Devon's Best Outdoor Eating

From pub gardens to floating pontoons, here’s our pick of Devon’s best places to eat and drink outdoors this summer.

1. Ring of Bells, North Bovey

Our friendly village pub, the Ring of Bells, is a traditional thatched 13th century longhouse, complete with oak beams, wonky walls and log-burning stoves. The food is delicious, there's a great wine list and ales are poured straight from the barrel.

2. Bovey Castle, North Bovey

There are two expansive terraces at Bovey Castle, both giving way to expansive views of the estate and Dartmoor.

3. The Rugglestone, Widecombe-on-the Moor

With flagstone floors, open fires and Dartmoor and Butcombe Best Bitter poured straight from the barrel, the Rugglestone, a Grade-II building in remote Widecombe, is the moor-dwellers’ choice. The rudimentary bar is tiny, providing plenty of opportunity to join in on the old boys’ conversations. The two restaurants - one of which has an open log fire – are more spacious, and outside, over a small bridge, is a large sheltered garden with picnic tables and fabulous views. 

3. The Cleave, Lustleigh

The Cleave is a thatched Devon pub in the pretty village Lustleigh, the next village up from Moorland View. Flagstone floors, wood-beamed walls and crackling log fires make it one of the cosiest places to hole up while outside is a sunny pub garden for warm days. The food is hearty, delicious and generously portioned. For a good day trip, walk to Lustleigh from the cottage, have lunch at The Cleave and book a cab back (or walk if your legs are up to it).

4. The Beach House, Salcombe

The Beach House is beachfront clapboard shack sitting right on the beach and the South West Coastal path, making it a perfect pit stop for a hike. Dining is on rustic communal wooden tables, or outside on the terrace overlooking the sea.

5. Winking Prawn, Salcombe

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.

6. River Exe Cafe, Exmouth

Our favourite alternative-eats venue for a sunny day, this floating shed-cum-pontoon is moored off Exmouth, and reached by water taxi. Serving seafood dropped off by passing fishing boats, the sea-to-plate interval at the River Exe Cafe can be as little as five minutes.

7. Sharpham Vineyard, Totnes

The views of River Dart and Capability Brown-designed hillsides are worth the trip to Sharpham alone, but their vineyard tours, on which you get to taste their delicious sparkling and white wines, as well as their cheeses, are the clincher. Their Cellar Door cafe makes a scenic spot for lunch. Closed winter. Book ahead. > More guided tours in Devon

8. Waterman’s Arms, Tuckenhay

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(01803 732350; tuckenhay.com) 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. 

9. The Cott Inn, Dartington

First licensed in 1320, The Cott is the second oldest inn in Britain and its roof is reputed to be the longest thatched roof in England. Walkable from the River Dart and just a mile from Totnes train station, it is lively and welcoming, with a strong local following. Outside there's a spacious beer garden and patio, plus a wood-fired oven in a separate garden kitchen, which is used from March to September. It's not a rowdy pub, although there are regular music nights – on Wednesdays an acoustic folk trio play and there's also a live band on Sundays. 

10. The Ship Inn, Noss Mayo

The sun terrace of this two-storey inn on the banks of the Yealm estuary is our favourite spot for a Devon for a waterside tipple. Inside, there’s a panelled library, English-oak floors, log fires, old furniture and interesting nautical memorabilia, including searchlights, torpedoes and an impressive ship’s bell which is used for chiming last orders. The cellar stocks a great range of regional beers, including Summerskill’s, brewed just down the road. The local sailing school has an excellent reputation; there is boat hire, easy coastal walking and crabbing.

11. Salcombe Distilling Co, Salcombe

Born out of a love of gin and inspired by the sea, co-founders Angus and Howard created Salcombe Distilling Co, a beautiful waterside distillery and bar overlooking the estuary in the stunning coastal town of Salcombe, South Devon. Visitors can enjoy the ultimate ‘Salcombe & Tonic’ overlooking the estuary or watch the distillers handcraft the multi-award winning gin ‘Start Point’ which is an exceptionally smooth ‘London Dry Gin’ handcrafted on ‘Provident’, their striking 450l copper pot still which stands proud behind glass doors within the distillery for all to view. There is a fabulous seasonal cocktail menu and they also serve a wonderful selection of wines, beers, soft drinks and coffee alongside their gin. The distillery and bar is open 7 days a week and visitors are welcome to sample Salcombe Gin, find out more about how it is made, watch the distillers at work or simply relax in the bar with a drink.

