Dawlish Hotels

Sand and shingle beaches link Dawlish's cream-tea resort to kiss-me-quick Teignmouth. When the summer parties subside, walkers and birdwatchers tramp Dawlish Warren or turn inland to see medieval architecture in Totnes.

Watch cormorants diving for mackerel at secluded Coryton Cove or settle along the sandy spit of Dawlish Warren, backed by undulating dunes. The swathe of Teignmouth Main Beach stretches almost to Dawlish and is crowded with visiting families in summer, while the shingle of Shaldon Beach is the preserve of locals in the know.

See unique collections of photos and artifacts detailing Dawlish’s past at Dawlish Museum and meet meerkats, ocelots and lemurs on the conservation programme at Shaldon Wildlife Trust. Train spotters should head for the GWR Museum in Newton Abbot, home of Great Western Railway's carriage works in the late 19th century.

Take the coastal path to the red dunes of Dawlish Warren Nature Reserve, where 180 fowl species feast on the mudflats and salt marshes. Anglers crowd around fishing boats in Cockwood harbour at the mouth of the Exe estuary and walkers make for the moorland and rocky tors of scenic Dartmoor.

In winter surfers catch the waves at Dawlish Warren. In summer kite and wind surfers compete with yachties, kayakers and speed merchants in powerboats on the expanse of Lyme Bay. Hikers tramp the coastal path from Dawlish town to the Warren and yompers go on foot or horseback across Dartmoor National Park.

Crack open local shellfish from the harbour at Cockwood and sample fish and chips and candy floss along the seafront at Teignmouth. Afternoons are incomplete without a Devon cream tea in Dawlish and evenings go with a swing with dinner and local ales served in town pubs and country inns.

Swig Devon beers and West Country ciders in local pubs hidden in the lanes of Teignmouth. Youngsters head for the bright lights of the booming club and bar scene in Torquay and Exeter while theatre-goers sit back for repertory at Carlton Theatre in Teignmouth and at Dawlish's Shaftesbury Theatre.

Take home seaside souvenirs from the Grand Pier in Teignmouth and fossils from the beaches of Jurassic Coast.