WHY JEREMY VINE ADORES APPLEDORE

From ice cream by the water to a book festival and a row-boat tug of war, the presenter and author loves every inch of this adorable North Devon town

- 

Where is your favourite destination and why?

Imagine the super-high camera shot that used to open Match of the Day. A bird's eye view, and then it plunges through clouds and takes you zooming into a football stadium.

My holiday crash-zoom would be the UK, then England, then Devon, then North Devon, then Appledore, then the slipway in the middle of the promenade where you can take the kids crabbing. If you want me to get it down to a few square feet I can.

When was the last time you were there, and who were you with?

Ever since I discovered Appledore while on a book tour with my memoir in 2012, I've been back for holidays. My daughters were eight and six then; now they’re 18 and 21. They tell us where to go (in every sense). They still demand summers on the Devon coast. We've never had a bad holiday in Devon.

Where do you stay in Appledore?

I met a guy called Simon who told me about a cottage he'd bought by the edge of the estuary. He said I should rent it, and we did. It’s in New Quay Street. It’s small but the position is utterly perfect. When you wake up, you wander outside and sit watching the tide go in and out. When it’s out you can see a mile of mud and sand all the way across to Instow (another great location), although I'd be wary of trying to walk it because you might suddenly be swallowed up like that poor guy in Lawrence of Arabia.

Your favourite meal there?

There was a guy who started a tapas place called The Yard. No exaggeration, it was as good as anywhere in London. Very nice guy called Mark. The two tables by the fireplace were made by inmates at Dartmoor Prison. The painting on the wall is by a local artist, Simone Hunt. The name of the place is a nod to the shipyard. And the food — wow.

What are your top three restaurants?