Katherine Locke wins our Travel story competition because not only does she magically transport her readers to Hope Cove in Devon, but as a mum of four going through chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer, her tale has extra poignancy. Katherine wins a fantastic Sunsail Clubs family holiday to Greece.
What makes a great holiday? A fantastic holiday cottage, brilliant weather and a jewel of a beach go a long way towards it. Throw in a small boat and you very nearly have perfection.
We are in Hope Cove, Devon. It’s only 9 o’clock in the morning and I can’t wait to catch a first glimpse of the sea. Our cottage, The Old Parsonage in Galumpton, has absorbed our huge party with ease. We are travelling with five adults, four teenagers and two babies. They are all still in bed, but I decide to push the baby the half mile to the beach. Breakfast can wait, the tang of salt on the air is too tantalising. We walk between high hedges, down the narrow lane and as we round the final bend, Hope
Cove opens out below us. Seagulls reel and the baby squeals with delight
- it is a truly beautiful sight.
Hope Cove is a village in two halves – Inner Hope and Outer Hope. The
villages’ spread before us and the sweep of Bigbury Bay is as blue and
as calm as anything the Caribbean has to offer. The irony of holidaying
at a place called Inner Hope does not escape me. I have breast cancer
and am halfway through chemotherapy. If ever I needed any kind of hope
it is now. This holiday is about taking a moment to reflect. The constant
whirl of treatment since diagnosis has left me exhausted and I crave the
peace and simplicity of village life.
The beach already holds a gaggle of children, digging and making sandcastles
like generations of children before them. There are records as far back
as 1884 stating that the village pub was ‘usually monopolised by artists,
and there are two or three comfortable little cottages at Outer Hope where
the weary tourist might rest and be thankful’. Indeed, the baby’s grandmother
spent holidays here as a child. Her grandparents took a house in the village
for the month of June throughout the nineteen twenties and thirties. I
feel that sense of history and continuity, sitting here on the beach with
the baby. His family have been holidaying here for nearly a hundred years.
Nothing much has changed, what brought people here then, brings them
here now. It is a charming spot where children are free to play and parents
can easily supervise. The pub serves good food and the café on the beach
provides endless tea and coffee all day. The hours slip by just watching
the waves and building a damn in the water. There is no mobile signal
here, so the constant background beep of modern life is, for once, silenced.
There are no theme parks or amusement arcades either. Just the beach and
the boats and the village. The fun is cheap and if the sun shines, you
can idle away the day with a packed lunch and a flask of tea.
We are able to moor our little boat on the beach for just £25 for the
week. The older children have great fun sailing around the bay as the
baby and I watch and wave from the shore. The boating tradition in the
village is strong, boats have even been built here from time to time,
as fishing was the main business of the village for many years before
the mass of tourists arrived.
We take a day trip to nearby Salcombe, which feels as busy as a city
after the village, with streets humming with people and shops open all
hours. The estuary looks beautiful, filled with white sailed boats bobbing
about. The teenagers in our party love it and they are soon walking around
as if they own the place looking for floppy haired school boys to sail
with, rifling through the shops and planning outfits for the prom. It
is the perfect antidote to village life for them. I manoeuvre the buggy
through the narrow streets and wish we were back on the beach. I have
no time for the hustle and bustle.
It becomes clear that the South Hams has more to offer than I am prepared
to do. A beautiful beach and a lazy day are all I’m looking for, but if
we wanted there are sailing regattas, zoos, surfing, walking, shops and
the city of Plymouth all within driving distance. Why bother, when you
can while away the day watching the sand trail through your fingers? If
it’s an old fashioned holiday you are after, then you can’t beat Hope
Cove. This week will set me up for the next onslaught of chemotherapy
and as we leave, I know the magic has worked. Inner Hope and Outer Hope
are mine for the taking.
The Old Parsonage is available to rent through www.fulfords.co.uk
Where to next?
- “I was diagnosed with breast cancer whilst breastfeeding”. Katherine Locke tells her story…
- For lots more information on travelling with baby click here.
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