, a spooky witchcraft tradition and a noisy blowhole spouting water through a gap in the cliffs. Superstitious villagers still call it ‘The Devil’s Bellows’.

Beaches of the far north coast

This rugged stretch of coast has more shipwreck locations and smuggling sites than sandy beaches. That’s all the better for out-of-season roadtrip explorers

Hartland

They call the far northwest corner of Devon the ‘Hartland Heritage Coast’ – it’s a beachless peninsula that’s a largely unspoilt Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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