Long time no speak, folks! I'm sorry I've been MIA over the past couple of months - life just sort of gets in the way sometimes, you know? I'd like to say I've been busy travelling but unfortunately I haven't been away at all...up until last weekend! I went down to Devon with five of my uni friends and in all honesty, I couldn't have asked for a better three days. Great food, great views, great company - what more can you ask for during a cheeky getaway? Shoutout to my friend Harry who let us stay in his beautiful home for the duration of the trip; he lives right in the centre of Brixham, which is a small coastal town about 29 miles or so from Exeter. Brixham has been the centre of Devon's fishing industry for centuries and is a popular holiday destination for people all over the UK. It has a wonderful, welcoming vibe, plenty of great places to eat and plenty of great activities for virtually every type of wanderer. Friday We travelled down to Brixham super early as we wanted to make the most of our weekend. This meant getting up at around 5am - eek! The drive wasn't too taxing and once we arrived all traces of tiredness had rapidly been replaced by excitement. We freshened up and then got to exploring. Everything happens on Brixham's waterfront - there is a beautiful harbour lined with plenty of great restaurants and market stalls, as well as a beach and a pier. We hung around the centre for a while, absorbing the chilled atmosphere and soaking up the rays (luckily we had great weather all weekend.) Eventually we ambled over to Berry Head, which is a National nature Reserve and gateway site for the UNESCO-supported English Riviera Global Geopark.
The walk to Berry Head gets you a little bit sweaty but isn't too taxing. In fact, there is a lovely little café called The Guardhouse Cafe, which is perfect for those post-hike munchies. It boasts fantastic views over the sea and such a variety of great homemade food on offer. Opt for the local Devonshire cider, but maybe not too many as the cliff edges at Berry Head are pretty steep... The Guardhouse Cafe Berry Head Nature Reserve Brixham TQ5 9AW
In the evening we ate out at On The Rocks, a truly amazing smokehouse and grill with fantastic views over the harbour. The food was beautifully presented, the ambience was great and the food even better - most of us ate fish or meat, but the vegetable sides and the chips were truly delectable. A bit on the pricier side but totally worth it. On The Rocks Unit 3 King Street
Brixham
TQ5 9TF Dinner was followed by drinks at the Old Market House and then Liberty, which is a tea parlour by day and cocktail bar by night. This place was absolutely buzzing and the 2-4-1 cocktails did not go amiss, that's for sure. Also I still can't get over how cheap everything is outside the Big Smoke. £6 for a cocktail - is this even a thing?! Saturday Saturday we woke up bright and early despite a night of heavy drinking - perhaps it was the joyous fumes of a cooked breakfast wafting upstairs from the kitchen (Harry and Jason, you culinary gods, you!)
We had spent some time debating what to do on Saturday and finally decided to take a boat trip to Dartmouth. The boat trip from Brixham Harbour was £11 for a round trip, which I thought was a pretty sweet deal considering it's an hour each way and you get a fully guided tour and the opportunity to spot some wildlife (alas, we saw neither seal nor dolphin.) However, the views were spectacular, particularly on arrival in Dartmouth, which has got to be one of the prettiest coastal towns in the south-west.
Our huge breakfast meant we weren't exactly ravenous during the day, but it was a good excuse to opt for something less heavy - a Devonshire cream tea! We ate at Beth's Bistro, which was a gorgeous little café on the main high street that served lunch, drinks and homemade cakes.
Beth's Bistro
33 Lower Street
Dartmouth
TQ6 9AN
After a day out we were ready to get back to Brixham and relax (well, sort of.) We enjoyed a barbecue on Breakwater Beach and watched the sunset, sipping ciders. After that it was back to the house to change and then dance the night away at some of the local pubs, a lot of which offer live music. We also may have stopped for a cheeky waffle cone...at the aptly named i.Scream (this ice cream was so good that I almost did scream in excitement.) Sunday On Sunday we only really had half a day to enjoy as most of it was spent driving back to the east of England. That being said, we squeezed in breakfast at The Curious Kitchen, went swimming at a not-so-secret cove and enjoyed fish and chips on the harbour. The Curious Kitchen specialises in amazing homemade donuts, however we were there solely for the breakfast. I had the shakshuka, which was seriously tasty, as well as some freshly squeezed orange juice and my usual green tea. The others had eggs, baked chorizo hash and bacon brioche buns, which all looked delightful. Although on the pricey side, the food is good quality and totally Insta-worthy.
The Curious Kitchen
14-16 Middle Street
Brixham
TQ5 8ER
We burned off breakfast by walking all the way to Churston Cove, which you can reach by walking along the coast towards Paignton. It's a scenic walk and things become quite foresty after a while; this cove, just one of many, is tucked away beside the woods and when we went it was quite busy with families enjoying the summer holidays. Despite this, it wasn't actually very crowded, and we took a dip in the excruciatingly cold seawater (probably a good idea after yet another heavy night of drinking.)
After an hour or two here it was time to head back to town and enjoy a lunch of fish and chips from Rockfish, which is hands-down one of the best places to get fresh fish in Brixham.
Rockfish
New Fish Quay
Brixham
TQ5 8AJ
That's it from me, folks! I had a truly wonderful time down in Devon and it was great to just spend time relaxing and catching up with uni friends. You don't always have to leave the country to find some truly beautiful things...