The Original Salcombe Blog...

A Bargain!

2014-08-19T13:35:00.002+01:00

If I had the money I would buy this! I thought it was already private flats rather than a hotel, presumably it will now become private flats sold at £1.5m each...

Check out the details of the Sunny Cliff Hotel...

Waterskking Debate...

2014-08-19T08:32:00.002+01:00

Thought I would re-post this as there are some good comments...

I removed the post I wrote on this subject yesterday as I don't want to get involved in what is becoming an increasingly nasty debate.

For the record I have moved to the " NO" camp...

http://salcombeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2009/06/salcombes-waterski-conundrum.html?showComment=1402145708354#c5861675955004922207

Back for Good...

2014-01-06T16:21:00.000+00:00

I can't believe that it has been a year since I last posted, last year was somewhat busy and unfortunately the blog had to take a back seat. However I am now back and will be keeping you all up to date to with the goings-on in Salcombe and the surrounds...which are currently somewhat water logged!

I'm also looking into a revamp for the blog so keep your eyes peeled!

A Salcombe for All...

2013-01-07T13:45:00.001+00:00

Happy New Year to you all…I hope this year brings above all else, a summer!

There seems to be a lot going on in Salcombe at the moment; new builds around every corner, a new business going into the old HSBC site and a building site where the Marine used to be. Let’s hope most of these are finished for summer, I can’t stand looking across to Salcombe and seeing the mess that is the Marine hotel.

It’s been an interesting couple of weeks on Facebook and in particular in a Facebook group dedicated to Salcombe. The group is represented by locals, incomers and visitors and to say there are some lively discussions would be under statement! The general theme being discussed is how all parties can make Salcombe a better place. There seems to be a mix of views about the development of Salcombe from “leave it alone” to “it’s improved”. I think I sit somewhere in the middle on this one. If it wasn’t for the money coming into Salcombe in the form of regeneration of housing stock and other second home owners who spruce up the houses they buy I think Salcombe would have died a long time ago. We may not all agree with some of the architecture that has been approved by SHDC and subsequently built, however many of the houses that were demolished were pretty down trodden and tired. Let’s face it if houses were not replaced we would all still be living in mud huts, it’s all about balance.

We can’t underestimate the importance of the second home owners, visitors and the money they spend locally; it’s what keeps Salcombe going. We need to build on this and ensure it keeps coming. What we don’t want is a situation whereby the locals resent the incomers and visitors and tensions rise. I was reminded recently of a pretty sad episode in Salcombe when a visitor renting Custom House had arranged a Tesco delivery on the day he arrived so he had all the basics stocked ready for a week in Salcombe rather than facing a trip to Tesco in KB. The Tesco man reversed along Fore St towards Union St only to receive some unwanted attention from local shop keepers...the Tesco guy (who was only doing his job) said it happens all too often when delivering in Salcombe and he hates coming here. I can quite understand local shop keepers wanting visitors to spend locally but how many of the locals buy 100% of their food and goods from Salcombe?? I am sure many use the supermarkets in KB too! The visitor in question also spends a fair few quid in Salcombe every year outside of the school holidays…which we all know is very much needed.

Personally I think the mix of locals, incomers and visitors is what makes Salcombe special. Take any one set away and Salcombe would be a different and less interesting place. The weather aside there is nowhere better to be in summer than Salcombe, you can take your foreign holidays and Cornwall and shove them where the sun don’t shine…it simply has to be Salcombe!

Salcombe Planning Madness

2012-09-10T16:54:00.001+01:00

I'm presuming that I am not the only one who has noticed the huge amount of rebuilds going on in Salcombe? Every time you look around a house has disappeared...then slowly a modern architectural wonder/carbuncle (delete as appropriate) appears in it's place. The most astonishing creation to date seems to be the house at the top of Newton Road, what's that all about?

Some are a triumph and sit harmlessly alongside existing buildings, such as the new build at the top of the Yacht Club steps; looks good form the road and looks good from the water. The other house that appears to be fitting in well is the nigh on 6 year build on Allenhayes Road, looks like a couple of semi's, from Devon Road looking up towards the plot the house sits nicely in the gap.

And then we have...the house being built into the hillside below Cliff Road, this may well be an architectural and structural wonder but really...what were the planners thinking...how does that fit in? I hate to think what the final build costs on that will be!

The question that needs to be asked is what policies are the planners following, what guidelines are there to keep in check this modernisation of Salcombe to ensure it is sympathetic and will enable our town to retain its charm and uniqueness whilst ensuring we don't get left behind??

