Unfashionable seaside town voted ‘worst in UK’ is actually a great weekend break

Our writer discovered a different side to the home of Fawlty Towers (Picture: Maicey Navarro Griffiths)

On paper, Torquay is the perfect tourist spot. So pretty it’s nicknamed the ‘English Riviera’, it has beautiful beaches, a decent food scene and a dash of historical intrigue.

But this Devon town has a serious branding problem.

First known as a fashionable seaside resort in the early 19th century, by the 60s, that had all changed. Mention Torquay today, and most picture coach trips, faulty hotels (sorry) and the kind of dated summer holidays<...