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WHILE most might beeline for the coast of Cornwall in this weather, it is no lie that the locals don’t like visitors too much, with a lot of NIMBYism (‘not in my backyard’) behaviour.

Yet as someone who grew up just next door in Devon, I think more people should come our way instead – if not just for a bit of a warmer welcome.

Not only that but it is the only county in the UK with two coastlines, and some amazing beaches along the way.

Having lived there for over two decades, here are my top recommendations for visiting the county – and why it trumps Cornwall in every way.

Beaches

Devon is home to the beautiful English Riviera, where you can find 25 amazing beaches.

There’s Elberry Cove, for example, between Paignton and Brixham, which has a pebble beach and crystal clear water, making it feel as if you are sitting on a beach on some Greek island.

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At the end of the beach there is even a historic Victorian ruin that allowed the local Earl to swim directly into the sea.

For a more family friendly spot, head to Goodrington Beach, also in Paignton.

Here you will find the UK’s largest outdoor waterpark (more on this later), as well as crazy golf, karts and pedalos.

For golden sand and waves ideal for surfing, there’s Bantham Beach, while the best sunsets are found in North Devon Saunton Sands.

The neighbouring beach, Woolacombe Beach, is then another great spot for families with a number of cheap holiday parks within walking distance.

Here is some more on the best English Riviera beaches with a complete guide on them here.

Attractions

Devon is home to SIX theme parks; The Milky Way Adventure, Woodlands, Crealy, The Big Sheep, Diggerland and Watermouth Family Theme Park & Castle.

Growing up, I spent many days – especially during the summer holidays – at a number of them.

At Crealy, there’s the train-themed rollercoaster Maximus which is the ideal introductory ride for children.

Visit the park in the spring and you’ll get to see loads of lambs that visitors can even feed.

Make sure to go on the log flume too as it’s still the best I have been on, and I’ve been on a fair few (just make it the last thing you do as you WILL get soaked).

Tickets to Crealy cost from £23.25 per person (free for children under 90cm tall).

Over at Woodlands (tickets from £22.31), you’ll find the county’s largest soft play area with drop slides, ball pits, climbing frames and obstacle course sections.

As a child, my family knew they wouldn’t see me for hours on end and the only time they would is when I was worn out or wanting a drink after running around.

Another one for the kids is Diggerland with around 20 rides, drives and experiences to try out including ones where kids can operate actual diggers.

Tickets to Diggerland cost from £25.95 per person (free for children under 90cm tall) – but if you want 2-for-1 tickets, head here.

In all this hot weather, definitely head to Splashdown Quaywest at Goodrington Beach (tickets from £22.75).

This is the UK’s largest outdoor waterpark with 18 waterslides, a children’s splash play area and a pool.

Cities, towns and villages

Across the entire county you’ll find gorgeous towns and quaint villages, but here are a few of my favourites.

In South Devon village you’ll find Cockington near Torquay, which feels like stepping into a Bridgerton-esque fairytale.

The village is full of gorgeous cottages, all with thatched roofs and painted in pastel colours.

One of my fave spots in the village is Weavers Cottage Tea Garden, which is a must-visit for afternoon tea lovers (after all, you are in Devon).

There are a lot of walks you can head on around the village too, which are best followed by a trip to The Drum Inn pub after for a refreshing tipple.

(Here’s my longer guide on this pretty village here.)

Another quaint town is Totnes – which has historically been referred to as the hippie capital of the UK due to being devoid of chain stores.

The town is home to a motte and bailey castle (or the remains of), as well as a plethora of exciting independent shops and boutiques that quite literally feel like finding treasure.

Don’t miss the market on a Friday and Saturday either – it brings the town to life with antiques stalls, rug makers, food vendors and more.

You can read more about my Totnes recommendations here.

For a city spot, head to Exeter and explore the breathtaking Cathedral with intricately carved figures across its exterior.

The city’s main high street is great for a shopping spree, but there is also a hidden gem towards the lower end of the city.

Gandy Street is a narrow street with cute boutique shops thought to have inspired J.K. Rowling’s Diagon Alley in Harry Potter.

Despite refuting this, I have always seen – and felt – the resemblance, thanks to the cobbles and overhanging buildings.

You can read more about my thoughts on Exeter and the real life Diagon Alley here.

This list also wouldn’t be complete without mentioning some of Devon’s standout seaside towns.

In North Devon, head to Ilfracombe – a pretty seaside resort known for its dramatic cliffs as well as a medieval harbour.

