Less than two hours' drive from Bristol sits an idyllic seaside village that could have been pulled straight out of a fairytale. Full of history and nestled among the shores of south Devon, Shaldon is well worth a visit throughout the year - but it really comes alive during the summer.
There are beach sports aplenty here, with the famous Shaldon Regatta taking place during the summer, which sees rowing races down the River Teign. There's even a beach pillow fight held here at the end of August.
What's more, the village boasts a rather unique carnival, where floats really do float. The water carnival sees locals decorate their boats with various themes and take to sailing down the River Teign at the beginning of August, with a live band closing the celebrations.
Devon Live reports that the village being fairytale-esque isn't far off, as its streets even echo the lyrics of a nursery rhyme - there's a butcher and a baker in a row, at least, with the candlestick maker not too far away. It's even home to a smugglers' tunnel.
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Greg Allen, one of the skippers of the Shaldon to Teignmouth Ferry (an institution of the village steeped in history) said: "I've had people on here I've known for years, a long while. I've been doing this for about 33 years and out of those 33 years I owned the business for 10 years and there are people I've known on here for a long long while."
Though he said how much he loves meeting and talking with people who ride the ferry, it's not all plain sailing for Greg. He said: "It's a love-hate relationship because we get strong tides and you get bad weather. When it's windy it's not very nice."
The ferry is possibly the oldest continually running passenger ferry in the whole of England, according to their website. There are records of ferry crossings as long ago as 1296 though it could be even older with its origins being based in Saxon times.
During the Second World War, the ferry landing was moved as the US army used the area for repair and preparation of the landing craft at D-Day, so Shaldon again was shrouded in historic world events. The war was not the only to affect the ferry either as, after the Napoleonic wars, the boats were painted with gun ports to make them look like fierce men o' war battleships used by the British Navy.
The ferry is extremely popular in the summer months, carrying thousands a day at points, though in the winter it can be as little as three or four. Greg said when he owned the business, as much as 25% of their annual income came from the month of August alone.
Despite this, Shaldon does still light up in the winter on occasion too. Landlord of The Ferry Boat Inn, Matt Ford, is involved on the water carnival committee in the summer. He spoke highly of the events put on year round.
He said: "There's always something going on in Shaldon. We're lucky people." He talked about the huge themed bonfire night celebration right on the beach that around 4,500 people attend. Last year's theme was Harry Potter so they set fire to a giant Hogwarts Express train.
There is also a massive three-legged race in the village on Boxing Day which around 500 people partake in every year. They then proceed to visit all the different drinking establishments in the village in their merry procession.
Matt spoke about the community spirit in the town which his pub helps keep nourished. He said: "You can come in here and find a plumber, electrician or a builder or even boat builder to service your boat.
"There are always loads of people like that in here and they're all people who have great attachments to the village that have lived here for quite a long time or have grown up here. Kind of like myself I suppose, we're just really passionate about where we live and what we're so lucky to have."
The pub serves locally brewed real ales, at the moment originating from Dartmoor and Teignmouth Breweries, as well as local ciders, rums, vodkas, gins and much more. Matt said: "If it's made locally and it's good quality we're likely to stock it.
"It works for us in respect of the fact that locals like to shop locally and try local stuff and tourists that travel down like to try stuff that's made here and we're all very proud of the stuff that's produced here." The Ferry Boat Inn also boasts a beautiful terrace out on the beach where they have a barbecue to serve up food on weekends.
They also use the terrace as a place for live music, which Matt says has become synonymous with the pub for nearly 50 years.
Another establishment known for its locally made produce is Shaldon Bakery, which serves up cakes, bread, sausage rolls, pasties and sandwiches - all made in-house. Helen Garside, who works at the bakery, spoke about the role they play in the community.
She said: "We know all the regulars now and they come in and we chat. We've got a lady across the road and she can't really get out much so we take her milk and bread over to her as well as a newspaper twice a week. There's definitely a community here."
Lawrence Tucker, who has worked at the bakery since 2012, agreed with Helen. He said: "We chat to all of our customers. In the mornings a lot of them come for papers every day because we do papers after the newsagents shut years ago.
"We took that on so they come in for their newspapers and a loaf and you get to know them very well."