Or does MONEY trump all policy???

Coffee Wars!

2012-08-13T18:15:00.004+01:00

I thought this was interesting and potentially very relevant to Salcombe...we have covered this subject before when the business rates rises were talked about...did they ever happen?

Kingsbridge has a Costa and it always seems busy; I suspect tourists and some locals don't give it much thought as they just want a coffee and the continual advertising and hence front of mind presence make it very easy to walk into a "chain" shop as you know what you are going to get; and let's face it some independent coffee shops don't help themselves by serving up very poor quality coffee. Do you risk a poor coffee or just go to a chain??

The Salcombe Coffee Co serves up some very decent stuff, The Winking Prawn is pretty poor on the coffee front but the food and location make up for it, The Wardroom is passable and I haven't tried the Basham's new place as yet...

Lets hope the Salcombe planners don't take the same approach they do to granting planning permission for new builds as these national coffee companies have very deep pockets!

Thanks to BBC News for the report:

"A very British insurrection is under way over plans to bring the first branch of a major coffee chain to a small Devon town. But why are coffee chains such a battleground? At half nine on a bright morning the aroma of Arabica gently percolates through Totnes's narrow lanes and alleys. That smell of roasting beans is difficult to escape. In this settlement of fewer than 8,000 souls there are 41 different places to buy a hot cup of the stuff.

And yet plans to open just one more coffee outlet have provoked fury - opening up a dispute as bitter as the darkest espresso.

The latest addition to the town's High Street will be a branch of Costa - the first coffee chain to breach the citadel of a community fiercely proud of its independently owned outlets. So far 5,749 people - equivalent to three-quarters of the town's population - have signed an anti-Costa petition and pledged to boycott the new branch. Its approval by South Hams District Council was greeted by a 150-strong group of placard-wielding demonstrators who marched through Totnes's streets in protest.

Though they have no recourse to appeal, the campaigners stubbornly refuse to give in amid apocalyptic warnings that Totnes risks becoming a "clone town". Posters bearing the legend Clonestopping - featuring local baristas posing in the style of the film Trainspotting - adorn windows of homes and commercial premises. A glance at the Yellow Pages might have given the council warning. With names like Totnes People's Cafe, Food For Thought and The Curator Cafe, many of the coffee shops share an aesthetic of nonconformism. Totnes is not exactly typical of a small British town. Like Hebden Bridge or Glastonbury, it has long hosted incomers attracted by its eco-friendly and New Age reputation."

Hello...

2012-07-29T21:29:00.000+01:00

Been a long time no post! I'm back to stay this time and would love to get some activity going again on this blog, your comments made it worth blogging (even the abuse)...

Anyway as a first post of the new era I wondered if you had all joined this group on Facebook: Salcombe Old Locals and Yokels...

Also, great feature on Salcombe in Conde Nast Traveller this month as one of the places in the "Best of Britain". It's not online yet but there are other Salcombe articles on the site.

Salcombe Yacht Club Regatta Photos

2011-08-20T14:34:00.003+01:00

Loads of photos available for free download...

Regatta-Photos-Salcombe

Charles & Camilla in Salcombe

2011-07-08T16:48:00.004+01:00

For any Royals fans (no not the Reading football ones) there is a treat in store for you! Prince Charles and Camilla are set to be in Salcombe next week to visit the RNLI and Salcombe fish quay, finishing off with a visit to Atfields Boatyard.

Will there be as many Police as there were for the Red Arrows? Apparently there are expected to be thousands of people there to see the couple.

Great for Salcombe royal fan or not...

Is Mr Tumble in Salcombe?

2011-06-13T12:53:00.003+01:00

For those of you with young children you will know exactly who Mr Tumble is! For those of you who don't he is a children's entertainer who seems to have a mesmerising hold over kids whilst appearing to us an absolute fool...kids just love him. He also does some great work for special needs children.

I could be wrong but I am sure that the house that Mr Tumble films in is located in East Portlemouth looking over the entrance to South Pool Creek??

Salcombe House Prices Stay Strong

2011-05-18T18:43:00.002+01:00

I came across this article on the web and thought you may be interested. I have noticed a few more properties have been sold recently and prices seem to be staying strong...

