We have visited this area for 4 years but this is the 1st time we have stayed at Start Bay, we stayed here for 10 nights from 29th July. Our friends arrived a few days prior and when a pitch next to them became available they asked if they could pay for the pitch overnight in order to reserve it for us. They were told that was against procedure, so we were off to a good start!! I dont see why they couldnt as the site was not full. Anyway, we arrived and the lovely Chris helped us position our van, in the pouring rain. Now, they allow people to position their vans either in the traditional way or sideways on in the pitch, as long as you park in front of your van. This was ok until our neighbour, who was parked traditionally, started trying to park his car in front of his awning and partially in front of ours! He parked that close one day that we couldnt get between the cars as we left our awning! He obvs had issue with the way you are now allowed to park, didnt complain to the warden but was very annoying! The site is down some very narrow pinch points from kingsbridge (approx 5 miles) and the pinch points tend to be between houses, so no room for error. My tip - arrive on a sunday as there is no bus service! Other than that you risk coming up against double deckers! We checked the bus timetable and left the site when we knew the bus wouldnt be coming down the roads in our direction. The site feels very closed in, and we were asked to keep the noise down after 10.30.... We were surprised at how many older people were there esp in the school holidays. Come approx 9.30pm its pretty much silent on the site, so although we arent raging alcoholic party animals - we felt we couldnt sit out under the stars and chat! The road noise was an issue for me & I was aware of it on a number of occasions. The local pubs are v expensive but a walk to torcross and the seafront - there are 2 places to eat in the evening. The start bay inn is extremely reasonable and the fishcakes are amazing. The seabreeze cafe is lovely too in the daytime. The water is very clear at the beach but its stony so sea shoes are a must & be very careful if you visit the little cove at the side of Torcross Post Office. As you go down all the steps please be very aware that the concrete slope onto the beach is extremely slippery. My hubby fell on it and thought he had dislocated his shoulder! There were a lot of jelly fish near the shore too - so be warned. The road that is washed away did make a big difference to our plans. As you cant access Blackpool Sands, Torquay or Paignton easily. You have to go back to kingsbridge to go back to the coast. So Torquay was then over an hour away etc. We love this part of the country but would not return to Start Bay, we have stayed at Ramslade and feel it is easier to access amenties and the approach isnt as worrying.