Day Trip: Totnes

THINGS TO DO IN TOTNES

A Norman castle, stunning vineyard and some of Devon’s best shopping, Totnes is an all-round crowd-pleaser. Here’s a selection of our favourite things to do on a day out in Totnes.

Totnes Castle

SIGHTSEEING

Totnes Castle

High on a hilltop above town, Totnes Castle is among the best-preserved examples of a Norman 'motte and bailey' castle (a round keep sitting on a raised earthwork). The views over Totnes's rooftops and the South Hams beyond are captivating, but the interior is largely empty. Look out for the medieval toilet (but don't use it).

Totnes Fashion & Textiles Museum

Beautifully displayed 18th- to 20th-century garments, Totnes Fashion Museum is set in one of Totnes' finest Tudor merchant's houses.

Dartington Estate

Henry VIII gave this pastoral 324-hectare estate to two of his wives (Catherines Howard and Parr). For many years Dartington Estate was home to the town's art college; now the 14th-century manor house hosts events, including renowned classical-music and literature festivals. There's also an art-house cinema. The grounds are also worth exploring. It's about 2 miles northwest of Totnes. Dartington's 14th-century manor house edges a grassy space reminiscent of an Oxbridge quadrangle. In the landscaped gardens impressive terraced banks frame an area known as the Tiltyard, while flower-filled borders lead down to glades, meadows and thatched cottages. Amid the tiny paths and secret benches you can hunt out Henry Moore's carved stone sculpture Memorial Figure, the swirling bobbles of Peter Randall Page's Jacob's Pillow and the bronze Donkey by Willi Soukop. The Japanese Garden, complete with raked gravel and cedar-wood shelter, is beside the ruined church.

Sharpham Vineyard

Three miles south of Totnes off the A381, Sharpham Vineyard is chiefly known for its crisp, sparkling white wines, as well as its delicious cheeses. Perched above the meandering River Dart, it's become one of the UK's best-known winemakers. You can explore the vine-covered slopes solo, followed by a wine and/or cheese tasting in the shop, or plump for the full guided tour. After a tour of the vines, sit down for delicious food from a daily-changing blackboard menu at the rustic bistro of Sharpham Wine & Cheese. The choices revolve around local treats, so expect smoked fish, crab salad and Lyme Bay scallops, as well as the estate's own wines and cheeses. It's all delicious. Book ahead. Opens longer hours in summer.

Berry Pomeroy Castle

Two miles east of Totnes, this ruined castle was originally built by the feudal Pomeroys in the 15th century. Within the walls is a second stronghold, a Tudor mansion constructed by Edward Seymour, the 1st Duke of Somerset. Unfortunately, the Seymour clan's fortunes turned for the worse after the English Civil war, and by 1700 Berry Pomeroy was nothing more than a ruin – and has remained so ever since. It's notorious for ghostly goings-on.

SHOPPING

Totnes High Street

Hippyish Totnes is a place where the independent spirit is cherished – they even have their own currency, the Totnes pound. This is the place to shop for wholefoods, eco and organic stores. Aromatika sells organic and natural skincare products made in Devon, while Arcturus Books stock mind, body and spirit titles. The Seeds2Bakery uses only local organic stone ground flour, while the Wild Fig Deli specialises in gluten-free and vegetarian food. Drift Records stock new music, with a policy that ranges from left field minimal tech house to home-recorded roots music from the Appalachian Mountains. Me and East and Busby and Fox both sell gorgeous homewares.

Earth Food Love

Earth Food Love, which opened on Totnes High Street in March 2017, deserves a special mention for being the first zero-waste shop in the UK. Inside, almost every inch of the modestly sized shop is crammed with a dispenser of some sort, for everything from pulses, grains and dried fruit to detergents and bamboo toothbrushes – all organic and free of plastic and pesticides. They’re ahead of the game on the anti-plastic revolution and have become the pin-ups for others doing the same, from the Bulk Market in east London to other people around the country wanting to follow suit. The idea is you take your own container – whether it’s a Tupperware, tin can or reusable bag (they’ve even had someone using pillowcases), fill up with food, weigh and pay. There’s not a plastic bag in sight, nor anything wrapped in the shiny stuff. For them, it’s not about making a profit; it’s about consuming food and everyday products in a way that doesn’t cost the earth.

