Looking for a taxi transfer to a Cruise Ship Terminal from Salcombe? Why not start your cruise in style, we offer cost-effective travel from Salcombe to the following ports:

• Salcombe to the Port of Dover
• Salcombe to the Port of Greenock/Glasgow
• Salcombe to the Port of Harwich
• Salcombe to the Port of Hull
• Salcombe to the Port of Liverpool
• Salcombe to the Port of Portsmouth
• Salcombe to the Port of Southampton
• Salcombe to the Port of Leith/Edinburgh
• Salcombe to the Port of London Tilbury
• Salcombe to the Port of Felixstowe
• Salcombe to the Port of Newcastle

With many years of experience in insuring our customers arrive at their destination on time, Cars Exec offer the very best in service with our excellent chauffeurs.

Our chauffeur-driven taxi service provides comfort, style and luxury, all in one trip, to any of the major UK cruise ports from your home or airport. We will then be there on your return, ready to take care of you and your luggage, returning you home with the minimum of stress.

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Professional corporate travel

We provide a trusted, professional but discreet service to our business and corporate clients in Salcombe, with impeccable chauffeur-driven cars as well as luxury people carriers to Salcombe-based UK Companies, international businesses and discerning private clients, travelling to and from London.

Cars Exec offer cars to and from important meetings, a meet and greet service from major airports and train stations across the mainland UK. as well as a daily commute service locally, or long distance to London and other UK cities

Find out more about our Business and Corporate Chauffeur Service

 

Want to make your special event even more stylish? We will sweep you off to a day at the races, a concert, a birthday treat or even a proposal in our comfortable, luxurious cars. Just sit back and relax as you ride in style in an executive chauffeur-driven hire,

• Wimbledon.
• Birthday Treat / Surprise.
• Ascot.
• Silverstone.
• Wembley / O2 Arena.
• Anniversary celebrations.

Our VIP car service is the perfect prestige car hire service for you if you want to make the right impression but at comparable taxi prices.

Salcombe​ in Devon

Salcombe was once a major port for the fruit trade and, over the years, has found fame as a safe haven for family holidays and visiting yachtsmen.

It is situated at the southern end of the Salcombe Estuary; the estuary is, in fact, a ria which is a landlocked, saltwater inlet, with beautiful, safe, sandy beaches. The whole area is a Marine Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Marine Local Nature Reserve and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The town’s extensive waterfront and the naturally sheltered harbour formed by the estuary gave rise to its success as a boat and shipbuilding and sailing port and, in modern times, tourism, especially in the form of pleasure sailing and yachting. The town is also home to a traditional shellfish fishing industry.

The estuary is bordered by magnificent cliffs which form part of the South West Coast Path well loved by walkers throughout the year. The South West Coast Path has been mentioned recently in the Great Adventures book, published by the Lonely Planet, as one of the world’s most awe-inspiring hikes. Described as “walking at its most diverse and most spectacular”, the South West Coast Path is the only hike in the UK to make it into the highly respected guidebook.

A brief history of Salcombe

There are several shipwrecks off Salcombe. The oldest is of a Bronze Age ship, one of only three known in Britain, which had weapons and jewellery made in what is now France. The Salcombe Cannon Wreck is a 17th-century ship that contained 400 Moroccan gold coins and Dutch items. In 1936 a Finnish four-masted barque, Herzogin Cecilie ran aground on the Ham Stone and was subsequently beached at Starehole Bay, near Bolt Head. Also off Salcombe is HMS Untiring, a Second World War submarine sunk in 1957 as a sonar target.

A description of the South Hams is given in the 9th-century charter S298. This does not refer to Salcombe but its area is part of Badestone. “Salcombe” first appears in the records in 1244, on the boundaries of Batson and West Portlemouth (Portlemore Barton). In 1570, there were 56 mariners while two years later another survey shows five ships under 60 tons at Salcombe.

In 1566 there were ten seine nets at Salcombe while in the 1580s Salcombe fishermen travelled to Padstow annually for the new herring fishery. While there they rented cottages and storehouses.

During the English civil war, the town sided with the Royalists and held out against the Roundheads. The ruins of Fort Charles remain towards the south of the town. It held out from January to May 1646 and was the last Royalist stronghold. This fort was built for Henry VIII to defend the estuary. It was slighted on the orders of Parliament.

