The delights of Soar Mill Cove, Devon (From Dorset Society)

The delights of Soar Mill Cove, Devon

6:30am Saturday 1st August 2009

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PICTURE the scene. You’ve just arrived at a hotel for a weekend break in Devon.

It is set in a pretty valley fringed by National Trust-protected Dartmoor.

There are views of the sea. There is a footpath leading down to a private cove.

It is late afternoon and after driving for a couple of hours a leg stretch before dinner beckons.

A soft sea breeze is blowing as you stroll through the grassy meadow, your husband by your side, your child laughing and running ahead.

A babbling brook tinkles soothingly at the pathside.

Sunglasses pushed back on head, tea dress on.

Yes, I was having a ‘Boden moment’.

This charming family scene is something one rarely finds outside the pages of an upmarket catalogue...

“I say, I wouldn’t let him run ahead like that,”my photo-shoot fantasy was crushed by a pair of stout-booted hikers coming the other way.

“It gets quite steep further down”.

“Seb! Stop! Stop!” Cue shrieking woman legging it as fast as her bejewelled sandals would allow.

I never could run in flip-flops.

“Yougo, yougo” My breathless instructions to my husband came out like the name of a city banker.

Thankfully he got the gist and took off after the speck that was once our son.

Too late. By the time we caught up with him he had been to the brink and back.

“Mum, it’s a sheer drop!” He was delighted.

Actually it was nothing like.

The coast on either side was impressively rugged, granted, but not on our route.

There was a gate at the bottom of the slope and then an easy footpath down to the sand.

If you were two or ninety-two you might like help down the last bit. But honestly, if I can make it in those sandals...

The cove was a perfect little horseshoe of rock filled with sand. The brook which had been running (better than me) alongside us on the way down ended in a miniature waterfall on its final descent to the sea.

Apart from a small slipway, the cove was just as nature intended.

Clean sand to play on, a stream to dam up, rockpools to explore and swimming.

Well, that’s Seb sorted, then.

We’d only been there twenty minutes and we had already done the safety check on the beach.

Important stuff, since our hotel Soar Mill Cove, prided itself on being family-friendly.

Time to head back to base and see if it ticked all the other boxes.

Location-wise, it is a near perfect spot, sitting in a small valley, surrounded by open National Trust heathland running down to the sea and ending in its own private beach.

The hotel is a low building, which, although modern in look, seems to sit well in its environment.

The bowl of green in front of it is bounded by a grass tennis court, a children’s play area and a small outdoor pool. And if that starts to sound like a holiday camp, it’s nothing of the sort.

Everything is kept low-key to make the most of the very special coastal view.

A view that is shared by many of the hotel’s rooms, each with its own private patio and seating areas giving more of an apartment feel.

Our suite, although delightful didn’t share this outlook, although it still had the patio, only this one was looking out over pretty gardens at the back which offered a better degree of privacy, something that you can rarely achieve staying in a hotel.

‘Family rooms’ are great, but if that means your little ones are going to be camped on a put-you-up at the end of the bed, it hardly makes for a relaxing break.

Thankfully, Soar Mill are only too aware of what that can be like. The family suites here have separate bedrooms for the children (even with its own television) so everybody gets their own space.

The master bedroom, complete with sofa and large flatscreen TV also doubled up as a sitting room for cosying up in after dinner.

Alternatively the hotel can arrange baby sitters if you want to go further afield or simply provide a child monitor should you wish to linger in the bar (and well you might as the hotel has a dedicated Bollinger champagne bar).

Given Soar Mill’s position, the options for eating out are one or two nearby pubs or, if you don’t mind the drive, the restaurants of Salcombe or Kingsbridge.

Good job, then, that the hotel is renouned for its food. With two AA rosettes, you can expect something a bit special.

We had some straight-off-the-boat fish, our son had pasta, and even that was fresh.

It was wonderful to eat looking out over that view, too.

Although youngsters are welcome to dine with parents early evening, most opt to feed them at the adjoining coffee shop where they offer a daily changing children’s menu.

This is just one of the many little touches that harrassed parents appreciate.

Others include, free laundry facilities (including washing powder), fun packs, milk warming...

And harrassed children will appreciate the organised activities; a guided beach safari, shell spotting, sandcastle competition, free buckets and spades, rockpooling and even a supply of go-karts!

As with all British beachside holidays weather can be unpredicable and that’s when the children’s DVD library, book supply, playroom, toys and indoor heated pool come into their own.

Thankfully, the weather stayed dry for us, although rather breezy, (which was to be the cause of another mini drama later in the day).

We decided to head out to Salcombe, 20-odd minutes up the road.

This pretty town has lovely boutiquey shops, all the boaty brands – Seasalt, Henri lloyd, Fat Face, Crew et al – and plenty of upmarket eateries plus a couple of great delis for impromptu picnics.

While I dropped anchor by the shops, the boys went off to check out the harbour in the hope of finding a boat trip.

Later, over an excellent local ice cream, they declared they had.

Knowing that I get seasick just standing on a pontoon, they had picked a very short jaunt. Just a little pootle further along the coast. Just five minutes.

Yes, but when it is five minutes on choppy water, the little ferry fighting against an incoming tide...

Some passengers started out on deck. Pah! When the first hefty wave smashed over the bow they realised it would take more than a Peter Storm pac-a-mac to survive this one.

We all huddled inside and still the waves managed to hit us, protected as we were by just a roll-down plastic cover .

The boat was thrown up and down at such an alarming rate that I grabbed the nearest arm in a vice-like grip, startling its elderly owner.

To celebrate our survival we decided to have supper at The Winking Prawn on Salcombe’s North Beach.

We knew we’d made a good choice by the reaction we got when asking for directions.

It looks like a large beach hut from the outside, and actually, that’s pretty much what it is – a beach cafe with attitude.

Inside it’s all whitewashed wood and strip floors, but very cosy and welcoming and a great place to watch the breakers coming over the sea wall.

After a full, tiring day out, it was wonderful to get back to Soar Mill’s sanctuary.

Snuggling down for the evening we thought about all the years we’d spent bombing through this county to get to Cornwall.

We’d been missing a trick. The trick is to stop and enjoy the magic of Devon.

FACTFILE

Soar Mill Cove Hotel, nr Salcombe, South Devon, UK TQ7 3DS. Contact: 01548 561566

Visit Soar Mill website

Bedrooms with private patios start at £130 per night low season rising to £220 in high season. Price includes cream tea on arrival and breakfast for two A three-course dinner with coffee & chocolates is £35 per person.

Children stay free, only paying for meals

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