The Shops At Dartington

Artistic education centre Dartington Hall also houses an unusual shopping experience – you’ll find everything here, including natural beauty products, colourful kitchenware and a classy food shop, where 80% of the produce stocked is made, reared or grown in the West Country. At the lovely Re-Store shop, volunteer artists restore and upcycle old materials into covetable homewares. And the Tanner Bates Leather School produces hand-stitched and high quality leather goods, from luggage tags to messenger bags.

Nkuku

Signposted by a fashionably rusting modernist sign, Nkuku, on the outskirts of Totnes, is a rustic-chic repository of artisan creations from India, Vietnam and Africa – all handpicked by husband-and-wife team Alex and Alistair Cooke. Think pyramid terrariums created by a latch maker in Uttar Pradesh, hand-loomed Rajasthani block-print jute rugs, ceramics, pretty Mawia bead bracelets made in West Bengal, and Kadira leather journals crafted in Delhi. They have a lovely cafe.

Conker

A special shout out goes to Totnes institution Conker, who will knock you up a pair of distinctive, bespoke brogues for a surprisingly decent price.

EATING AND DRINKING

The Almond Thief, Dartington

The sourdough bread at craft bakery The Almond Thief is legendary, but they’ve also just branched out into a cafe business, serving a cracking artisan breakfast. The menu changes weekly, but look out for Bob’s dynamic poached eggs from neighbouring Huxham’s Cross Farm, served on sourdough with Rust Pig 24-month cured ham and asparagus. Wash it down with a cup of Crankhouse coffee.

The Curator

This Italian cafe has a cult-like following with Devon coffee aficionados and is lauded for its espresso. The brunch menu runs all day. Go for poached eggs served with either crispy prosciutto, house-made sausage or roasted peppers and avocado. Another favourite at The Curator is the Italian BLT, served on freshly-made focaccia.

Riverford Field Kitchen

This ecofriendly, organic, plough-to-plate farm is where everyone wants to eat when they visit Totnes. Riverford Field Kitchen began as a food-box scheme, and has now branched out into a delightful barn bistro, where diners sit communally at long wooden tables and share dishes of the day. Rustic flavours rule: expect delicious salads, roast meats and imaginative veggie options. Bookings required.

Sharpham Wine and Cheese

After a tour of the vines, sit down for delicious food from a daily-changing blackboard menu at the rustic bistro of Sharpham Wine & Cheese. The choices revolve around local treats, so expect smoked fish, crab salad and Lyme Bay scallops, as well as the estate's own wines and cheeses. It's all delicious. Book ahead. Opens longer hours in summer.

Mangetout

There’s breakfast, and then there is breakfast from Mangetout. Take up a seat out the front to watch Totnes wander by, take over the small interior, or better yet, find a seat in shaded courtyard out back. Their smoothies are incredible, as is the smashed avocado on sourdough, with a poached egg on top and a side of bacon.

New Lion Brewery

Craft beer with community spirit: this microbrewery is locally owned and run by Totnes residents, with profits helping to support the town's economy. The three core beers are the classic Mane Event bitter, hoppy Pandit IPA and silky Totnes Stout. The shop is open every day, but the brewery bar is only open on Friday and Saturday evenings.

The Hairy Barista

Aeropress, cold-brew, V60, flat white or just plain-old espresso, the aptly named Hairy Barista (aka Roe Yekutiel) will oblige – his little shop has become the town's go-to place for speciality coffee. There are cakes and pastries on offer too, but the space is a little cramped inside (and mind the step on the way in!).

The Totnes Brewing Co

The Totnes Brewing Co is situated at the bottom of Totnes Castle. As well as brewing their own craft beers right in the bar on a weekly basis they also stock a huge range of guest craft ales & ciders - local and international. If you love craft beer this is a must with "probably" the largest selection of beers and ciders in the area (usually over 100). The beer garden is a perfect spot from which to admire the Castle and the bar is warm and cosy at night - with an open fire on cold days. Food platters to go with beer are served during the holiday season and people are welcome to bring their own food when the kitchen is closed - they are dog friendly and have free wifi. Children welcome during the day and early evening.

