The Chart Room First Class Coffee Lounge

You'll find this spot right in Brixham, a proper working fishing town that hasn't lost its soul to tourism. The Chart Room First Class Coffee Lounge sits bang in the middle of things, which means you're never far from the harbour and all that comes with it - the smell of fresh fish, the clatter of crates, the real pulse of the place.

It's a coffee lounge, so expectations should be straightforward: good coffee, somewhere to sit, a chance to watch the world go by. This is the kind of place locals actually use, not somewhere dressed up for visitors. That's its strength, frankly. You get a real sense of how people in Brixham actually spend their time - morning coffee before work, a meet-up spot between errands, somewhere to shelter when the weather turns.

Go in the morning when it's least hectic and you'll get the best experience. An hour is plenty of time unless you're planning to camp out with a book, which you absolutely could do. It won't cost you more than a tenner for decent coffee.

If you're staying at one of the nearby parks - South Bay Holiday Park is barely a mile away, or Waterside Holiday Park just over two miles - this makes a natural morning mission before heading to Brixham Harbour or the coastal paths. It's not a destination in itself, but it is exactly the sort of authentic local stop that makes a holiday feel less like tourism and more like actually visiting somewhere.