Budleigh Salterton is a small town on the south coast of Devon, approximately 15 miles south of Exeter. It is situated within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The town lies at the mouth of the River Otter, where the estuary forms an area of reed bed and grazing marsh, an important haven for migratory birds and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Fairlynch Museum in the town is a small local museum housed in a listed thatched building. It covers the history and geology of the region, and offers a programme of exhibitions and a local archive.

The birthplace of Walter Raleigh is a couple of miles to the north, at Hayes Barton, near East Budleigh and the town is known as the location for the painting The Boyhood of Raleigh by Sir John Everett Millais. A blue plaque affixed to The Octagon commemorates Millais' stay in the town. Other notable people associated with Budleigh Salterton include Sue Lawley, broadcaster, Sally McNally, puppeteer of Muffin the Mule.