Cool evenings, clotted cream and cold seas. Ah, the joys of a British summer holiday by the sea, even if we don't always get much sunshine.

But, come rain or shine, the UK seaside home goes from strength to strength. And nowhere is this more true than in the West Country, where, according to online travelsupermarket.com, searches for Devon and Cornwall are up 75 per cent.

For the South-West luxury self-catering holiday company Blue Chip, bookings have risen 60 per cent on last year, with Cornwall showing a whopping 230 per cent increase (01803 855 282, bluechipvacations.com).

Their hotspots are Newquay and St Ives in Cornwall, the English Riviera (Torquay, Paignton and Brixham) and the South Hams in Devon.

Newquay is the most popular seaside resort after Bournemouth, with 621,000 people staying there each year for one night or more.

What's more, this interest in coastal holiday homes has had a knock-on effect on the regular property market, according to property finders County Homesearch (0870 1123 114, countyhomesearch. co.uk).

'Unlike last year, all my buyers are after second homes,' says Sue Bushnell, from County Homesearch in Devon.

'Why? With a 25 per cent drop in value, it's a great time to buy. A couple of months ago, a quintessential coastal cottage in popular Chagford - where Jennifer Saunders and her husband Adrian Edmondson live - sold for £600,000, down from the £799,000 it was on for two years ago.'