Oldhouse Cove follows a steep sweep of slate cliff down to clear turquoise water, with a small pale beach and flowered grass lending the coast an invigorating sense of distance.

From the high path, bands of olive pasture lie above dark crags that break into scattered boulders at the inlet. A narrow strand curls beneath the headland, its shallows shifting from jade to deep blue. White umbels, pink blooms and wiry grasses gather among the foreground stones, while thin cloud streaks stretch across the bright sky.

For visitors, Oldhouse Cove suggests the reward of reaching a less hurried corner of the Devon shoreline on foot. Those familiar with the area may recognise the way the land drops abruptly towards the water, and the contrast between close wildflowers, rough rock and the broad sweep of open sea.