Sidmouth

The seaside town we used to visit most often on Devon trips was Sidmouth. Nana and grandad used to visit too, in good weather sitting in Connaught Gardens on the cliff top and in bad weather remaining in the car parked up on the main esplanade. In the hills outside of town mum and dad were pointing out fields they camped in and lanes they strolled up when attending the long-running Sidmouth Festival 45+ years ago.

The town was ramjammed today, visitors and residents alike organising water sports, scoffing ice cream, mucking about in the rock pools and sprawled on the pebble beach. Too much time in the tropics has made me unwilling to get into cold water although as a child I was more hardy. I remember the mass consternation when a huge jellyfish washed up on the shore.

It doesn't feel like Sidmouth is one of those seaside towns that's totally in the doldrums outside of tourist season. Which is nice.