Babyworld & Sunsail Travel story Competition 2008Katherine Locke wins our Travel story competition because not only does she magically transport her readers to Hope Cove in Devon, but as a mum of four going through chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer, her tale has extra poignancy. Katherine wins a fantastic Sunsail Clubs family holiday to Greece.
We are in Hope Cove, Devon. It's only 9 o'clock in the morning and I can't wait to catch a first glimpse of the sea. Our cottage, The Old Parsonage in Galumpton, has absorbed our huge party with ease. We are travelling with five adults, four teenagers and two babies. They are all still in bed, but I decide to push the baby the half mile to the beach. Breakfast can wait, the tang of salt on the air is too tantalising. We walk between high hedges, down the narrow lane and as we round the final bend, Hope Cove opens out below us. Seagulls reel and the baby squeals with delight - it is a truly beautiful sight. Hope Cove is a village in two halves - Inner Hope and Outer Hope. The villages' spread before us and the sweep of Bigbury Bay is as blue and as calm as anything the Caribbean has to offer. The irony of holidaying at a place called Inner Hope does not escape me. I have breast cancer and am halfway through chemotherapy. If ever I needed any kind of hope it is now. This holiday is about taking a moment to reflect. The constant whirl of treatment since diagnosis has left me exhausted and I crave the peace and simplicity of village life. The beach already holds a gaggle of children, digging and making sandcastles like generations of children before them. There are records as far back as 1884 stating that the village pub was 'usually monopolised by artists, and there are two or three comfortable little cottages at Outer Hope where the weary tourist might rest and be thankful'. Indeed, the baby's grandmother spent holidays here as a child. Her grandparents took a house in the village for the month of June throughout the nineteen twenties and thirties. I feel that sense of history and continuity, sitting here on the beach with the baby. His family have been holidaying here for nearly a hundred years. Nothing much has changed, what brought people here then, brings them here now. It is a charming spot where children are free to play and parents can easily supervise. The pub serves good food and the café on the beach provides endless tea and coffee all day. The hours slip by just watching the waves and building a damn in the water. There is no mobile signal here, so the constant background beep of modern life is, for once, silenced. There are no theme parks or amusement arcades either. Just the beach and the boats and the village. The fun is cheap and if the sun shines, you can idle away the day with a packed lunch and a flask of tea. We are able to moor our little boat on the beach for just £25 for the week. The older children have great fun sailing around the bay as the baby and I watch and wave from the shore. The boating tradition in the village is strong, boats have even been built here from time to time, as fishing was the main business of the village for many years before the mass of tourists arrived. We take a day trip to nearby Salcombe, which feels as busy as a city after the village, with streets humming with people and shops open all hours. The estuary looks beautiful, filled with white sailed boats bobbing about. The teenagers in our party love it and they are soon walking around as if they own the place looking for floppy haired school boys to sail with, rifling through the shops and planning outfits for the prom. It is the perfect antidote to village life for them. I manoeuvre the buggy through the narrow streets and wish we were back on the beach. I have no time for the hustle and bustle. It becomes clear that the South Hams has more to offer than I am prepared to do. A beautiful beach and a lazy day are all I'm looking for, but if we wanted there are sailing regattas, zoos, surfing, walking, shops and the city of Plymouth all within driving distance. Why bother, when you can while away the day watching the sand trail through your fingers? If it's an old fashioned holiday you are after, then you can't beat Hope Cove. This week will set me up for the next onslaught of chemotherapy and as we leave, I know the magic has worked. Inner Hope and Outer Hope are mine for the taking. The Old Parsonage is available to rent through www.fulfords.co.uk Where to next?
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What
makes a great holiday? A fantastic holiday cottage, brilliant weather
and a jewel of a beach go a long way towards it. Throw in a small boat
and you very nearly have perfection.