Nkuku Cafe

From the company’s base in an uber-cool barn conversion, Nkuku sells its range of ethical, handmade homewares online. What many customers don’t realize as they’re buying its beautiful ceramic cereal bowls or wooden serving platters is that Nkuku also has a shop and café at its Devon HQ. A calming, earthy, stripped-back space, it’s the perfect setting for artisan, wood-roasted coffee from the nearby Curator Café, homemade cakes and brownies and deli boards laid with locally sourced cheeses and cured meats. Its sunny, south-facing courtyard is a great spot to while away an afternoon.

RELATED ARTICLES

Day Trip: Salcombe

Sun-soaked and salty, the pastel-hued sailing town of Salcombe makes a great day out. Here are some ideas for the best things to do on a day trip.

1. Amble around town

Salcombe is a gem of a town, with ancient narrow streets, pastel-coloured houses, boutique shops, art galleries, delicatessens and a bay bobbing with fishing boats. It’s a popular sailing destination, too, with ‘up-country’ yachtie visitors flock here in their hundreds in the summer. Island Street gives a taste of artisanal Salcombe – here you’ll find boat builders and art galleries, and even live lobster and crab on sale alongside buckets and spades, wetsuits, fishing tackle and chandlers. It’s also the home of local favourite Salcombe Dairy Ice Cream.

2. Bask on the beach

It’s hard to choose from the array of beauties on the south coast, but Mill Bay, a quick ferry ride across the water from Salcombe, tops our list for being seaweed-free and warmed by the sun all day. In the summer, it gets busy, so take an Ordnance Survey map to walk to quieter coves further up the coast, or hire a tender boat from town. Further west along the coast, at Bantham beach, wetsuits outnumber bikinis on south Devon’s only surf beach. Look out for stand-up paddle surfers, a quirky new take on the sport. Our other favourite beaches near Salcombe include Thurlestone Sands, South Sands and Soar Mill Cove. Read our guide to Devon’s best beaches for more information.

3. Walk the South West Coastal Path

Britain’s longest footpath traces the north and south coasts of Devon, offering easy access to wild and windswept cliffs, secluded sandy coves and tiny hamlets. The three-hour walk from Bolt Tail, near Hope Cove, to Bolt Head, near Salcombe, is our favourite, offering perfect beaches and jagged headlands. For a longer walk, start further up the coast at Bantham, and stop off at The Beach House (www.beachhousedevon.com) at South Milton Sands for lunch en route.  Start Point is another popular coastal walk, with a characterful pub, the Pig’s Nose, at one end (see below).

4. Drink in an old pirate’s island haunt

The Pilchard Inn is a creaky, weather-beaten smugglers inn dating from 1336 oozing with swashbuckling history: ask about the pirates’ escape tunnel. Getting there is all part of the fun. Perched on the tiny, tidal outcrop of Burgh Island, surrounded by sandy beaches and choppy seas, it’s cut off from the mainland twice a day so you’ll need to consult a tide table when planning your visit. When the seas have parted, it’s a short walk across the spit. When the waters start coming in, a high-sided ‘sea tractor’ ferries passengers. TQ7 4BG

5. Have dinner at art deco Burgh Island

This vintage art deco hotel is perched atop a privately owned island just off the south Devon coast, and is much as it was when Winston Churchill, Noel Coward and Agatha Christie beat a path to its door in its 1930s heyday. Non-residents can only dine there on Sundays. Booking essential. TQ7 4BG

6. Hang ten

Discovery Surf School offer lessons for beginners through to advanced surfers from their base in Bigbury-On-Sea all year round. A two-hour beginner lesson is £38. TQ7 4AR

7. Eat crispy squid at The Beach House

This weather-beaten clapboard shack overlooking the dramatic sea arch of Thurlestone is right on the beach, making it a perfect pit stop for a coastal walk. Crab cakes, crispy squid and bacon sandwiches are served up on rustic wooden tables in an amiable atmosphere. Check ahead for opening times. TQ7 3JY.

8. Shuck oysters 

Don’t be put off by the garish décor at this former oyster farm: the freshness of the oysters at The Oyster Shack is famous. Handpicked from the River Avon less than half a mile away, the meaty molluscs are served with a huge selection of mouth-watering sauces. TQ7 4BE.

