Visiting Kingsbridge for the First Time

Short answer: Kingsbridge is not a beach town — it sits at the head of its own tidal estuary and is the market town the whole South Hams runs through. It is the easiest base for the area: Slapton Ley, Start Point, Bolberry Down and Salcombe are all within twenty minutes.

Not a beach town

Kingsbridge sits at the head of its own estuary — a tidal creek that empties to mud twice a day, not the sea. It is the market town the whole South Hams shops in, and that is exactly what makes it useful.

A better base than Salcombe

Salcombe is fifteen minutes away and gorgeous, but its parking is cash-only, the lanes are narrow and the car parks fill by lunchtime. Kingsbridge has a long-stay car park right by the quay and everything else within twenty minutes. Plenty of visitors stay here and visit Salcombe.

Within twenty minutes

• Slapton Ley — the largest freshwater lake in the south west, with bird hides.
• Start Point — a lighthouse on a dramatic headland, with seals offshore.
• Bolberry Down — clifftop walking with a wheelchair-accessible main path.
• East Soar — coastal farmland with an honesty-box cream tea barn.
• Salcombe, Hope Cove and Bigbury.

The quay

The best part of the town itself — a working waterfront with pubs and a boatyard, and a long walk along the embankment.

Where to eat

Kingsbridge eats better than a town this size should. Verse is the best new restaurant in the South Hams and the only place in this guide with a perfect rating — book well ahead, evenings Wednesday to Saturday. The Crabshell Inn on the quay is the social centre of town. Seven Stars on Mill Street is reliable and reasonably priced.