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Things to Do in Salcombe

Salcombe is an upmarket sailing town at the mouth of the Kingsbridge Estuary, known for its beaches, boutique shopping and one of the busiest small-boat harbours on the South Devon coast.

The town's setting — a deep, sheltered estuary opening onto some of Devon's finest beaches, including South Sands and North Sands — has made it a long-standing favourite for sailing, watersports and coastal walking.

Salcombe's narrow streets are lined with independent boutiques, galleries and seafood restaurants, giving the town a distinctly polished feel that sets it apart from the more traditional resorts elsewhere in South Devon.

Salcombe History

Salcombe's history is built on shipbuilding and sailing. Its sheltered, deep estuary made it a natural centre for boatbuilders, and by the 19th century the town was home to a distinctive local trade: fast sailing ships known as Salcombe fruit clippers, which raced fruit — particularly pineapples — back from the Azores and the Caribbean before it could spoil, competing to be first to market in London.

That combination of a sheltered harbour and a seafaring population shaped the town long after the fruit trade itself declined, and Salcombe remains one of the South West's most significant sailing centres today. The estuary's shifting sandbar at its mouth was notoriously difficult to navigate and claimed a number of vessels over the centuries, a reminder that Salcombe's polished, upmarket character today sits on top of a genuinely working maritime history.

Places to visit in Salcombe

74 places to visit in Salcombe, spanning Shopping, Food & Drink and Activities, updated live by local businesses.

Some suggestions for Places to visit in Salcombe: For Restaurant Food & Drink try The Ward Room, The Salcombe Crêperie, Boatswains at The Kings Arms and Lotus Restaurant. Pub Food & Drink try Salcombe Tap House, The Salcombe Yawl, Victoria Inn, Salcombe and Boatswains at The Kings Arms. Water Sport Activities try Salcombe RIB Club, North Sands Paddle Boards, Salcombe Sea N Shore and Reddish Marine Ltd. National Park Nature try Rock and Moor. Delicatessen Shopping try Posh Hamper Co Salcombe.

Business Wellness Family & Attractions Food & Drink Entertainment Activities Nature Accommodation Shopping Arts and Culture

Pub Live Music

Victoria Inn, Salcombe

Fore St, Salcombe TQ8 8BU, UK

Traditional coastal pub with food, beer garden and roasts

Handmade

Roly's Fudge Pantry

6 Fore St, Salcombe TQ8 8BY, UK

Handmade fudge shop with award-winning flavours

Gift Shop Handmade…

Susie Watson Designs - Salcombe

3 Island St, Salcombe TQ8 8DP, UK

Home interiors, furniture, fabric, cushions and pottery

Salcombe Sailing

Salcombe Sailing is a Shopping.

Holiday Park

Brewery Cottage

Salcombe TQ8 8ES, UK

Spacious 4-bedroom holiday let in Salcombe, Devon

Clothing & Accessories

Jam Industries

Island St, Salcombe TQ8 8DP, UK

British city-to-sea clothing brand selling knitwear, shirts, swimwear and casualwear

Things to Do in Salcombe, see all 74 places →

What's On in Salcombe

16 events to attend in Salcombe, spanning Entertainment, Educational and For Kids, updated live by local businesses.

Family & Attractions For Kids Food & Drink Entertainment Activities Educational Arts and Culture