Salcombe Paddle Boarding – What Makes Salcombe So Good?
Salcombe Paddle Boarding
Located at Devon’s most southerly tip, Salcombe is surrounded by picturesque villages, stunning coastal scenery, and beautiful beaches. Salcombe is a perfect holiday destination for visitors of all ages and families, but it is also the ideal place to visit if you love paddle boarding.
What Makes Salcombe So Good For Paddle Boarding?
What makes Salcombe the perfect place to travel to for paddle boarding is the many creeks, coves and waters to explore. Whether you love rivers, lakes or open-ocean, there’s a place for you in Salcombe. It has clear waters, golden beaches and Mediterranean-Esque temperatures when it’s sunny.
Not only that but there are plenty of paddle boarding schools and rental places if you need help developing your skill. While also having plenty of quaint cafes to stop in and enjoy a coffee between handling the waves. Salcombe is also home to the Salcombe Estuary, often dubbed as the most beautiful stretch of water in the South Hams and perfect for beginners and the more experienced paddle boarders.
Places To Rent A Board in Salcombe
If you want to get into paddle boarding in Salcombe, check out these places below, where you can rent or hire equipment and even take lessons.
Salcombe Paddleboarding School
At Salcombe Paddleboarding, they teach all ages and abilities from the experienced down to the beginners. Their safe, supportive and encouraging will help shape any paddle boarder whether you need to learn how to enter the water, kneel or stand. Each lesson will be tailored, providing any boards, leashes and paddles for the lesson. Prices start from £40 per person for each class.
Adventure South
Offering both hire and tours, Adventure South provides a range of different stand-up paddle boards such as premium and standard. They even hire out kayaks. If you’re new to the area, Adventure South also offers paddle board tours, where you can go out with an experienced paddle boarder and get tips and tricks live out on the tour.
North Sands Water Sports
North Sands Water Sports offer the chance to both purchase and hire paddle boards, as well as kayaks, at a reasonable price. In addition, they provide the opportunity for you to rent equipment either within a day or a week, and it is well worth contacting them directly for an individual package.
Salcombe Boats & Boards
Just off Island Street, Salcombe Boats & Boards offer both the chance to buy and hire paddle boards from them. All of their boards come with a leash, paddle and buoyancy aid. They also provide the opportunity to hire wetsuits and drybags for a fee, and if you hire and later decide to buy, they take the hiring price from the purchase price if bought when returning equipment.
Cafes To Stop And A Few Places To Visit in Salcombe
When visiting Salcombe, there is so much more on land you have to explore. Here are just some of Salcombe’s must-visit cafes and places.
Eateries
The Salcombe Coffee Company
For an independent coffee shop and bistro, The Salcombe Coffee Company should be your first point of call. They’re both passionate about coffee, locally sourced food as well as catering to different dietary requirements. They cater to vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free and offer take-out and have outside seating.
The Blue Whale Café
Tucked inside of Ashby’s of Salcombe, The Blue Whale has a local menu with views of the South Hams for you to admire. With this cafe serving both coffee, cake and three-course meals, there is something for all. Where possible, they source all of the food they prepare locally. After you’ve eaten, check out Ashby’s of Salcombe, which has a farm shop and butchers where you can get gifts, homeware and food.
Sailor V
Found on Fore Street in Salcombe and at the top of the steps of East Portlemouth Ferry, Sailor V has a relaxed vibe while offering alcoholic drinks, coffees and food. They’re open for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as cater to several dietary requirements.
Crab Shed Salcombe
The Crab Shed Salcombe offers fresh and local food right on the edge of the Salcombe Harbour water with both a restaurant and outside dining. Proudly serving the best and freshest seafood, you can step off the board and onto the dock and enjoy their famously fresh crab meat.
Where can I Paddleboard in Salcombe?
Things To Do
Salcombe-Kingsbridge Estuary
While it doesn’t have any significant freshwater source flowing through it, the Salcombe Estuary is often visited by paddle boarders and boats. With the calmer waters, it is perfect for beginners with the Salcombe Paddleboarding School close by. Be on the lookout when you explore the waters for dolphins, basking sharks and seals, who are all visitors.
Waterborn Paddleboarding Activity Centre
Offering lessons and equipment hire, the Waterborn Paddleboarding activity centre is right on the edge of the estuary in Kingsbridge. Most popularly, they offer tours of the Kingsbridge to Salcombe estuary. Right alongside it is the Crabshell Inn with restaurant food and drinks on offer.
Salcombe Distilling Co.
Tucked away amongst boatbuilders is one of the world’s only distilleries accessible by boat. With both a tasting bar and gin school, hosting events all year with the views of the water to help soothe the soul. If alcohol isn’t for you, they offer a range of coffees, teas, and soft drinks.
Salcombe Maritime Museum
If you’re a lover of history, then Salcombe Maritime Museum is a perfect stop when you’ve had a morning on the water. Showcasing the history and how Salcombe’s fit into the Second World War. The museum showcases stories of smugglers, pirates and the ships that have been linked with Salcombe to the current day, where boatbuilders still craft within the town. Also, sea-bed treasures recovered by divers from the hundreds of shipwrecks that line our coast.
Salcombe Shooting School
For those adrenaline enthusiasts, check out Salcombe Shooting School, where they offer several sessions such as practice, shooting parties, game shooting and even girls shooting sessions. They are perfect for anyone new to game shooting or those who wish to improve their skills—offering both driven and crossing targets with them recently opening an Air Rifle Range.
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Beaches To Visit
North Sands
Close by to the Salcombe town, this sandy beach is perfect for families as well as excellent for swimming, paddle boarding and exploring rockpools. They have closeby shops and cafes, as well as toilets.
South Sands
The South Sands beach is a sandy and sheltered beach which has earned the Blue Flag award. With shops, paddle board hire shops close by, and this is notoriously one of the more popular paddle boarding beaches.
With weather, eateries and plenty of water to explore, Salcombe is a perfect location if you’re after a break and even more so for paddle boarders. Paddle boarders rush to this place because of the equipment shops, creeks, and coves to explore; the chance to meet fellow paddle boarders and see wildlife while boarding. Salcombe has everything to offer, and of course, the amazing doesn’t hurt either.