9. Eat at The Millbrook Inn

Probably the only place in Devon where pigs’ trotter patties and escargots appear on the same menu, this cosy pub is old school Devon meets French auberge. On a babbling brook and close to a tranquil creek, it’s accessible by boat from Salcombe so, in summer, yachtie crowds come and go with the tides. There’s live gypsy Jazz every Sunday and fish barbecues in the summer.  TQ7 2RW

10. Drink at the Pigs Nose, East Prawl 

South west of Salcombe, on a beautiful stretch of coastal path, is this whitewashed smuggler’s inn. Run by a delightfully eccentric music manager, its played host to The Animals, The Yardbirds, the Boomtown Rats and Curiosity Killed the Cat,and still stages regular acts. The knitting corner is for customers who prefer a quieter pint. TQ7 2B.

11. Have lunch at the Winking Prawn

With a salty location on the North Sands, the Winking Prawn beach café and BBQ is the perfect stop for a sunny lunch, ice cream or the inevitable cream tea. Cracked crab, lobster and sea bream fillets are amongst the main course attractions.

RELATED ARTICLES

Day Trip: Exeter

A fine Norman cathedral, pretty Georgian streets, a fabulous street food market and the West Country’s best farm shop makes Exeter an interesting day trip. Here’s our pick of the best things to do in and around Exeter.

Exeter Cathedral

Exeter Cathedral

Magnificent in warm, honey-coloured stone, Exeter's cathedral is one of Devon’s most impressive ecclesiastical sights. Dating largely from the 12th and 13th centuries, the west front is framed by extraordinary medieval statuary, while inside the ceiling soars upwards to the longest span of unbroken Gothic vaulting in the world, dotted with ornate ceiling bosses in gilt and vibrant colours.

RAMM

A fixture on the city's cultural scene since Victorian times, this hulking red-brick museum recently received a £24 million revamp. It's a treasure trove of rambling rooms, filled with glass cases of curiosities and archaeological finds – from samurai armour, African masks and Egyptian mummies in the World Cultures galleries to a truly amazing echinoderm collection of starfish and sea urchins amassed by the inveterate Victorian collector Walter Percy Sladen. Exeter's own history also figures strongly.

Underground Passages

Prepare to crouch down, don a hard hat and possibly get spooked in what is the only publicly accessible system of its kind in England. These medieval vaulted passages were built to house pipes bringing fresh water to the city. Guides lead you on a scramble through the network, relating tales of ghosts, escape routes and cholera. The last tour is an hour before closing; they're popular – book ahead.

Exeter Quay

On fine sunny days the people of Exeter head to the quay. Cobbled paths lead between former warehouses that have been converted into antique shops, quirky stores, craft workshops, restaurants and pubs (popular spots for al fresco drinks and people-watching).

Take a guided tour

Our Guided Tours page has details on Exeter city tours.

Real Food Store

Boxes and bags full of field-fresh veg, racks of fragrant bread, ranks of local cheeses and piles of cured meat and fish. Some 70% of the goods in this community-run cafe-cum-store are from Devon, and the other 30% is from the wider southwest.

Visit Topsham

The estuary-side town of Topsham is a delight: its narrow lanes wind towards the harbour, which is ringed with restaurants, pubs and antique shops. Other attractions include an appealing run of 18th-century Dutch-style gabled houses, a long riverside strand and a huge antiques market on the quayside.

Drink in a traditional ale house

One of England’s last traditional ale houses, little has changed at The Bridge Inn for centuries: faded bunting from George V’s 1911 coronation still hangs in the tiny bar. This ‘museum-with-beer’ is a must for ale connoisseurs.  

Exploding Bakery

Excellent news: one of Exeter's hippest little bakeries has now added half-a-dozen tables, meaning there's even more room to sample superb flat whites, macchiato and inventive cakes – the lemon, polenta and pistachio is a hit.

Stock up at a farm shop

Described as being ‘Selfridges’ food hall in the middle of a farm’, Darts Farm has done so much to promote regional produce it's something of a legend in the south-west. Come here for your shop, a three-course meal or just a takeaway. A favourite is the Fish Shed, a restaurant, fishmonger and take-out place rolled into one: the fish will have been caught that day.

See how the other half live

One of the oldest family seats in Devon, Powderham Castle, set in its own deer park, belongs to the Earl of Devon. Added to and altered repeatedly over its six hundred year history, tours take in the medieval core, neo-classical areas and Victorian kitchen. 