Add a visit to Verity to your list which is Damien Hirst’s 20-metre sculpture of a pregnant woman.

Or there is Westward Ho! – the only place name in the UK to have an exclamation mark – where you can walk two-mile stretch of golden sand before venturing along the South West Coast Path.

Then in South Devon, make sure to visit Sidmouth and Salcombe.

More than just a pretty seaside town, Sidmouth is home to the free-to-visit Donkey Sanctuary that has over 100 donkeys as well as dramatic towering cliffs dating back 200 million years.

Then over in Salcombe – which has always felt more like a Cornish town to me – you will find cosy pubs as well as a vibrant seafront with small boutiques selling everything from handmade candles to local produce.

Dartmoor National Park

In my opinion, Dartmoor National Park is one of the most underrated places in the UK.

While most people head to the Lake District or the Peak District, I believe Dartmoor is far more accessible and quieter, but just as stunning.

Spanning 368-square-miles, the park has an abundance of different spots to explore including Haytor – a granite tor which towers to 457 metres.

If you happen to visit in the winter, you’ll most likely experience snow on the moors making it feel more like being in the Alps.

Across the entire National Park, you’ll find loads of historic sites including Bronze Age settlements that look like small versions of Stonehenge.

Wherever you walk on the moors it is pretty (and keep an eye out for Dartmoor ponies as well).

What makes Dartmoor even more special is that recently the Supreme Court ruled that Brits can wild camp on Dartmoor – making it the only place in England you can do so without landowner’s permission.

If camping isn’t your thing though, you can stay at The Moorland Hotel which sits right by Haytor.

If you want to discover more spots to explore on Dartmoor, then here are my recommendations.

Hotels

If you are spending more than a day in the county – which I would totally recommend – then you will obviously need somewhere to stay.

If exploring the English Riviera, book into Hotel Indigo Torquay – it is the newest kid on the block and kind of looks like a cruise ship docked just metres from the beach.

Inside it is sleek and modern with Art Deco touches and has a beautiful restaurant as well as a rooftop bar, ideal for soaking up the sunset views.

Rooms cost from £130 per night and you can read my review here.

If you are exploring Dartmoor, book into The Moorland, which is just a short walk from Haytor.

This cosy hotel has pretty gardens to wander around, is dog friendly and serves some of the best hotel food I have ever eaten.

Rooms cost from £80 per night.

Love camping? Try Harford Bridge Park campsite and caravan park in Tavistock.

You can pitch your tent right next to the River Tavy – which runs through the holiday park and is gentle and shallow.

When I used to visit the campsite as a child along with my family, we would always pitch next to river and then, in the blazing sun, my sister and I would put up our camping chairs directly in the river and sit with our feet in the water.

Make sure to book a ‘grass riverside’ pitch, which costs £24 per night for two people without electricity, working out at just £12 per person.

In North Devon, you’ll find my favourite Devon holiday park – Golden Coast Holiday Park.

Just five minutes from the beach, the holiday park has loads for families to do including a high ropes course, a climbing wall, adventure golf, go-karts and a whole host of other activities.

A two-night stay in August for a family of four costs from £265.

For a more comprehensive guide on the county, with all my recommendations as a born-and-bred Devonian, check out my guide here.

It feels like there’s a world class beach at the end of almost every coastal road on this Mediterranean island.

When you picture the world’s best beaches, it may well be places like the Maldives or Barbados that spring to mind. But there’s one large Mediterranean island, easily accessible from the UK, that can stake as strong a claim to the world’s best beaches as anywhere on the planet — and it’s not in Spain or Greece.

And what’s more, you can enjoy it without the crowds of tourists that descend on Spanish and Greek islands. Majorca was recently described as “overrun with tourists” after figures showed tourists outnumbered residents on the island. The same study described Zakynthos as the “capital of over-tourism”. The Canary Islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote were also high on the list of most visited places in Europe.

Official UK government figures show that the number of British tourists visiting Spain dwarfs the number visiting Italy, which is where you’ll find this magical island packed with world-class beaches. In the most recent list of Europe’s 50 best beaches, the island of Sardinia has two beaches in the top 10. In 2024, one of its beaches was named the best on Earth.

But Sardinia offers tourists way more than beaches. It is the second largest island in the Mediterranean so there is lots to explore, including its inland countryside, coastal villages, luxury resorts and exceptional food and drink. Given Sardinia is less overwhelmed by tourists than the likes of Tenerife, you’ll find that many of its restaurants still cater mainly for locals and the quality of food is high. It also has a large city, Cagliari, which offers all the culture and nightlife you’d expect from a large European city with a vibrant student population.

