Torquay has nine beaches strung along the coast between Hope's Nose in the east and Corbyn Head in the west. They are all small and tucked into red sandstone coves rather than the long expanses you find further west in Cornwall, but several hold Blue Flag awards and the bathing in summer is genuinely warm thanks to the Gulf Stream. The pick are Babbacombe and Oddicombe in the north, Meadfoot and Anstey's Cove in the centre, and Torre Abbey Sands by the harbour.