Have lunch at the River Exe café

Our favourite alternative-eats venue, at least on a sunny day, is the River Exe Café a floating shed-cum-pontoon moored off Exmouth. Serving seafood dropped off by passing fishing boats, the sea-to-plate interval can be as little as five minutes. Get there on the new Topsham to Exmouth cycle path, then catch a water taxi to the café. Closed winter. Booking essential. 

Go grazing on Magdalen Road

Magdalen Road is Exeter's foodie enclave. Along one short stretch of tarmac, you will find a fishmonger (remember them?), wine shop, the butchery outlet for award-winning Devon farm Piper's, the old school Village Bakery, as well as Bon Goût (45 Magdalen Road, 01392 435521, bongoutdeli.co.uk) and Belgreen (25 Magdalen Road, 01392 271190, belgreen.co.uk), a couple of interesting budget eating options.

RELATED ARTICLES

Day Trip: Cornwall

PLACES TO VISIT IN CORNWALL

Fancy a day trip to Cornwall? Here are the best places to visit that are within an hour-and-a-half’s drive from Moorland View.

The Cornish fishing village of Port Isaac

Port Isaac

If you're looking for a classic Cornish fishing town, you've found it in Port Isaac, where a cluster of cobbled alleyways, slender opes (lanes) and cob-walled cottages collect around a medieval harbour and slipway. Though still a working harbour, Port Isaac is best known as a filming location: the hit TV series Doc Martin has used the village as a ready-made backdrop. A sign near the quayside directs visitors straight to Doc Martin's cottage. A short walk along the coast path leads to the neighbouring harbour of Port Gaverne, while a couple of miles west is Port Quin, now owned by the National Trust. Cornwall's chef du jour Nathan Outlaw has made the village his culinary centre of operations.

Port Quin

With its cluster of rocks and a lonely seaside cottage, the small cove of Port Quin makes a perfect picture. Local folklore maintains that it was once a thriving fishing port, but the entire fleet was lost during a great storm in the late 17th century. The remaining families, including some 20 widows, were all subsequently relocated to Port Isaac. It's a good focus for a walk, easily reached from Port Isaac via the coast path, about 2 miles away.

Tintagel

The spectre of legendary King Arthur looms large over Tintagel and its dramatic clifftop castle. Though the present-day ruins mostly date from the 13th century, archaeological digs have revealed the foundations of a much earlier fortress, fuelling speculation that Arthur may indeed have been born at the castle, as locals like to claim. It's a stunningly romantic sight, with its crumbling walls teetering precariously above the sheer cliffs, and well worth devoting at least half a day to exploring.

Bedruthan Steps

Bedruthan Steps

Roughly halfway between Newquay and Padstow loom the stately rock stacks of Bedruthan. These mighty granite pillars have been carved out by the relentless action of thousands of years of wind and waves, and now provide a stirring spot for a stroll. The area is owned by the National Trust (NT), which also runs the car park and cafe. Admission to the site is free, but non-NT members have to pay for parking.

Padstow

If anywhere symbolises Cornwall's increasingly chic credentials, it's Padstow. This old fishing port has become the county's most cosmopolitan corner thanks to the bevy of celebrity chefs who have set up shop here – including Rick Stein, whose Padstow-area property portfolio encompasses several restaurants and hotels, plus a gift shop, bakery, pub, seafood school and fish-and-chip bar.

Newquay

In a superb position on a knuckle of cliffs overlooking fine golden sands and Atlantic rollers, its glorious natural advantages have made Newquay the premier resort of north Cornwall. It is difficult to imagine a lineage for the place that extends more than a few decades, but the “new quay” was built in the fifteenth century in what was already a long-established fishing port, up to then more colourfully known as Towan Blistra. The town was given a boost in the nineteenth century when a railway was constructed across the peninsula for china clay shipments; with the trains came a swelling stream of seasonal visitors. The centre of town is a somewhat tacky parade of shops and restaurants from which lanes lead to ornamental gardens and cliff-top lawns. The main attraction is the beaches. Festivals run through the summer, when the town can get very crowded.

Eden Project

Eden Project

Built at the bottom of a china clay pit, the giant biomes of the Eden Project – the world's largest greenhouses – have become Cornwall's most famous landmark, and an absolutely essential visit. Looking rather like a lunar landing station, Eden's bubble-shaped biomes maintain miniature ecosystems that enable all kinds of weird and wonderful plants to flourish – from stinky rafflesia flowers and banana trees in the Rainforest Biome to cacti and soaring palms in the Mediterranean Biome. Book online for discounted admission.

