If you approach Sidmouth on a fine day by the small road from the west and travel through the thick beech woods of Peak Hill, five hundred feet above the sea, the first sight of the town in the valley below will amaze you. It is the nearest thing to the Italian Riviera we possess. The hills behind rise higher than the red cliffs, which drop sheer to the sea at either end of the beautiful arch of shoreline. In winter Sidmouth is six degrees warmer than in London, and it claims to have less rainfall than any other South Coast resort…

Read more about Sidmouth in Candida Lycett Green’s new book Seaside Resorts, available now from Amazon (or from The Oldie website for £14.99).