Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
taurant. The scallops come with black pudding, the catch of the day comes with brown
shrimp, and a table at the picture window comes with views of a river lined with pastel-
painted houses.
CAFE
££
Blackpool Sands
( 01803-770209;
www.lovingthebeach.co.uk
; Blackpool Sands; mains £10-20; 8am-5pm daily, to 9pm Thu-Sat
May-Sep)
In the summer the huge doors open directly onto the beach; in the winter there's a
warming log fire. All year organic Devon goodies stack the menu: try the garlic crab
bisque, tender Start Bay lobster or succulent Riverford beef steaks, washed down with
locally produced Ashridge vintage cider.
Seahorse
MAP
SEAFOOD
£££
GOOGLE MAP
( 01803-835147;
www.seahorserestaurant.co.uk
; 5 South Embankment; mains £17-28; noon-2.30pm Wed-Sun,
6-10pm Tue-Sat)
The seafood served at Mitch Tonks' eatery is so fresh, the menu changes
twice a day. So, depending on what's been landed at Brixham (7 miles away) or Dart-
mouth (a few yards), you might get cuttlefish in Chianti, sea bream with roasted garlic, or
fried local squid with garlic mayonnaise. A Seahorse speciality is sublime charcoal-roas-
ted fish, and the two-course lunches (£20, Wednesday to Sunday) are a bargain.
WORTH A TRIP
COLETON FISHACRE
There's more than a touch of showbiz magic about the charming Arts and Crafts-style
Coleton Fishacre
(NT;
01803-842382;
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
; Brownstone Rd, near Kingswear; adult/child £9/5;
10.30am-5pm Sat-Thu mid-Feb-Oct; ). It was built in 1926 for the D'Oyly Cartes, a family of theatre impres-
arios and owners of London's Claridge's and Savoy Hotel. Art deco embellishments are everywhere: Lalique
tulip uplighters, comic bathroom tiles and a saloon that's reminiscent of a stage set, complete with tinkling piano
(if you can play they'll probably let you tap out a tune). It's easy to imagine living here: sitting on the mono-
chrome furnishings in Lady Dorothy's bedroom, working at the desk in the well-stocked library or tucking into an
al fresco lunch in the sea-view verandah.
The grounds are like a three-act play, from the grassy croquet terrace where games were played to the scratch
of a gramophone, to the sharply slanting subtropical gardens and the suddenly revealed vistas of the sea. Expect
to come across bamboo, New Zealand tree ferns and succulents from the Canary Islands. Spring brings azaleas,
magnolias and camellias; summer swaths of blue hydrangeas.
Coleton Fishacre is 3 miles from Dartmouth on the Torquay side of the estuary. You can hike to the property
along a dramatic stretch of cliff path from Kingswear (4 miles) or drive.