Fowey

In many ways, Fowey feels like Padstow's south-coast sister; a workaday port turned well-heeled holiday town, with a tumble of pastel-coloured houses, portside pubs and tiered terraces overlooking the wooded banks of the Fowey River. The town's wealth was founded on the export of china clay from the St Austell pits, but it's been an important port since Elizabethan times, and later became the adopted home of the thriller writer Daphne du Maurier, who used the nearby house at Menabilly Barton as the inspiration for Rebecca.

Mevagissey

Mevagissey

Slender alleyways, flower-fronted cottages and a grand double-walled quay make the little coastal village of Mevagissey one of the most authentically pretty ports in southeast Cornwall. Its character has changed little since the days when it earned its keep from the sea; higgledy-piggledy buildings line the old streets leading inland from the harbour, and fishing boats bob on the incoming tide. It's not been gentrified to quite the same degree as other ports along the coast, and feels all the better for it. There are secondhand bookshops and galleries to browse, and the harbour is one of the best places on the south coast for crabbing: you'll be able to buy all the gear you need in the nearby shops. In summer, ferries run along the coast from Mevagissey Harbour to Fowe

Truro

Dominated by the three mighty spires of its 19th-century cathedral, which rises above town like a neo-Gothic supertanker, Truro is Cornwall's capital and its only city. It's the county’s main centre for shopping and commerce: the streets here are packed with high-street chains and independent shops, and there are regular weekly markets held on the paved piazza at Lemon Quay (opposite the Hall for Cornwall).

RELATED ARTICLES

Day Trip: Dartmouth

Castles, beaches and the best fish and chips in Devon - Dartmouth is one of Devon’s liveliest coastal towns. Here are some ideas for the best things to do on a day trip to Dartmouth.

Wander around town

Dartmouth is a gem of a town, with ancient narrow streets, boutique shops, art galleries and delicatessens. A cobbled market place has colourful stalls and farmers markets supplying local produce. 

Eat fish and chips by the sea

Serving one of the best fish and chips in Devon, the Rock Fish Grill is a stylish beach shack-style takeaway and restaurant on Dartmouth’s harbour run by celebrity chef Mitch Tonks. The menu includes locally-landed scallops and oysters, along with classics such as jellied eels, cockles, cracked crab and potted shrimp.  

Sea kayaking with Sea Kayak Devon

Totnes

Boat up the River Dart

Winding its way from Dartmoor to the port of Dartmouth on the South Devon coast, the Dart is grown-up’s playground in the summer, with yachts and pleasure boats plying between beaches, historic sites, villages and vineyards. You can hire your own boat from Dartmouth Boat Hire Company to explore the banks, creeks, quays and settlements along the Dart, or even carry on all the way to Totnes (tide permitting). Or take a trip on the Dartmouth Paddle Steamer, the UK’s last remaining coal-fired paddle steamer, which passes Bayards Cove, Warfleet Cree and Dartmouth Castle.

Hire your own picnic boat

For a picnic with a difference, hire a private boat up the Dart. You can stop off in little bays to go crabbing, or take a vineyard tour at Sharpham. There’s cover in case of bad weather. A one-hour trip for two with champagne and dressed lobster is £165. Longer trips available. 

Go sea kayaking

Sea kayak outfit Sea Kayak Devon run trips to otherwise-inaccessible coves and caves along the south coast. Watch out for seals trying to hitch a lift!

Visit Agatha Christie’s home 

Agatha Christie’s private holiday home on the River Dart is much as it was when the crime writer stayed here seeking inspiration for her books. First editions line the shelves, along with family photos and collections of botanical china and archaeological finds. Even if you’re not a fan, the house is worth a visit for its beautiful setting on the River Dart and gardens: don’t miss the peach house, winery and fernery. You can drive, but the most scenic way to arrive is by the Greenway Ferry, which takes you there on a 30-minute cruise. Closed winter.

