Real, curated ideas for Kingsbridge — the estuary quay, Slapton Ley, the South Hams coast and where to eat, filtered by who's actually with you.
Kingsbridge sits at the head of its own estuary and is the market town the whole South Hams runs through. It is not a beach town — there is no sea here, just a tidal creek that empties to mud twice a day — but it is where you shop, eat and base yourself for everything around it.
The quay is the best part of the town itself: a working waterfront with pubs and a boatyard, and a long walk along the embankment. The eating here is better than a town this size deserves, including one of the best new restaurants in Devon.
Everything else is within twenty minutes. Slapton Ley, the largest freshwater lake in the south west, sits behind Slapton Sands and is superb for birds. Start Point and Bolberry Down give you two of the finest clifftop walks in the county. Salcombe, Bigbury and Hope Cove are all a short drive.
Listings last checked: September 2026
The largest freshwater lake in the south west, sitting behind Slapton Sands with bird hides, waterside paths and a lot of wildlife. Free parking at the memorial car park. You cannot circle the whole lake, but the route up through Stokenham and back along the beach makes a good loop.
The southern end of Slapton Sands, a steep shingle beach with the Ley behind it and the Exercise Tiger tank memorial nearby. Deep water close in, which makes for a good swim but a scramble getting out. Storm damage has closed the through road at times — check before driving.
A three-quarter mile walk down a tarmac track from the clifftop car park to a working lighthouse on a dramatic headland. Interior access is very limited and summer only, but the walk and the wildlife — seals are common — are the point.
Clifftop walking on the National Trust land west of Salcombe, and unusually for this coast the main path is wheelchair accessible and wide enough to walk two abreast. Free parking with a blue badge, three paved disabled bays. Routes to Hope Cove and Soar Mill Cove from here.
Coastal farmland with well-defined paths and an honesty-box tea barn — the Walkers' Hut — doing cream teas in the middle of nowhere. Dolphins are seen from the cliffs here. Some routes are challenging; the WWII airfield history is well signed.
The best new restaurant in the South Hams and the only place in this guide with a perfect rating — monthly changing menus, beer bread, slow-roasted garlic with focaccia, serious cocktails. Book well ahead. Evenings only, Wednesday to Saturday.
A Mill Street pub with genuinely good food — crab linguine, ham hock, a well-made steak sandwich — and a strong beer list. Reliable and reasonably priced. Opens at three on Mondays and closes early on Sundays.
A 17th-century inn right on the quay with indoor and outdoor seating on two levels looking up the estuary — crab pizza, lamb skewers, a good Sunday roast, and DJ sunsets in summer. The social centre of Kingsbridge. Small car park.
Next to the long-stay car park, doing a well-regarded Sunday carvery with a proper vegetarian alternative and reliable pub food the rest of the week. Excellent on gluten-free — separate fryers and a gluten-free beer on tap. Good with large groups.
Down at Hope Cove, twenty minutes away — burgers, crab focaccia, pizza and a good IPA list over two floors with sea views. Relaxed, dog friendly and open until midnight. Much better out of season.