Exmouth

Grew up here…. left it age 19 to go to uni.
It’s a funny little place, great for families and retired people but not huge amounts going on for those in between, though proximity to Exeter does help.
Full of tourists in the summer, but the beach on warm summer nights is fab. Only the locals in the winter, so you get the beack to yourself! It’s the kind of place where everyone knows everyone else and their business, but with only one secondary school, that’s kinda inevitable. I loved growing up there, had way more freedom than I would have had in a city. On the coast, close to the motorway, close to Dartmoor and other heathland. Exeter 20 mins away, Plymouth and Bristol about an hour away.
Not huge amounts of stuff to do IN the town, but if you have a car, there are a lot of other local sights and attractions.