Enjoy a waterside tipple

A waterside pub makes summer complete, and we defy you not to fall in love with the 17th-century Waterman’s Arms, overlooking tinkling Bow Creek, near Tuckenhay. Hidden away at the bottom of a steep valley, the streamside tables are perfect for savouring a pint of the fine Palmer’s Copper Ale. The lunches, sourced from local suppliers and served under an outdoor awning, attract foodies from as far away as Exeter and Plymouth. Another enticing option is the Maltsters Arms in Tuckenhay. On the River Dart, it has its own jetty and is big on open fires in winter and guest beers all year round. 
  

Visit Coleton Fishacre

For an evocative glimpse of jazz-age glamour, drop by the former home of the D'Oyly Carte family of theatre impresarios. Built in the 1920s, its faultless art deco embellishments include original Lalique tulip uplighters, comic bathroom tiles and a stunning saloon – complete with tinkling piano. The croquet terrace leads to deeply shelved subtropical gardens and suddenly revealed vistas of the sea. Hike the 4 miles along the cliffs from Kingswear, or drive.

Blackpool Sands

Dartmouth Castle

Hit the beach

Set beneath wooded cliffs, Blackpool sands is a beautiful mile-long, privately owned sweep of shingle that attracts families in their droves during the school holidays. By day, swimmers can practise their dives from a floating dock, and the beach café stays open beyond sunset.

Eat at the Seahorse

What celebrity chef Rick Stein is to Cornwall, Mitch Tonks is to Devon – a seafood supremo, with a clutch of restaurants across the county. The Seahorse is the original, and the best: a classic fish restaurant where the just-landed produce is roasted over open charcoals. Leather banquettes, wood floors and a wine wall give it a French-bistro feel. Book ahead.

Shoot clay pigeons

Ashcombe Adventure Centre is the best clay pigeon shooting centre in Devon, offering expert tuition. 

Visit Dartmouth Castle

For over 600 years, Dartmouth Castle kept the town safe from the envious eyes of pirates, privateers and foreign navies. In the late 15th century, a 250 m iron chain was raised between Kingswear Castle and Dartmouth to further bolster the town’s defences. In the centuries that followed, several other improvements were made, which you can learn about as you explore the interior of the castle. These days, the role of Dartmouth Castle is to attract visitors to the town rather than keep them at bay – a new job to which it’s turned its hand with admirable skill! When the sun is shining, take the castle ferry from the pontoon to Dartmouth Castle and make it a full day out. Recently, the Castle Tea Rooms have been renovated almost beyond recognition – when the sun’s out it’s well worth a walk from the centre of Dartmouth just to enjoy a light snack or drink, whether or not you intend to actually enter the castle. The Estuary view makes it an ideal setting for an al fresco bite.

Go on a steam railway

Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company provides a great day out which begins in Dartmouth and also takes in Paignton and Totnes, giving you the chance to see the area by ferry, steam train and bus.

Britannia Royal Naval College

The imposing building crowning the hills above Dartmouth was built in 1905 and is where the Royal Navy still trains all its officers. Guides lead you around the stately rooms and grounds, recounting the building's history and tales of its students. Alumni include Princes Charles and Andrew, and it's also where the Queen first met the Duke of Edinburgh in 1939. Visits are by prebooked guided tour only; the pick-up point is in central Dartmouth. Bring photo ID.

Alf Resco

This indie cafe is the preferred hang-out for a variety of discerning Dartmouthians, from yachties to families, tourists and riverboat crews. The same menu is available throughout the day: copious all-day breakfasts, toasties and chunky baguettes are the mainstays, and the coffee is great.

Bayard's Cove

It's worth tracking down Dartmouth's quaintly cobbled Bayard's Cove, the quay from which the Pilgrim Fathers set sail to America, having put into Dartmouth for repairs.

RELATED ARTICLES

Day Trip: North Devon

The Best Things To Do in North Devon

Wild and windswept, the north Devon coastline draws visitors in search of surf, seclusion and salty air. We round up the best things to do.

Clovelly

North Devon Towns and Villages

Lynmouth

Lynmouth

Concertinaed between dramatic sea cliffs, the pretty harbour town of Lynmouth, in Exmoor National Park, has an edge-of the-world feel that’s perfect for lovebirds in search of sea air and seclusion. A favourite holiday resort for the Georgians and Victorians, it was where R.D. Blackmore wrote Lorna Doone, and where poet Percy Shelley honeymooned with his first wife, Harriet, staying in the thatched 14th-century thatched smugglers’ inn, the Rising Sun. Days mean wildly romantic cliff-top and moorland walks, frolicking in sand dunes and – for the brave – a bracing dip in the sea, while evenings invite dining fireside in cosy country pubs.