12. Venus Cafe, Blackpool Sands

At The Venus Café you can sit gazing out over a seascape that is often named as one of the most beautiful in the world. Whether you’re visiting the region or live locally, a trip to the secluded ‘Blue Flag’ awarded Blackpool Sands with its clear turquoise waters is an absolute must. Open daily, The Venus Company’s beach café and takeaway serves the best, organically made, locally sourced ingredients with many of its dishes coming from the nearby land or sea. The company’s philosophy is best summed up by their strapline ‘Loving the Beach’ as co-owners Michael and Louisa are keen to support and help develop sustainability in the regional economy through enterprise and innovation.

13. The Gastrobus, Bantham Beach, Kingsbridge

The Gastrobus occupies an enviable spot on one of South Devon’s premier surf beaches. Try the Bantham burger (a 6oz patty with smoked bacon and a choice of Devon Blue or mature cheddar), local crab rolls and loaded hot dogs.

14. Rockfish, Brixham

Part of celebrity chef and restaurateur Mitch Tonks’ growing collection of informal seafood restaurants, the Brixham branch of the award-winning Rockfish is perched above the world-famous fish market that supplies many of the UK’s top restaurants. Grab a window table or seat on the terrace and watch the fleet of day boats bringing in the day’s catch as you tuck into fish and seafood that is often still in the sea an hour before you eat it. Try the roasted half-shell local scallops with garlic and breadcrumbs or the fritto misto of prawns, sprats, monkfish ‘scampi’, cod and calamari with chilli and tartare sauce and unlimited chips. therockfish.co.uk

15. The Breakwater Cafe, Brixham

The Breakwater in Brixham is just a stone’s throw away from Berry Head. The cafe has long been there supplying ice creams and the like but in recent years has developed into a fine eatery with a cafe feel in the day but more intimate dinners by night. This family run bistro offers stunning vistas of the half-mile long Breakwater with Torquay and Paignton looking enviously over from the other side.

16. The Guardhouse Cafe, Brixham

The Guardhouse Café is located within the Northern Fort of Berry Head National Nature Reserve. On Torbay’s southern tip, there are stunning views north to Torquay and Paignton while looking east and south over the sea you’ll get frequent sightings of porpoise, dolphins and sea birds. The guardhouse, completed in 1802, was used by the troops defending the fortress. Inside the café you can still see part of the tunnel system which was built inside the fort all those years ago.

17. Crab Shack, Teignmouth

Located on Back Beach, looking directly over the estuary at Teignmouth, Amanda Simmonds says the main reason people travel from all over to the Crab Shack is because it has its own fishing boats and they catch most of the fish and seafood themselves (Amanda’s husband has been a crab fisherman for more than 30 years). The menu is made up mainly from anything that can be produced from crab or lobsters, with the most popular dish being fruits de mer. Expect to have to crack, pull and tear apart your dinner here.

18. Shoals Café on The Lido, Brixham

Sean and Sarah Perkes have transformed a near-derelict building with limited water and electricity supplies into a thriving dining destination since opening Shoals in the summer of 2015. Above the open-air Shoalstone sea water pool, Shoals is open seven days a week during the summer, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. For Sean, a fifth-generation fish wholesaler and exporter who spent his youth at the iconic lido, it was only natural that this beach-side restaurant would showcase the very best local seafood and the menu changes daily depending on what arrives at Brixham fish market in the morning. Get plates of local day-boat scallops and monkfish in a flamed whisky, bacon and cream sauce served with chips or crusty bread; and Elberry Cove mussels in a white wine, garlic and cream sauce. The fresh Brixham crab sandwiches and homemade mackerel pâté and melba toast are the stuff of dreams.

19. Rising Sun, Lynmouth

Overlooking Lynmouth harbour, with dramatic views of Lynmouth Bay and Exmoor National Park, this 14th-century thatched smugglers’ inn is in one of Devon’s most picturesque locations. Inside, it’s wonderfully rickety and rambling, with a fire-lit bar, Exmoor cask ales, award-winning food and genial locals. It’s no wonder RD Blackmore felt compelled to write several chapters of his West Country classic, Lorna Doone, here. It also appealed to Percy Bysshe Shelley, who isthought to have spent his honeymoon there with his 16-year-old bride, Harriet, in 1812.

