 | Peaceful and relaxing Kingsbridge |
As a newcomer to Kingsbridge I tried a different alleyway off Fore Street each time on my voyage of discovery.
Little Victorian terraced cottages cling to the footpaths, with beautifully kept cottage gardens abounding with colour during the spring and summer.
Squeezebelly Lane, as it's name suggests, is too narrow for more than one to pass through at a time. There's a patient wait for anyone cutting through from the Embankment to Fore Street. The colourful little boats moored in the estuary are stranded for half the day and it takes careful timing to get into and out of deeper waters.
A ferry takes the traveller to Salcombe and around the little bays and inlets of the estuary - its timetable shifts along with the tides.  | Kingsbridge Carnival time |
As a newcomer to the Devon scene I had never come across carnivals before, but I got a worthy introduction in Kingsbridge the first winter we were there, as Fore Street became alive with music and lights as the floats wend there way down the narrow street. At the bottom there's a slight bend and watching from this point we never believe the big floats are going to make it. Those watching from upstairs windows seem just inches away from the turning vehicles. The two Kingsbridge carnivals are calendar events in the summer and winter and as a local I try not to miss them. Outside of the main town it's just a short walk and you feel free from traffic and can enjoy the beautiful windy lanes with their hedgerows.  | Patchwork quilt landscape of the South Hams |
The surrounding countryside sometimes takes your breath away as hills rise around sharp bends, suddenly dropping away into deep wooded valleys. The high hedgerows are crowded with different blooms as the season's pass - it's not possible to get bored with nature in this area. There's often said to be bad feeling about 'outsiders' coming into Kingsbridge and buying up all the property here and "I'm sorry"!
But, I've felt welcome here and settled into the town - I feel that I've found my home and that's easy to do in Kingsbridge. Photographs courtesy of Tim Stanger
Have Your Say on this article:
Sandra Epsom - Epsom
Having just read the articles on Kingsbridge I feel inspired by the writers' enthusiasm to write to say that we shall be looking for property in Kingsbridge next year- I can't wait - We have been visiting the area for the last 15 years on holiday, mainly staying at Batson but never missing a day or two at kingsbridge- In fact it has become so magnetic that we now stay in Kingsbrige and have just booked a holiday there in February to get a further feel for the town and property. We love the estuary and the surrounding area and there are so many beautiful walks with a variety of magnificent wild life. I thoroughly enjoy taking the ferry to Salcombe and walking to North and South sands and then returning for a cup of tea and a game of putting in the beautiful gardens on the front. I like the fact that Kingsbridge is a working town and offers a good public transport to local and not so local areas- the library is delightful! The pace of life is so very different from where we live - just outside London in Ewell and Epsom which was recently voted the best place to live in the UK - Obviously the survey didn't include the South Hams otherwise that would have won outright! But I am pleased for its residents that it didn't win otherwise they would have had thousands more "townies" like ourselves converging on the area and spoiling its peace and tranquility. We have been talking about moving there for about 10 years but we were waiting for our daughter to fledge the nest - and indeed she plans to go to Plymouth University this year -obviously influenced by her memories of happy holidays. I was interested to hear about the winter festivals and look forward to spending my first winter in Kingsbridge maybe next year - or certainly the following one! Do you have anything you could add to this tour of Kingsbridge? Email us at devon.online@bbc.co.uk
If you would like to extol the virtues of your Home Town drop us a line and tell us why.
E-mail us at devon.online@bbc.co.uk
| 
