7. Appledore, Devon
At the end of a short peninsula on the north coast of a long one lies a village on the road to nowhere – and for that I love it.
Advertisement. My first sight of Appledore, three miles north of Bideford, was eight years ago when the Beaver Inn emerged from the swirling December mist like the world’s last hostelry. Inside, most customers seemed to be playing a strange local card game. Observing from the bar, I had no idea this would soon be my local – at least for the duration of every visit.
Mist rolling up the Torridge estuary to Appledore Quay is a regular feature, but when the sun comes out, the village looks a different place. With views of dunes and the open sea, it’s a time capsule from a 1950s summer: children rock-pooling, parents sampling Mr Hocking’s local ice-creams.