Devon's Best Swimming Spots

Bovey Castle

If you’d rather not expose yourself to the elements, Bovey Castle has a beautiful Art Deco indoor pool with far-reaching views of the estate and Dartmoor beyond. In summer, there are sun loungers on the sunny terrace.

Moretonhampstead Swimming Pool

Don’t be put off by its location behind the town’s car park. Behind the walls of Moreton Pool is a peaceful 25m, community-run outdoor pool that’s the perfect place for cooling off on summer days. Heated by air source heat pumps and solar power, you can swim comfortably even when the sun is hiding behind the clouds. There’s a small grassy area for sunbathing. Leave before 3pm on sunny days if you want to avoid hordes of schoolchildren.

Chagford Swimming Pool

Just a ten-minute drive from North Bovey, Chagford Pool can't be far from heaven. Swallows nest in the changing rooms and dive-bomb the swimmers, and with the sound of the river Teign running past stepping stones, it's as relaxed as a swimming pool gets. Its river fed and heated with air source heat pumps that are supplemented by solar panels, so is a balmy 26c.

The Dart at Spitchwick

The leafy setting, the clean water (that brown colour is healthy peat) and the sheer fun of Spitchwick justifies its popularity. There’s a gorgeous swimming and picnic spot with a high corner pool, a deep, tranquil lower corner pool for serious swimmers; and a cliff for daredevil jumpers. It can get busy on a hot day as families gather to picnic on the common, and parking can be a problem - get there early for a space, or walk the half-mile from the car park at New Bridge. Peaty water, clean from the mountain, this is the most popular and accessible Dart swimming location, especially in summer. Also known as Deeper Marsh, it has been a bathing place for generations. Grassy flats lead to rocky river shore, deeper on far side with high cliff behind.

Salmon Leap, Fingle Gorge

This deep pool in Fingle Gorge is bliss in summer. The Teign cascades into three Victorian square stone plunge pools, each about 1m deep and smooth-lined, so great for a pummelling massage! Park by the humpback bridge just after Mill End hotel and walk up to the Iron Bridge, where there’s a beach area and rocks for picnicking on.

Blackpool Sands

You’re spoilt for choice for places to swim on Devon’s south coast, but our favourite is Blackpool Sands for its beautiful position, fantastic beach cafe, safe currents and summer-round lifeguards.

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Summer Holiday Ideas For Devon

50 Best Things to Do on a Summer Holiday in Devon

Climb a Dartmoor tor, North Bovey

For a heady shot of invigorating country air and instant perspective on your surroundings, take the two to three-hour walk up Easdon Tor, the hill you see from the main bedroom window in the cottage. From the top you’ll see 360-degree views of Dartmoor and be kept company by wild Dartmoor ponies who come here to graze. Details on how to walk from the cottage are in the back of this folder. 

Take to the skies

Take a hot air balloon flight over beautiful Dartmoor, or down to the south coast with local company Aerosauraus. A group ride from either Ivybridge or Exeter (both half an hour's drive away) costs £125 per person, and has a maximum of 16 other passengers. Flights are twice daily. 

Visit Salcombe

Undeniably pretty, the pastel coloured houses, steep streets and sandy coves of this boating town attract ‘up country’ yachtie visitors in their hundreds in the summer.  

Boat up the River Dart

Salcombe

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. Take a trip on one of the boats, or  on the UK’s last remaining coal-fired paddle steamer, returning home after 47 years. 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. 

Rent a thatched holiday cottage

There’s nowhere more romantic to stay during an English summer than a thatched holiday cottage. Moorland View Cottage, in the 13th century Dartmoor village of North Bovey, is perfect for summer breaks. The cottage has a beautiful walled garden ringed with honeysuckle and clematis and filled with the blooms of Old English roses. The village has a wonderful pub with a sunny pub garden, and with 385 square miles of wilderness on the doorstep, it’s easy to find a spot for yourselves, even in the height of summer.

BOOK A SUMMER BREAK TO DEVON

Rent a postcard-pretty thatched Devon holiday cottage this summer, with prices starting at £160 per night.

BOOK ACCOMMODATION

Have lunch at the River Exe café

Our favourite alternative-eats venue, at least on a sunny day, is the new 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. 

