Why live in South Hams?
A designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the South Hams stretches from the southern tip of Dartmoor National Park to the south Devon coast, incorporating some of Devon’s most scenic waterside towns, including Totnes, Kingsbridge, Dartmouth and Salcombe.
Here is as much a lifestyle as a region, associated with the laidback coast life, where a post-work dip in the sea or a jog along the beach are for every day not just holidays.
The South Hams is also known for its artisan producers, beach cafés and restaurants, providing a cornucopia of award-winning delicious local cheeses, English wines, cider and organic veggies for those who love to shop and eat local.
Fun fact: ’Hams’ means homestead in Old English. Is the time ripe for you to make here your homestead? And if so, where?
Here are a few of our favourite places to get on your radar.
Kingsbridge
Sitting pretty at the head of the Kingsbridge Estuary, this quayside town has a bustling high street, a vibrant year-round community and oodles of water-based opportunities, from boating and kayaking to simply enjoying a pint by the river. Your weekly shop is catered for via the Tescos and Morrisons supermarkets, plus Stokeley Farm Shop is nearby for local produce. Culture-wise, there’s plenty going on, the highlight of which is the annual Kingsbridge Fair Week which serenades the town with live music for a week every summer. There’s also a cinema, a new contemporary gallery and sculpture garden has recently opened at the top of the hill, while at Harbour House you can buy art, do a spot of yoga and tuck in at the veggie café. Fooides love it here, thanks to a vodka tasting room (made locally), The Old Warehouse for very good burgers, fine dining at Twenty Seven or something chilled overlooking the estuary at The Crabshell. For commuters, the closest train stations are at Ivybridge or Totnes, for a 2hr 36min journey to London Paddington. Families might like to know the Ofsted-rated Good Kingsbridge Community School is a popular co-ed state school with a sixth form.
Dartmouth
Want a stunning waterside view and a mooring? Dartmouth could be for you, thanks to its enviable position on the River Dart, with a range of terraced and larger prorpeties hugging the hillside and looking out onto the river and smaller but beautiful Kingswear opposite. The town has an incredible energy at the moment, with great shops, and destination eateries, including the seafood restaurant The Seahorse, Andria and The Angel, and a lively wine bar with regular live music at The Sail Loft. The town has its own eponymous ice-cream too, but even when the summer months and the annual Royal Regatta, have passed, here has plenty going on. For movie nights, head to the cinema and arts hub at The Flavel, enjoy the local walks, steam train rides, boating, swimming pool and allotments of the town. Fill your cupboards from the town centre M&S, or the Sainsbury’s on the outskirts. For schooling, you have Ofsted-rated Good primaries and the secondary Dartmouth Academy, while clever kids go to grammar schools at either Churston or Torquay. Your closest train station is Totnes, half an hour away, or Exeter which is an hour by car, with a choice of driving around the river or taking the more leisurely but super-scenic route on either the Lower or Higher ferries (passenger and car) across the Dart.
Totnes
Known for its left-leaning bohemian vibe, Totnes is fiercely independent and has a brilliant High Street to prove it which buzzes with local stores, and not a chain in sight. That creates a tightknit community, enhanced by its links to the nearby Dartington Estate, a hub for arts, culture and progressive thinking. The town’s High Street terminnates on the beautiful River Dart, so it’s super-quick to escape the bustle of the town for a waterside walk, paddle or picnic, and the beaches of Goodrington Sands are just six miles away. Culturally, there’s lots going thanks to an indie cinema, live music at The Barrel House, plus a weekly market selling clothes, vintage bric-a-brac and some topnotch street food. If the grocers, cheese and wine shops aren’t enough to fill your basket, the town has a Morrisons and the organic Ben’s Farm Shop is just down the road. Here is also home to The Bull Inn, an award-winning eco pub with rooms where the food is fantastic. Commuters can rely on excellent road and rail links with the train station just a 10-15 minute walk from the town centre where you’ll find a direct service to London Paddington, 3hrs away. Totnes is five miles off the main A38 Devon Expressway, midway between the two Devon cities. Need a good school for the kids? You’re spoilt for choice with the Ofsted-rated Good King Edward VI Community College (KEVICC) which has Performing Arts College status and a thriving Sixth Form. For bright sparks, Torquay has both a single-sex Boys and Girls school with sixth forms just six miles away, or if you’re planning to go private, Stover School is a small co-ed with a strong Christian ethos, or the more alternative South Devon Steiner School.
Salcombe
Of all the South Hams towns, Salcombe has the biggest holiday vibe, thanks to its absolutely stunning position on the sandy Salcombe estuary. It oozes the yachting lifestyle with a thriving sailing club, an annual regatta and a boaty community centred around the Cliff House yacht club when not on the water. While here is undeniably busy during the summer months, it has remained pretty unspoilt, retaining so much of its fishing and crabbing heritage charm. Unlike the other South Hams towns, it has golden beaches to add its appeal, which include sailing and watersports, a quaint and winding town centre and – let’s not forget! – award-winning Salcombe Gin, the only gin distillery which can be accessed by boat. While Island Street is a hub for artisan makers and excellent gin, rum and the new seafood eatery, Rockfish, the town centre is home to some good boutiques, including Busby & Fox, the iconic pink sweet shop Cranch’s and Salcombe Bakehouse for tasty bakes and coffee. For food shopping, there are delis and a butcher, a Coop and Spar with larger Morrisons and Tesco’s at Kingsbridge, six miles away. For kids, the town’s primary school is rated Good, while the closest secondary is the Ofsted-rated Good Kingsbridge Community School. Due to its southerly position, Salcombe suits home-workers and infrequent commuters best, but when you do need to take the London train, your closest station is at Totnes 20 mile away for Paddington in three hours 24 minutes.