Clovelly

With majestic vistas of the north Devon coastline, the steeply sloping chocolate-box fishing village of Clovelly (pictured above) is privately owned and a world lost in time. Traffic-free, this is an away-from-it-all escape where pleasures are simple and wholesome: coastal walks and cream teas, donkey rides and dramatic views.  Pant your way up and down the steep, car-free alleyways and gawp at the cute whitewashed cottages and exhilarating sea views. The village has a small museum, craft centre and donkey rides and is on the South West Coastal path. Clovelly Court Gardens is a short walk away. 

Red deer on Exmoor

Exmoor

A coastal version of Dartmoor, but even quieter, this former royal hunting ground has heather-covered moorland dotted with red deer, ancient woodlands and craggy shores. It has inspired artists and writers alike: RD Blackmore wrote Lorna Doone, the West Country classic, here.

Honiton

It’s not in north Devon, but this small market town of Honiton is on the way and has no less than 85 antiques dealers, selling everything from carriage clocks to leather-bound books. Most have stalls at Fountain Antiques, on the High Street, with a handful selling the lace for which Honiton was once famed. Honiton Fine Arts sells gorgeous mid-century English oil paintings, while Strummer Pink, sells colourful artwork, mirrors, lighting, rugs and blankets made by local artisans. Take a breather at rustic café Toast.

North Devon Beaches

Tunnels Beaches, Ilfracombe

Accessed via hand-cut tunnels, this Victorian rock pool is a tranquil swimming spot on the otherwise choppy north coast.

Saunton Sands

Sand, sand, and more sand. If the three-mile stretch of Saunton Sands isn’t enough, there’s the 1500-acre dune-scape of Braunton Burrows behind it 

Braunton Burrows

A Unesco Biosphere Reserve, this beach has 1,500 acres of dunes to play, hide or snooze in.

Woolacombe

An epic, three-mile swathe of sand, which has oodles of space for surfers, swimmers and sunbathers – as well as a Blue Flag.

Broad Sands, Combe Martin

You’ll need a head for heights and strong legs to get to this deep, double cove, accessed down 220 uneven steps moulded out of a steeply-wooded cliff face between Watermouth and Combe Martin on Devon’s wild Exmoor coast. Once you’re down, if conditions allow, you can explore the arches, caves, island lookout and tunnels to the west of the bay, and have one of the large coves for yourself.

Broad Sands

Valley of The Rocks

North Devon Walks

Valley of the Rocks

Spectacular rocks, woodland walks, tree-clad headlands with a secluded bay and a Victorian folly, and heathland high above the Valley of Rocks, with wonderful views over a dramatic landscape. In spring the woods are bright with wildflowers and birds call from gorse bushes blazing with blossom, while in autumn the colourful woodland is alive with small birds and mammals feasting on the nuts and seeds, and the fungi.

Hartland Peninsula

A rollercoaster walk heading north from Hartland Quay to Hartland Point, above a stretch of coastline notorious for the extensive catalogue of shipwrecks on its deadly rocks. It returns along ancient green lanes, passing through the churchyard of 'The Cathedral of North Devon', near the fifth-century saint's holy well. A good walk on a blustery day in autumn, when flocks of migrant seabirds such as skuas and shearwaters can be seen offshore, heading south. There is an optional shortcut halfway around the route, which reduces the distance to about three miles, although it still includes some steep ascent and descent.

North Devon Pubs and Restaurants

Mason’s Arms, Knowstone

The gridlock at meal times outside this remote 13th-century thatched pub in the pretty village of Rockbeare, in the foothills of Exmoor speaks volumes for the Michelin-starred pub food served within. Sloping floors and precariously low doorways mean pillows have to be strapped to doorframes to protect patrons’ heads. Typical mains at The Mason’s Arms include breast of guinea fowl with pickled grapes, cauliflower and sweet wine sauce, or Turbot cooked on the bone with sorrel sauce, kohl rabi and apple. Desserts include toffee and banana mille-feuille, and rhubarb and custard.

RELATED ARTICLES