Try stand-up paddle surfing

Try stand-up paddle surfing down the river Avon from Aveton Gifford all the way to the river mouth at Bigbury - about three miles. It's a great way to see scenery and wildlife - herons, ducks and kingfisher upstream, waders, gulls and oystercatchers. There's a walking route if you don't fancy getting wet.

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(01803 732350; tuckenhay.com) 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. 

Take a tour of a vineyard, Totnes

Award-winning Sharpham vineyard offers regular tours. The views of River Dart and Capability Brown-designed hillsides are spectacular. Book ahead. 

Go sea kayaking, Dartmouth

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!

Eat crispy squid at The Beach House, Thurlestone

Eleanor Cove

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.

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. 

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. Lannacombe Sands is a local secret. This small, sandy horseshoe cove near Kingsbridge, is at the end of a long dirt track and only has space for six cars, so get there before 10am and you’ll be assured a spot, even in the height of summer. North east along the coast from Salcombe, nestled below wooded cliffs, is Blackpool Sands, a mile-long, privately owned sweep of shingle. By day, swimmers can practise their dives from a floating dock; at sunset, the café serves beach BBQs. Beware, it attracts families in their droves during the school holidays. For a beach with history, Slapton Sands is the place to go. More than 600 US servicemen were killed on this three-mile stretch of shingle when German E-boats attacked their D-day rehearsals. A Sherman tank on the sand commemorates them. 

Have a romantic tête-à-tête in Grade-1 listed gardens

Built in 1812 as the holiday home for the Duchess of Bedford, Georgiana Russell, this is a wildly romantic verdantly-gardened Eden between Dartmoor and Exmoor.Wander around hotel’s romantic Grade-1 listed gardens, with shell houses, grottos and hidden glades for a romantic tête-à-tête. 

Swim in The Dart at Spitchwick

The leafy setting, the clean water (that brown colour is healthy peat) and the sheer fun of Spitchwick justifies its popularity. There’s a gorgeous swimming and picnic spot with a high corner pool, a deep, tranquil lower corner pool for serious swimmers; and a cliff for daredevil jumpers. It can get busy on a hot day as families gather to picnic on the common, and parking can be a problem - get there early for a space, or walk the half-mile from the car park at New Bridge. 

Go canoeing or kayaking, Ashburton

The River Dart is the most popular canoeing destination in the national park and the white water is considered by many canoeing enthusiasts to be amongst the best mid-grade runs in the west.  The River Dart Country Park runs guided excursions. 

Eat in a field kitchen 

Food doesn’t get fresher or more local than at Riverford Field Kitchen, the organic farm that is home to the famous veg box scheme. Enormous bowls of hearty homespun fayre is served up on long tables in a wonderfully convivial atmosphere. Booking is essential. 

Hot air ballooning over Dartmoor

Fish for your supper

Dartmoor is renowned for its sparkling clean rivers teeming wild brown trout, sea trout and salmon. If you have a licence, stretches of the East and West Dart Rivers may be fished on the purchase of a Duchy of Cornwall permit, available at the post office at Postbridge. Fingle Bridge is another beautiful spot; the Fingle Bridge Inn sells daily permits (01647 281287; finglebridgeinn.com). Dartmoor also hosts stunning lakes and reservoirs surrounded by towering tors. Information is available from the South West Lakes Trust on 01837 871565. www.swlakestrust.org.uk. Bovey Castle runs private fishing lessons.

Swim in a stream-fed pool, Chagford

Just a ten-minute drive from North Bovey, this pool can't be far from heaven. Swallows nest in the changing rooms and dive-bomb the swimmers, and with the sound of the river Teign running past stepping stones, it's as relaxed as a swimming pool gets.It’s river fed, so is chilly. 

Go butterfly spotting

A two-mile stretch of woodland that runs along the River Teign from Clifford Bridge to Steps Bridge, Dunsford Nature Reserve has 20 species of butterfly including the rare pearl-bordered, high-brown and silver-washed fritillaries. Look out for woodland birds, as well as wagtails and dippers and the occasional kingfisher. The river walk is also wonderful for spring flowers.

Horse ride across the moor

Shilstone Rocks Stables, in Widecombe in the Moor, is the most safety conscious stable around, and offers hacks in small groups tailored to experience. Also very good, and slightly cheaper, is Babeny stables, who do two-hour hacks for £30. 

