Rachel Heath’s ‘idyllic’ Victorian fishermen’s inn has a wonderful position overlooking Start Bay. It is a ‘really attractive, relaxing place, in a village that retains a quiet atmosphere’, thanks, perhaps, to the approach via ‘narrow, winding lanes’. Guests of all ages enjoy crab soup, flame-grilled steaks, the catch of the day, maybe fish and chips alfresco, cooked by son, Scott Heath and Stuart Downie. ‘Food was very good, especially the fresh fish.’ The bar has a nautical feel, with crab pots and model boats, while the light and airy bedrooms have a New England ethos. With sea in front and hills behind, the opportunities for cricket are limited, yet each room is named after a cricket ground, with Oval offering ‘panoramic sea views’ from its large bay window. Family rooms sleep three or four. Trueman and Botham suites have a king-size four-poster (yes, both ‘m). One reader praised the housekeeping and the ‘well-planned bedroom and bathroom’. Music plays in the bar where, it is said, pre-Rolling Stones, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger performed their first public gig. After a breakfast of Devon produce, stir your stumps and walk the South West Coastal Path. (LW)