But despite its size, Sardinia, which lies around halfway between the coasts of Italy and Spain, is easily navigable and you can drive its coastal roads stopping off at the stunning beaches that seem to be dotted every few miles. And all of this is just a short flight from the UK. The weather is perfect too, with temperatures reaching 30C in summer and still hitting up to 23C even in October.

The best beaches in Sardinia

It’s not an easy task to compile a list of the best beaches in Sardinia because there are so many of them. I’ve been lucky enough to visit several times, reaching nearly all four corners and sampling its wonderful beaches, which are almost never crowded despite their natural beauty and easy access.

This year, Cala Dei Gabbiani on the island’s east coast, and La Pelosa, on its northwestern tip, were both named among Europe’s top 10 beaches. In 2024, Cala Goloritzé was named the best on Earth, with those who compiled the list for The World’s 50 Best Beaches saying: “Cala Goloritzé feels like more than just a beach — its raw beauty has a way of touching you emotionally the moment you lay eyes on it. Whether you’re looking down from the viewpoint above or standing at the shore with your feet in the water, the scene is truly breath-taking.”

Meanwhile, Poetto is the city of Cagliari’s “in-house” beach. Just a 20-minute bus ride from the city centre it has 8km of sand and is packed with bars and places to eat.

Here are a selection of Sardinia beaches you shouldn’t miss:

1. Cala Mariolu: clear water, with shades ranging from turquoise to deep blue, white limestone pebbles, dramatic cliffs and rich marine life.

2. La Pelosa: powdery white sand and shallow, crystal-clear waters, it is widely considered one of Europe’s most spectacular beaches, with an iconic 16th-century watchtower on a nearby rocky islet.

3. Cala Dei Gabbiani: clear waters and few crowds

4. Spiaggia del Pirata: just 100 metres long and good for snorkelling in shallow waters

5. Spiaggia Rena Bianca: pale, fine sand, shallow, clear water and views towards Corsica

6. Cala Corsara: in the La Maddalena archipelago just off Sardinia’s north-eastern coast, it has crystal-clear water, soft golden sands and dramatic rock formations

7. Spiaggia del Poetto: a huge 8km-long beach on the outskirts of Cagliari

8. Liscia Ruja: a mix of unspoilt nature and exclusive beach clubs

A celebrity hotspot

Bradley Cooper, Gigi Hadid, Beyoncé, Sir Elton John, Leonardo DiCpario and Cristiano Ronaldo have all enjoyed holidays in Sardinia over the years. The destination of choice for the stars is the Costa Smeralda region and its main hub, Porto Cervo, where you will see vast superyachts worth hundreds of millions of pounds moored with security keeping wide-eyed tourists at bay.

Just down the road from Porto Cervo is the celebrity’s beach of choice, Spiagga del Principe, which Lonely Planet describes as a “magnificent crescent of white sand… bound by unspoiled macchia and startlingly clear blue waters”.

Food and drink in Sardinia

You have so many options. All the major towns and cities have lots of authentic options which are still mostly aimed at Italians more than tourists and many beaches will have pop-up style places to grab a salad, wine or piadini (a type of sandwich). Sardinia has a famously long-living population thanks to its healthy diet based on fish, fruit, vegetables and olive oil.

One eating experience not to be missed is the agriturismo. This is an Italian concept which has seen traditional farms adapt to cater for visitors who want to eat or stay (or both). The menus can be extensive and fantastic, and you will find yourself very full of the most excellent locally-produced food. There’s nothing like it.

Where to stay in Sardinia

Deciding where to stay largely comes down to the sort of holiday you want. Cagliari, on the south coast, is a bustling city with lots of places to stay, eat and drink. It’s not really a tourist city so you’ll have an authentically Italian experience. It’s easy enough to get out of the city by car to nearby beaches, especially Poetto, which is essentially on its doorstep.

At the opposite end of the island is Alghero, a medieval town also within a short drive of world-beating beaches like La Pelosa. and while Costa Smeralda, in the north-east of the island, is popular among wealthier visitors, you can find affordable places in the region, like Cannigione.

Flying to Sardinia

The main airports in Sardinia are at Cagliari on the south coast, Olbia on the north-eastern coast and Alghero on the north-western coast. They are served by several UK airports with deals starting from around £40.