Walk the South West Coastal Path

Star gazing Hound Tor

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 the wildest and most romantic stretch, offering perfect beaches and jagged headlands. For a longer winter walk, start further up the coast at Bantham, and stop off fora delicious fish lunch at The Beach House, a wonderfully romantic clapboard restaurant directly on the beach at South Milton Sands. > Devon’s best walks

Take a road trip

There’s no better way to blow away the cobwebs than with a drive across the high moor. The circuit to Widecombe, Buckland and around to Ashburton takes in 14thcentury churches, clusters of granite and thatched cottages, gurgling brooks and ancient bridges. 

Walk a Dartmoor gorge

Taking in a fairytale castle, oak-lined gorge, ancient stone bridge and traditional pub, this two-hour walk along the Teign River is classic Dartmoor. Hunter’s Path runs higher up the valley, while Fisherman’s Path traces the spectacular wooded riverbank path, where kingfishers and woodpeckers dart between shaded pools, and trout, salmon and otters frolic in deep, clear waters. The small rocky beaches are perfect places for picnics and toe-dipping. Look out for glimpses of Prestonbury Castle Iron Age hill fort on the other side of the valley. At the bottom of the gorge is the age-old Fingle bridge, which has recessed buttresses for packhorses to pass. Behind it is Fingle Bridge Inn, which serves a mean cream tea and has a pretty terrace overlooking the river.

Eat fish and chips by the sea

The Beach House, on Thurlestone Sands, is weather-beaten clapboard shack overlooking the dramatic sea arch of Thurlestone is right on the beach, making it a perfect destination for a wintery Devon coastal walk. Crab cakes, crispy squid and bacon sandwiches are served up on rustic wooden tables in an amiable atmosphere. Over on Dartmouth harbour, the Rockfish Grill, run by celebrity chef Mitch Tonks, serves some of the best fish and chips in Devon. The menu includes locally-landed scallops and oysters, along with classics such as jellied eels, cockles, cracked crab and potted shrimp. > More fantastic Devon restaurant and cafes

Have a pint on a private island

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 and makes an adventurous winter attraction. 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, making it the ultimate romantic Devon place to 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. > Best Devon pubs

Go stargazing

With clear, dark nights, Dartmoor is a fantastic place to view the night sky, with the Milky Way often clearly visible, especially in winter. Grab some cosy knits, a blanket, torch, picnic rug and bottle of wine and head to the top of Hound Tor, one of the most atmospheric and easily accessible spots to view the night sky.

Devon's Most Beautiful Beaches

Fringed with sugar-white sandy beaches on both coasts, you’re spoilt for choice for a place to lay your towel in Devon. We round up Devon’s best beaches.

We reveal our favourite secret beaches and hidden coves to our guests when they book!

🏆 South Milton/Thurlestone Sands

Combining a stunning sandy beach, dramatic sea arch and a gorgeous little beach shack serving some of the best fish on the south coast, South Milton Sands, near Salcombe is nothing short of heaven. Set right on the South West Coastal Path, it’s the perfect pitstop for a long coastal walk. Dining is on rustic communal wooden tables, or outside on the terrace overlooking the sea. Park in the National Trust carpark.

🏆 Blackpool Sands

Backed by wooded cliffs, this mile-long, privately owned sweep of shingle has one of the most dramatic settings in Devon, with Instagrammable views from the lay-by on the road at the top of the hill. There’s a wonderful beach cafe serving organic, local produce. By day, swimmers can practise their dives from a floating dock, and the beach café stays open beyond sunset. Avoid in the school holidays.

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.

Woolacombe

Blackpool Sands, South Devon

Slapton Sands

More than 600 US servicemen were killed on this three-mile stretch of shingle when German E-boats attacked their D-day rehearsals. A Sherman tank on the sand commemorates them.

Tunnels Beaches, Ilfracombe

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

Croyde Bay

Devon’s most famous surf destination and a lively beach-volleyball spot, by pretty Croyde village, attracts youngsters in their thousands each summer.

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.

Devon's Best Public Gardens

Gardens in abbeys, castles and Elizabethan mansions - Devon has some of the UK’s best gardens. Take your pick from our favourites.

