Here is a quick photo round up of a recent weekend I spent in Torquay and the surrounds. The trip was almost wholly unplanned and as most spontaneous ideas are, completely and surprisingly brilliant. I really has no idea what to expect of this little seaside town in Devon, but as most around me can attest, I have been raving about it ever since.

We started off checking out Brixham, a small fishing town across the bay from Torquay.

We wandered the small village then sat on the waterfront with fresh mussels for lunch and watched the kids catching crabs off the wharfs. I wish I had taken a good photo of them because I was so intrigued by this quintessentially seaside hobby. A fruitful hobby too as they were filling up their buckets pretty quickly. You could buy bait, a line and a crab bucket at all the local tourist shops – I very nearly gave it a go myself.

In the afternoon we sat on the stony beach and watched those braver than us plunge into the less than tropical waters while the sunshine flickered in and out of the clouds.

For a moment it looked like the weather was going to well and truly crash in on us, but luckily it passed with just a few sprinkles of rain.

On the hunt for the best fish ‘n’ chips in the area for dinner we also stumbled across the best view of the weekend, Babbacombe Bay. Good spot for a picnic huh?  I can highly recommend Hanbury’s Fish ‘n’ chips, they do live up to the hype.

Finally we arrived back at Torquay harbour to finish off our bottle of Cava. The sun really put on a show of setting too. I was kicking myself for not bringing along my big camera. These iPhone pics do not do it justice at all.

Red sky at night, shepard’s delight….

Waking up to sunshine the next morning, our first mission was to get some more pictures of Babbacombe Bay and venture down to what looked like a sandy beach from above.

But alas, once we got closer we found it was pebbles.You go down to Babbacombe beach by a very steep cable car.Ice creams are a must at the seaside.Nice spot to watch the world go by…. and serenade it.

After resting on the beach for a while we got up and started on the hunt for our last meal. After a quick pit stop at Cockington first. I happened upon Cockington in a guide map that described it as ‘a village frozen in time’. It sure was! With lovely grassy woodlands and thatched roofs as far as the eye could see, it certainly looked untouched by time.

I fell in love with this little pink one. When can I move in? Even the roses match!

We had envisioned stopping at Paignton for lunch, another seaside town along the coast from Torquay but after discovering a fun fare had come to town and there was no parking we decided to head back to Torquay and find some more seafood on the beachfront. We had delicious crab at On the Rocks if you’re interested.

Then it was back in the car to make the trip back to London, with a little pit stop at Cheddar Gorge on the way.

Unfortunately we arrived too late to pick up any cheese! Better planning is needed next time.

I’m off on a camping trip to Weymouth next weekend, so I don’t have to wait much longer for my next dose of the English Seaside. Have you got any tips on what to do and where to eat around Weymouth and the Jurassic Coast?