Hope Cove is a small seaside village within the civil parish of South Huish in South Hams District, Devon, England. It is located 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Salcombe and 5 miles (8.0 km) south west of Kingsbridge. It has two beaches, and is sheltered by the headland of Bolt Tail.

The Spanish Armada was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval experience appointed by Philip II of Spain. His orders were to sail up the English Channel, join with the Duke of Parma in Flanders, and escort an invasion force that would land in England and overthrow Elizabeth I. Its purpose was to reinstate Catholicism in England, end support for the Dutch Republic, and prevent attacks by English and Dutch privateers against Spanish interests in the Americas.