There is little record of the town between 1650 and 1750, but it is thought that the inhabitants lived by fishing and smuggling. In 1764, the first holiday home, The Moult, was built in Salcombe.

In the 19th century, Salcombe was a major centre for shipping in the fruit trade. Salcombe vessels sailed to Iberia, the Mediterranean and the Caribbean as well as to the Azores and Newfoundland. The fruit cargoes were oranges and lemons from the Azores, and pineapples from the Bahamas and West Indies. Other cargoes brought back included sugar, rum, coconuts and shaddocks (pomelos). In addition wood such as ebony and mahogany was brought for furnishing ships. Salcombe and Kingsbridge were busy ship-building places, producing the Salcombe schooner. This was a fast boat that could be sailed with few hands. However, almost half the fleet was lost with all hands. A mutual marine assurance association had been established in 1811 to insure Salcombe ships.

The Salcombe fleet also was involved in the coastal trade supplying coal from Wales and taking away cider, malt, grain and slates. A ferry to Brest was set up in 1870 but did not last.

Between the two world wars, Salcombe developed as a holiday resort, with Salcombe Sailing Club being founded in 1922.

During the Second World War, a radar station was set up on Bolt Head and Salcombe became an Advance Amphibious Base for the United States Navy in September 1943. The Salcombe Hotel became the latter’s headquarters and 60 other properties were requisitioned, as well as Quonset huts being built on the hill near the Rugby Club. Whitestrand Quay and slipway were constructed. 137 officers and 1793 men were based at Salcombe. 66 ships and many auxiliary vessels sailed from Salcombe on 4 June 1944 as part of “Force U” which landed on Utah Beach, Normandy.

Afterwards, Shadycombe Creek and Mill Bay were used to repair damaged landing craft. The base closed on 7 May 1945. A plaque was set up in Normandy Way to commemorate the United States Navy. Salcombe and the district suffered a number of bombing raids during the war.

Salcombe and its beaches

Leaving the town centre and going seaward you pass two pretty beaches, North Sands beach and South Sands beach, and beyond on the hillside is “Overbecks” National Trust property. The house is a small, interesting museum and, because of the micro climate (we have warm summers and mild winters), it means that they are able to grow semi-tropical plants in the delightful garden surrounding the house – this includes oranges, lemons and bananas! The museum, house, tea room and gardens are generally open from early February to 1st November each year

Looking from Salcombe over the water is the village of East Portlemouth with its lovely beaches. There is a ferry from town which runs regularly to the other side and, if you are adventurous you can find many smaller beaches by joining the South West Coast Path and dipping down from the path onto the sands.

Not far from East Portlemouth inland is the pretty village of East Prawle with a pub and village shop. Also nearby is the hamlet of South Pool with its pretty thatched cottages. Further along the coast is the Start Point Lighthouse, which is open to the public, as is the National Coastwatch Institution Look Out at Prawle Point, both well worth a visit.

Moving west from Salcombe you come to Hope Cove, a two-part village of Inner and Outer Hope. If you are fit, it’s a wonderful walk from Bolt Head to Hope Cove along the Coast Path, passing through Soar Mill Cove, a sheltered and unspoilt cove, and over Bolberry Down. At both these places there are hotels where you can stop for lunch or a coffee before continuing on to Hope. At Hope Cove there are two small, sandy beaches sheltered by outcrops of rocks.

Inner Hope is well worth a visit with its square of thatched cottages and an old Lifeboat station. Hope Cove has a pub, a shop and an interesting art gallery, together with hotels where a warm welcome is extended to visitors. Also worth a visit is the tiny church of St Clements which appears to be perched on the rocks overlooking the sea.

An easy walk from Hope Cove, continuing along the Coast Path, is Thurlestone which has good beaches (probably the best for rock pooling!), and a magnificent rock rising out of the water. There’s a beach café, a large hotel, a pub, a village shop and a golf course. From Thurlestone, you can continue on to Bantham with its famous surfing beach, and further to Bigbury with a surf school, golf course and view of the famous hotel on Burgh Island.

Also, inland, are the villages of Malborough, Galmpton and South Milton. Malborough has pubs, a shop, a post office and a splendid church which dominates the skyline and is often referred to as ‘the Cathedral of The South Hams’. Galmpton & South Milton are both pretty villages with attractive cottages and fine churches.