Shaldon Bakery was taken over by the current owner in 2009 and it has since grown to have four different shops - the other three being in Teignmouth, Newton Abbot and Kingsteinton. The cakes are baked in Kingsteinton and then sold in Shaldon, Lawrence said, though they used to be baked on-site in the past but with the expansion of the business the little bakery could not handle to load that was needed so production was moved.
Shaldon Bakery offers an exclusive treat as well, the amusingly-named 'Ugli Buns'. They are delicious buns filled with glazed cherries, and raisins and topped with sugar and make a fantastically unique treat to eat while walking the village streets or along the beach.
Though if you're looking for a bite to eat elsewhere, there are other options to accompany the bakery too. The Clipper Cafe in Shaldon is highly popular and a great place to meet friends, sit back and relax with its unbelievably beautiful riverside terrace and balcony.
Its owner, Peter French, also has big plans to make the cafe greener using produce from his own farm. He talked about the importance of the cafe in the community, saying: "From when we opened 12 years ago we found, with its central location, the cafe always felt like it could be a hub of the community.
"We open all year round or people to meet and socialise and enjoy the village scenery on the riverside there."
As well as offering cream teas through to evening meals, the cafe runs themed nights in the winter as well to keep customers and locals entertained during the chilly months. They have done Italian nights, with the help of their Italian head chef, The Oscars, Australia Day, and even The Blitz.
Peter actually owns and runs a farm in Stokeinteignhead which has crops, pork, beef and sheep and amazingly is using this unique position to provide produce for the cafe in an effort to be environmentally friendly. You really could not get more local produce with the farm being one mile away from the cafe as the crow flies.
He said: "We're trying to grow links between the farm and the cafe. So we have our pork, beef and lamb and we want to make it available for the menu throughout the year and different times."
Peter wants his farm to be able to process meat on-site in order to supply the cafe and others like it in the area and said he can tailor what the farm offers to what the menu needs. At the moment he said the effort is growing and they supply eggs, sausages and joints for the restaurant and are looking to be even more green by composting food waste.
While he said quiet winters are challenging due to the rise in second-holiday homes in the area, Peter believes Shaldon is a true hidden gem that is often missed. He said: "There are only one or two turnings into the village and it's almost forgotten about.
"But the people who take the trouble to explore the narrow winding streets of Shaldon they'll get to see the gems that it hides."
Shaldon Village Shop is a sparkle in the hidden gem that is Shaldon. Run by Sally Beaulah and her husband, and with help from her stepfather Bernard Howard, the shop is truly a family-run business, stocking local produce and helping out the community.
They took over from the previous owners just before Covid and had a big refit in the shop, Sally said, and it has since gone from strength to strength, winning a gold award from Food and Drink Devon for two years running this year. "We've got a lot of regulars and we do home deliveries as well free of charge," Sally said.
The free deliveries were a huge boon to business, particularly during the pandemic and have kept going since. She added: "We pride ourselves on local stock.
"We've got everyday convenience stuff but we try to stock as much local stuff as possible. On Wednesdays, we link up with Jackson's Fishmongers in Newton Abbot and we phone through any orders."
Their local stock ranges from local spirits to sandwiches and local crisps to dairy products, too. There are also locally sourced sausages and meat on sale there, though the shop does not neglect the necessities either which people need in the village.
Because there is no fishmonger in Shaldon, the store fills the gap in the market with their weekly Fish Fridays. Customers put their orders for fish on Wednesdays and Jackson's Fishmongers sends them over to the shop on Friday for pick up.
Sally said Fish Fridays are extremely popular and work well as they would not be able to stock the fish permanently, but because they are on order it really works for the shop and its customers. "We're the only store in the village so we really do look after the locals," Sally said.
"Obviously summer is a bonus because it's a holiday destination and we've got a lot of repeat holidaymakers who come back and we do really well in the summer and through the winter as well."
Under the guidance of Bernard, the shop now uses technology and automation as much as possible to make sure it's at maximum efficiency. The family say that this business model is working very well for them in Shaldon and they want to expand it elsewhere in the future too.
Beyond Shaldon, its welcoming locals, summer events and delicious food, you'll also find a zoo, beaches, more artisanal shops and Devon coastline aplenty. This all makes it a perfect place to visit when the weather gets warmer.
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