RHS Rosemoor

Set within wonderful woodlands, RHS Rosemoor is a highly ornamental garden with shrubs, roses, perennials and bulbs. Originally created by Lady Anne Berry, the gardens still have original features including the woodland garden and woodland banks, as well as a huge variety of ornamental woodland trees and shrubs including Collingwood Ingram cherry introductions. There is also the beautiful Queen Mother Rose Garden containing a marvellous collection of hybrid tea and floribunda roses, and a maze of pathways which gradually leads to the side of the valley with views overlooking Rosemoor House.

Stone Lane Garden and Sculpture Exhibition

Stone Lane Garden is an enchanting five acre woodland and water garden on the edge of Dartmoor. Famous for a national collection of birch and alder trees, the garden also features many pools and streams, and is home to a collection of garden sculptures which remain from the 2014 Mythic Garden Sculpture Exhibition which marked the garden’s 22nd year. With something to be found in every corner of the garden, Stone Lane is open all year round and is equally magical and unique in both summer and winter.

Powderham Castle

Powderham Castle’s gardens (pictured) are on a south-facing slope with a glasshouse built by the architect Charles Fowler, which now provides a wet weather shelter for visitors and is used by the estate to supply plants to the Plant Centre at Powderham Country Store just within the castle gates. Originally the Victorian walled garden, it’s now home to the many friendly Powderham pets and an adventure play and picnic area, making this a great garden for the whole family.

Elizabethan Gardens

These Elizabethan Gardens sit in a 16th Century Street in Plymouth’s Historic Barbican where wealthy merchants once built their houses. Providing an oasis of tranquillity amidst a sea of shoppers and tourist activity the garden features very low box hedges containing beds of colourful flowers and fragrant herbs in the traditional, old Elizabethan manner. Visitors to the gardens will walk the cobbled paths and areas of old slate before relaxing on stone seats beside the cooling garden fountain – the perfect way to reflect and embark on a journey back in time to Elizabethan Plymouth.

Torre Abbey Gardens

The Torre Abbey Gardens feature a range of marvellous plants, trees and church ruins, and include a novel display inspired by the works of local writer Agatha Christie. The Abbey has dug deep into the murky world of poisons, antidotes and remedies from Christie’s novels to create a garden featuring a variety of plants that have been known to cure or kill (depending on one’s motives). Of course, the garden is not really dangerous and has been designed to provide entertainment with less potent garden cultivars planted but creating an interesting take on a traditional garden. The garden also features one of the Westcountry’s finest Dahlia collections and there is a new medieval children garden which focuses on the senses with turf seats, willow tunnels and sensory planting.

Dartington Hall Grade II Listed Gardens

At the heart of a 1200 acre estate sits the Dartington Hall grade II listed gardens. Seasonal garden highlights include tree magnolias, camellias, cherry blossom and snake’s head fritillaries in the woodland walks in Spring. From late May to early June the wildflower meadows’ wild orchids, bluebells and primroses burst into colour, then in summer the sunny border is the star, with plants and flowers in blue, yellow, white and green. During autumn the leaf colour is at its most spectacular, in the maples of High Meadow and Valley Field, and in winter the witch hazels near Flora bloom. The gardens also feature a 1500 year old yew tree and a famous sculpture by Henry Moore.

Northernhay Gardens

Northernhay Gardens in the heart of Exeter city centre are of outstanding historic significance. Incorporating a good stretch of Roman wall and the only length of Saxon town wall to be seen in England, this is the oldest public open space in England, being originally laid out in 1612 as a pleasure walk for Exeter residents. The garden is home to a number of mature trees and hosts some of the city’s most impressive seasonal horticultural displays, including the 59 varieties within the Cornus collection, and wildlife including peregrines and sparrowhawks have recently been spotted making the gardens their home. Neighbouring Rougemont Gardens also incorporate some major historic features – the Roman city wall and bank, the gatehouse, bank and ditches of William the Conqueror’s Castle.

Tiverton Castle

The beautiful walled gardens of Tiverton Castle feature rare and interesting plants, colourful spring bulb borders, a pergola planted with rapid growing and scented climbing plants, a well-stocked kitchen garden, apple orchard and woodland garden, all situated in the romantic grounds of the atmospheric Tiverton Castle, originally built in 1106. The gardens cover some three acres and include pathways leading towards the River Exe.

The Garden House

Set in the ruins of a 16th century vicarage, the Acer glade at The Garden House is one of the best spots in the UK to see Autumn colour.

Open gardens

Every spring, Devon locals open their private gardens to the public. Visit NGS for more information. 

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.

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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).

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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.

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