Along the Jurassic Coast from our native Hampshire lies one of our favourite mainland cruising areas; the South Coast of Devon and Cornwall. This creased and folded coastline hides stunning harbours from view behind twisted river entrances, whilst elsewhere safe haven is wrestled from the sea by the granite defences of harbours like Mousehole. The varied nature of the coastline and the myriad of places to explore makes every trip past Start Point a total pleasure. Wildlife abounds here too; with sightings of Whales, Dolphins, Sunfish and Basking Sharks all listed in Amelie Rose’s logbooks for the area.

We love the dramatic vistas and natural harbours of this granite coast. From Dartmouth to the Helford the South Devon and Cornwall coastline is bristling with stunning places to visit. As you ghost your way in from seaward, some of the harbour entrances appear as nothing more than an hiatus in a tree-lined cliff and this enhances the feeling of welcome as you round a turn in the river to be presented with the drama of Dartmouth or the old worldliness of Newton Ferrers.

Of course no trip to the West Country can ever be complete without wandering at least some of the way up the lovely Helford River towards Gweek where Amelie Rose was “born” and most of our downtime between trips will be spent at anchor off the beautiful village of St Mawes in Falmouth Harbour. If rugged landscapes hiding bustling harbours are your thing then you must put a West Country Cruise in your diary.