Teignmouth

Teignmouth is a fishing port that got talked into becoming a resort and never fully committed to either, which is why the fish quay and the seafront amusements sit within smelling distance of each other and neither looks embarrassed. The town's proudest historical fact is being the last place in England the French bothered to invade, in 1690, and it has spent the three centuries since making sure nothing that dramatic happens again. The railway runs along the sea wall on the way in, close enough that the waves hit the carriages in winter, which is either the best approach to any town in Devon or a standing argument for the inland route, depending on whether you were on the train. What it is not is Shaldon across the water, and everyone here knows exactly how they feel about that.