With the publication of the Sunday Times Rich List in mid-May, we turn our attention to the most expensive towns in England. So in reverse order:

10. Sevenoaks in Kent, where properties cost just under £470,000 on average and have gone up by 53 per cent over the past five years. Just half an hour from Charing Cross, surrounded by lovely villages and the Kent Weald, the only big downside is the ultra right wing politics of so many residents.

9. Alderley Edge, Cheshire, where average properties cost £481,100 and prices have jumped by 63 per cent in five years. Populated by footballers, Coronation Street actors and Manchester and Liverpool-commuting executives, prices are more than double the level of the surrounding area.

8. Harpenden, Hertfordshire, in between Luton and St Albans, with golf courses aplenty and Kings Cross within 26 minutes. Lots of green space and blue politics.

7. Brockenhurst, Hampshire, close to the sea at Buckler?s Hard, on the doorstep of the New Forest and with a fast train into Waterloo, prices are a fraction under £500,000 on average.

6. Salcombe, Devon, where prices have soared by almost 80 per cent in five years and now average over £500,000. Up to three quarters of properties are second homes, so the place is far busier in summer
than winter.

5. Lyndhurst, Hampshire, is bang in the middle of the New Forest and just 75 minutes from London by train. Property prices have more than doubled in the past five years and now exceed £515,000 on average.

4. Ascot, Berkshire, has a clutch of events during the social season, quite apart from its racing days. Inhabitants pay £525,000 on average for their homes and send their children to the many nearby private schools.

3, 2 & 1 are all in Buckinghamshire, starting with Amersham, followed by Gerrards Cross and finally Beaconsfield at number one, with average prices at £684,000, which is to say 14 times the national income. All three towns are stacked with good schools, parks and organic butchers.

Who left the oven on?

2011-04-24T11:19:00.000+01:00

A very expensive fire indeed!

Salcombe's High St Under Threat

2011-04-12T18:20:00.002+01:00

I have to admit to missing this snippet of information until Google updated me...

It appears that the shops adorning Fore St are under threat from a potential 100%+ increase in business rates! Average rates are currently £9k with new rates looking likely to be over £20k. Apparently it's based on the property rental values in Salcombe, which as we all know are totally unrepresentative of the area as a whole.

It seems that some traders have already had offers form, wait for it...high st chains(!!!) but have so far held out. Can you imagine Salcombe with a WH Smiths, Starbucks or Costa Coffee, the thought of it makes me shiver!

We can't let this happen to our fantastic town...Kingsbridge appears to be at the beginning of the slippery slope to "high st hell" with the opening of a Costa in a once great pub. Imagine how much Costa would like to get their hands on the KA or Tesco on a couple of shops next door to each other...

Lets start a defence now and vow never to enter the doors of Costa, if their profits aren't great in Kingsbridge hopefully they will forget about Salcombe.

Lets hope that just for once the Town Hall get off their ample backsides and fight for the very soul of their (our) town!

Deep breaths...and relax...

Can't Help but Smile...

2011-02-23T19:31:00.004+00:00

Finally justice is served...a ongoing poor track record is at last punished properly!

Businessman, on what planet was he a businessman???

Read this...

No Advert for Salcombe!

2011-01-23T09:14:00.006+00:00

I came across this article in the Daily Mail whilst sat in a Cafe Nero in London (away with work) and thought; "aaah excellent some good coverage for Salcombe". How wrong I was. Now I know I should not expect much more from the Daily Mail and here I'd like to make it clear that it was left in the cafe and I DID NOT BUY IT!

The entire article does Salcombe a complete disservice and puts it in a light that none of us wants to see it put in. The whole tone of the article is pompous and arrogant. The South Sands hotel comes out of it ok but the rest of it makes Salcombe sound like a an idiots enclave.

I love the fact that Salcombe attracts all types but the image of upper class wannabees clad in v-neck sweaters and polo shirts is ridiculous and untrue, the journalist is getting us confused with Thurlstone! And if I was "Moonraker Mike" (do people really call him that?) I would be suing the journalist for me making me look like an utter tit.

If anyone is reading this blog after reading the Daily Mail article I urge you to ignore it and come and see what Salcombe is really like; I can guarantee you that it isn't remotely like this article makes out.

What next for Dusters?

2010-11-08T18:02:00.002+00:00

So what next for Salcombe's Dusters restaurant? Any takers?

£50k seems incredibly cheap for this prominent and well established restaurant? In my view it isn't what it used to be back in days of Harry and his jazz trio or the far distant days of MH, but it still gets packed out in the summer.

