Our trip to South Devon was a fantastic experience, to start with we enjoyed fantastic weather and that always helps. We found loads of things to do so that was great as well and in general we didn’t need to travel very far in the car for day trips. We were staying at Kingswear on the opposite side of the river to Dartmouth and I must say it is one of the most beautiful places that I have seen in England!
Best time to go: May, June and September. If possible try to avoid the school holidays so you can enjoy the area with a bit of peace and quiet. July and August could also be a good time to visit but obviously a busier time. Also, before booking check when the regatta week is taking place as that will attract even more people to the area.
General advice: I would recommend to book an apartment/ house with a garden in Kingswear (that is what we did). Kingswear enjoys fantastic sun until late in the evening and for some reason it is less windy than the Dartmouth side. Most of restaurants and shops are in Dartmouth on the other side of the river, but it is super easy to cross to the other side for dinner, shopping or activities. You just need to take either the passenger ferry or the lower ferry for cars that also admits pedestrian passengers. It was a super cool experience to go for dinner every night by boat! Each ride on the boat costs 1.50GBP. Try to get the apartment/ house as close to the ferry terminal as possible. We stayed at “Morocco House” that we booked on Vrbo and I cannot recommend the house enough. The location was great, the views from the house were a dream, the garden was great to relax in the afternoon and the decor and care of the house were simply stunning.
Day 1: Steam train and Dartmouth shops
The first day we took the steam train directly from Kingswear to Paington. The train terminal is located in the same place as the ferry terminal. The scenery on this picturesque line is breathtaking - from Kingswear to Greenway Halt (for the estate of the late Dame Agatha Christie), bordering the Dart Estuary then on through the wooded slopes of Long Wood, to the picturesque stations at Goodrington and Churston, along the spectacular English Riviera Geopark coast line and on to Paington,
The trip takes just 30 mins each way. You can either get off at Paington and have a walk around the beach and the port or come back directly on the same train, however when buying the tickets you will have to specify the time at which you want to come back. In my personal opinion… you can skip Paington and just come back to Kingswear. However, the train experience is really cool so I recommend it! The train ticket also includes a one way ferry ticket to Dartmouth so after coming back to Kingswear, you can cross to Dartmouth to go shopping and wander around the charming streets of the town. Do not forget to grab a crab sandwich at the “Crab Shell”, they are so good!
The recommended place to have dinner is the famous “Rockfish” where you should try their famous fresh seafood.
Day 2: Sharpham Vineyard and Brixham
The second day we visited the beautiful Sharpham Vineyard. The only downside is that it is not very easy to get there… so there are few options:
1) designate a driver and get there by driving. The drive takes 45 min from Kingswear. There is free available parking at the vineyard.
2) drive to Totnes which is 30 min from Kingswear and then walk 1 hour to the vineyard. The walk will take you through a beautiful scenic path near the river Dart.
3) take the bus from Kingswear to Totnes and then walk to the vineyard (as above).
In the vineyard we chose the option to taste 4 wines for 8GBP and to taste 3 cheeses. Make sure you book online whatever activity you want to do in the vineyard as there are a few options and it was quite busy! After the tasting, we decided to have a walk around the vineyard that it was really pretty as it is located near the river. In order to walk around the vineyard as this a private land you will have to pay 2.50 GBP per person and they will give you a map to follow a route.
After chilling in the garden that afternoon, we went to Brixham for a walk and to have dinner. Brixham is the closest fishing town and port to Kingswear and Dartmouth, basically all the fish and seafood that you will eat in the area comes directly from Brixham which is just 15 min drive from Kingswear. In Brixham there are many options to go for dinner or to buy the fish and seafood directly there and cook it at home. "JR’s Finest Seafood & Steakhouse” serves entire fishes at a very good price and they were really tasty.
Day 3: River Boat and Kingswear coastal path
On the third day, we booked a one hour river boat cruise with Dartmouth Steam Railway & River Boat Company. The cruise takes you up the river Dart and explains some history and curiosities of the area. In this case there are few companies doing similar routes and you have different cruise durations.
However, if you have time I would recommend to book the "Dittisham & Greenway ferry" option as this company lets you get off the boat at both Dittisham and the Greenway. My recommendation is to visit the Greenway, once the home of the author Agatha Christie and now owned by the National Trust. After, you can cross with the same ferry company to Dittisham to have lunch at the famous “The Anchor Stone Cafe” to try their fantastic seafood. If you choose this option for the day this will probably take you the full day.
As we only did the one hour river cruise, we had time in the afternoon to do a 3 hour hike from Kingswear. The hike was really challenging as it has a lot of steep hills but it was just beautiful. We found secret beaches, woods and beautiful views. You just need to follow the signs of “Coastal path” once in Kingswear and walk. Remember to bring your hiking boots!
The dinner after this exhausting day was at “The Steam Packet Inn” in Kingswear, really nice food and beautiful views.
Day 4: Salcombe
Salcombe is a town 1 hour and 15 min drive away that sits on the banks of the Kingsbridge Estuary making it one of the prettiest towns in South Devon. I really like all the cute shops and the small streets. The idea here is to walk around, explore the unique shops and admire the views from the town. One thing that you should definitely do here is to try the fantastic ice creams at
"Salcombe Dairy Ice Cream”, they are just amazing! (p.s. the same brand has another shop in Dartmouth).
Also a cool plan to do is to cross the river to the other side of the town where there are fantastic sandy beaches! And you can either relax here or to have a long walk.
If you are looking for a sandy beach to relax for a day, “Blackpool Sands” between Salcombe and Dartmouth is a great option.
Day 5: Hiking Dartmouth coastal path
The last day we decided to do this beautiful 3 hour long walk. Again this is a challenging walk with a lot of steep hills. If you are not very fit I would recommend to do just a short walk to Dartmouth Castle or the Sugary Cove Beach that are much closer to town.
This is a circular walk and very well indicated so you will not get lost if you just follow the signs of the coastal path until Combe Point where you have to follow the signs back to Dartmouth and enjoy this amazing hike. The walk starts in Dartmouth near the lower ferry and takes you through the castle, great woods and secret beaches (you do not have to start at Little Dartmouth parking).
To finalise our amazing holiday, on the last day we did an amazing bbq at our garden enjoying for the last time the beautiful views.
To finalise our amazing holiday, on the last day we did an amazing bbq at our garden enjoying for the last time the beautiful views.
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