Ilfracombe

Dramatic cliffs plunge into the Bristol Channel here, where Victorian grandeur meets rugged North Devon coastline. Ilfracombe perches on limestone ledges, its harbour tucked beneath towering headlands that once guided ships safely to shore.

The town splits personality between genteel resort and working port. Damien Hirst's controversial Verity statue dominates the harbour - a 67-foot pregnant woman holding scales and sword that locals either love or loathe. No middle ground. The old Pavilion Theatre and ornate terraces speak of grander times when paddle steamers brought day-trippers from Wales.

Walk the South West Coast Path from here and you'll understand why this stretch gets called England's Little Alps. Great Hangman, the highest sea cliff in England and Wales, towers 1,043 feet above crashing waves. It's a proper lung-buster of a climb but the views stretch to Lundy Island on clear days. Heddon's Mouth offers gentler coastal walking through National Trust woodland before revealing a dramatic rocky beach.

Inland, the landscape softens into rolling hills and wooded valleys. Wistlandpound Reservoir provides peaceful contrast to the wild coast, while archaeological sites like Voley Castle and Beacon Castle hint at Iron Age settlements that once commanded these hills.

The A361 brings you here from Barnstaple, though the final approach involves some steep, narrow lanes that test your nerve. Lynton and Lynmouth lie 12 miles east along spectacular clifftop roads.

Staying at one of the holiday parks scattered around Ilfracombe's outskirts makes perfect sense. You're close enough to walk into town for dinner yet far enough from the summer crowds. Watermouth Valley and Hele Valley both offer easy access to coastal paths, while inland parks like Stowford Farm Meadows put you among Devon's gentler countryside.