I am sure that someone with focus and/or a background as a restaurateur could take the turnover above the current £150k (£36k profit) and make a decent living? Granted the winter months are tough but get it right and it could be busy Thurs through Saturday surely?

Restaurant aside what would you like to see Dusters become? Salcombe could probably do with another clothes shop or an over priced tat shop...

For me, I'd love to see it become a family friendly restaurant that does the basics well and doesn't leave you feeling ripped off or short changed.

and you...what would you like to see it become?

Salcombe History Society

2010-10-10T09:35:00.002+01:00

This is a great site for seeing the past characters and history of Salcombe. Originally started on Facebook there were so many photos that it spawned The Salcombe History Society.

This is well worth an hour of so of scrolling through the photos and seeing how Salcombe has changed over the years.

Enjoy!

So Disappointing...

2010-08-21T13:23:00.004+01:00

I was excited in the run up...I had a table booked, the tide would be in and I'd heard good things about The Island Street Bar...

I arrived and the bar looked stylish and very different for Salcombe, the view across the water to the meadows and beyond was great, I had a lovely cold beer and the menu looked exciting.

My excitement was gradually sucked away...the service was absolutely appalling, we waited over 50 minutes between starters and main courses and it wasn't even that busy. Our wine just about managed to be served with our main courses, but we were almost finished. A steak had to be sent back as it was "blue" when it should have been "medium"...

As for my food, the starter was fantastic, Crab Chowder, very very good! But that is where the praise stops. My main was, at best, average and it was most definitely an utter rip off; Sea Bass, £17.50...OK I agree that is what you would pay in most places these days, however, in most places you would get the whole fish or 2 or 3 fillets but Salcombe being Salcombe I got 1(!!) exceedingly small fillet. I was gobsmacked, 1 fillet and a few green beans for £17.50! What nonsense.

The final disappointment was not being able to fit in a desert and coffee despite being there for 2 hours...in the end we gave up got the bill and left.

My enthusiasm for what should have been a great restaurant had disappeared and I was left feeling, that the food was over priced, the service was utter rubbish but most importantly I was still HUNGRY!

North & South Sands, Salcombe's Hidden Gems

2010-07-07T19:50:00.006+01:00

Just how far has North Sands come in the last 2 to 3 years! South Sands has always been the nicer of the 2 "sands" with its golden beach and smart hotels, but just lately North Sands has really come to the party.

The Winking Prawn is one of my favourite places in Salcombe. The outside food is great and the summer BBQ is unbeatable! If the sun is out this is the place to be for food, beer or a coffee. The kids love the dressing up box and the huge beach at low tide, whilst the adults can relax knowing their kids are pretty much as safe as they can be anywhere these days. There is a green for balls sports and tennis facilities behind the WP.

One noticeable recent change are the houses overlooking North Sands; Sand Hills Road has always been up market and pricey but the once dowdy North Sands now has some amazing properties including one of Salcombe's finest; the large and well designed wooden/glass combo sat proudly behind The Winking Prawn boasts some amazing views and sits sympathetically within its surroundings. Rumour has it that this build was originally commissioned by the guy who ran off with Robert Maxwell's pension fund...or something like that?!!?!?

There is a burgeoning water sports scene and you can even get a half decent surf at North Sands or if you are brave and the conditions are right you can paddle out to The Bar where the waves really jack up if there is a nice low sitting over The Atlantic/English Channel, SUP's are also a common sight in summer. Messing around in the surf on a kayak is also great fun.

If you want a quieter beach then Splat's Cove is only a short walk and a bit further along the coast path you can access Starehole Bay beaches at low tide. For the more energetic there is a great run from Bolt Head to Bolberry and back along the old coach road to Malborough finishing with a great off road section bringing you down the bridal path into the back of North Sands.

If you take what North Sands has to offer and the look at South Sands with it's superb water sports school, great new hotel and the lovely beach then it's a hard place to trump when the sun is out. If I was a visitor I would ditch town and it's overcrowded streets for the calm serenity of the North/South Sands oasis. There are some great summer rental properties at all levels of budget.

It's even great in winter when you can watch the waves crashing over the beach wall when the SW gales blow in.

Salcombe just gets better ad better!

What does Salcombe mean to you?

2010-05-12T18:34:00.005+01:00

I was sitting in the sun a few days ago thinking about times past in Salcombe and how many people, like us, think Salcombe is the best place in the world. I ended up trying to put together my "Top 5" list of things that Salcombe will always mean to me:

Here goes...

