Ordinarily, articles in this series have their titles prefixed ‘A drive in’, or similar. For this one, a combination of watercraft and footwork is recommended. This way, readers can maximise a visit to a beautiful setting: the atmospheric town of Salcombe, on Devon’s south coast.
The first stage is an amphibious assault, courtesy of an incredible sea tractor ferry that plies the Kingsbridge Estuary – an inlet that makes Salcombe a natural harbour. The seasonal ferry ‘sails’ in the wake of a D-Day armada that departed these waters nearly eight decades ago.
The sea tractor drops off its passengers close to the National Trust’s Overbeck’s Garden, which is a delightful waypoint. A footpath from the grounds leads to a clifftop airstrip where modern lightplanes use a runway originally created for Spitfires and Typhoons.
If this option leaves the reader craving for vehicular access, a minor road snakes its way to the western edge of the airfield. This being Devon, the lanes are narrow and lined by tall, impenetrable hedgerows. Whichever mode you choose, the ‘Flight Planning’ panel provides more details.
In 1940, the land behind the promontory at Bolt Head, south of Salcombe, was deemed suitable for an…