1. Rocking nights, courtesy of "Bob" at the Ferry, during the early 90's, when everyone knew everyone and you'd never here a cross word as copious pints of snakebite and black were seen off; Don Mclean belted out "American Pie" from the juke box and the night ended with pizza and pasties when the bakery opened as the pubs shut.
2. Sailing Optimists on Tuesday nights at cadets, and being stupidly excited when the wind blew hard. Followed by coke and crisps at the Yacht Club whilst your parents sank a few beers.
3. Still having as my best mates the friends I made at Salcombe Primary School and all still meeting up every summer in Salcombe, even though many no longer live in Salcombe.
4. Playing volley ball all summer during the holidays on Smalls Cove, there was never a day when the volley ball net wasn't up! There seemed to be a lot more sun back then!
5. The unbeatable beauty & tranquility of sitting on Small's on a summers evening with the tide full in and the beach gradually emptying as the wind dies and the estuary becomes a mill pond.

Roll on summer!!!!

What does Salcombe mean to you...

More Social Housing?

2010-04-12T20:13:00.002+01:00

I have just found out that not only is The Crofts still a very possible site for the new social housing being pushed on us (but not needed), but Malborough is also about to have a new batch of houses built which will only be sold to residents of Salcombe and Malborough!!

Am I missing something or are there hoards of people roaming around Salcombe with nowhere to live? Are there caravans lining Batson creek and filing up the park and ride? Are the camp sites full all year round? Are they being built to help house the all people needed to fill the thousands of job vacancies sitting empty and paying £30k a year?

This is all madness, where is it going to end, will it take the destruction of the Salcombe that we know and love before these ridiculous decisions are seen for what they really are??

Salcombe's Old Vinery for Sale

2010-04-11T10:05:00.006+01:00

Is this perhaps going to be the finest house in Salcombe? That's a big call with some of the magnificent properties recently built or some of the fantastic original buildings that have been rennovated...

With planning for a boat house and your own (already existing) private battlement water side garden it doesn't get much better than this!!

At £4.5 million before you even begin to consider what you will do with your new purchase it's going to take some serious money to buy this plot and build your dream home! However, knowing Salcombe's amazing pull it will be snapped up by someone.

Apparently it hasn't been on the market for 100 years!

Have look for yourself...

You could, if money is tight, just buy the boathouse and battlement garden for a mere £1.1m and leave the £3.5m house to someone else. Dilema's dilema's...

Council Tax Rise for Salcombe Second Home Owners

2010-03-15T18:45:00.003+00:00

There are proposals afoot to increase the "second home owner" council tax rate from 90% to 200%!

For the life of me I can't see why this makes any sense at all? We have established time and time again on this blog that second home owners are now an integral part of the Salcombe economy, given this why would the council decide that it is a good idea to make them pay more. Surely paying 90% makes far more sense as less resources are used due to the very nature of the property being a "second home".

All I can see happening is the more astute second home owners reclassifying their second homes as "businesses", renting them out for 3 or 4 weeks a year and paying even less tax.

It's not far short of being as ridiculous as a recent proposal (nationwide) to charge more council tax for houses with sea views!!!

Comment Moderation

2010-03-13T07:55:00.002+00:00

Just a quick note to let you know that I have had to turn on the "Comment Moderation" functionality due to the high level of spamming recently seen on the site. Please be assured that this site will remain an open forum for all your views and comments no matter what they are...

Best Regards
OODevon

Salcombe Property Shrugs off Recession

2010-03-07T07:39:00.004+00:00

Salcombe seems to have come through the property decline without taking too much of a hit. In fact there seems to be a renewed confidence as building plots once again become active.

The current re-construction of "Underdecks", over-looking Salcombe harbour from Cliff Road, is amazing. The original building changed hands for £2m and if you just go for a wander and watch what they are doing you can't think the renovation costs come in at much under £500k if not more! Apparently the renovations include a boat lift to bring the boats up the cliff!!!

The top 2 second home hot spots are Salcombe and Kingswear, with the South West in general taking the top 2 spots in the list.

Top 10 rural and coastal second-home hot spots:

1 South Hams 9.8%
2 North Cornwall 9.6%
3 Berwick-upon-Tweed 9.5%
4 North Norfolk 9.1%
5 Penwith 8.5% 2,647
6 South Lakeland 7.2%
7 Scarborough 7.2%
8 Purbeck 6.9% 1,469
9 Great Yarmouth 5.9%
10 West Somerset 5.7%