Description
Coast and Crags of South Devon
Grade 
Enjoy the beautiful and varied South Devon landscape, the best of the South West Coastal Path, the idyllic Dart Estuary, and the wilds of Dartmoor on this week long holiday.
Price: £830
– No single supplement
Duration:
7 nights
Next departures:
– May 21st 2023
The countryside around South Devon has to be some of the most varied and beautiful in the British Isles. From our base in Torquay, the Toorak hotel, we explore the dramatic coastal path between Torquay and Watcombe, the delightful Dart Estuary, with its lovely villages and travel inland for a complete change of scene to the wilds of Dartmoor. Our hotel is situated close the Torquay train and bus stations making for hassle free travel on public transport around the area.
Holiday highlights
- Experience the wide variety of landscapes that this beautiful area has to offer, dramatic coastal views, idyllic creek-side hamlets and wild moorland expanses.
- Explore the lovely Dart-side villages of South Hams and take in superb estuary views.
- Walk a section of the South West Coastal Path.
- Enjoy excellent food in the Toorak hotel and relax in the indoor and outdoor pools and spa area of the neighbouring Carlton Hotel at no extra cost.
- No single supplement
Accommodation
The Toorak country house hotel is our home in South Devon. Part of the TLH Leisure Resort, the quiet atmosphere of the hotel plus delicious food, comfy lounges and bright bedrooms make this the perfect base for relaxing after our walks. You will have full access to the indoor and outdoor pools, luxury spa facilities and state of the art gym of the neighbouring Carlton Hotel at no extra cost. Breakfast and dinner are taken each day in the hotel restaurant and all rooms have tea and coffee making facilities.
The hotel is nicely located a short walk from the town centre on the edge of the Torre Abbey gardens; a 5 minute walk through the gardens takes you down to the sea front. The hotel also has its own award-winning gardens with plenty of space to enjoy the fresh sea air.
Single supplements and upgrades
The holiday price covers accommodation in a standard double, twin or single room.
Room upgrades are available:
- Sole use of a double room £105
- Riviera front rooms -slightly larger rooms on the front of the hotel (though not necessarily with a sea view) 42 pp (in addition to the sole use of a double room supplement if applicable)
- Sea view rooms -slightly larger rooms on the front of the hotel with a sea view 56 pp (in addition to the sole use of a double room supplement if applicable)
- Terrace rooms -these rooms enjoy the shared use of a south facing private sun terrace
- £70 pp (in addition to the sole use of a double room supplement if applicable)
Included
- Half board en-suite accommodation
- Guided walking with a professional guide for 5 days of the holiday, the remaining day is left free for you to explore the area
- Use of swimming pools and spa facilities in neighbouring Carlton Hotel
- Bus and train travel to walks -though please bring your bus pass if you have one!
Not included
- Lunches
- Incidental expenses such as drinks.
- Travel to one of the walks for which we will use our own cars
Day-to-Day Itinerary
The following is the proposed itinerary for this short break. However, please bear in mind that in the event of local conditions changing, for example, due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances, then it may be necessary to change the itinerary.
The walks will be ordered at the start of the weeks holiday to take best advantage of the weather conditions for that week.
Day 1
Arrive at the Toorak Hotel, Torquay and check into your room before meeting at 7 pm a briefing about the week ahead before dinner. The hotel has free car parking and is a short distance from Torquay train station.
Meals included: dinner
Day 2: The South West coastal path to Watcombe
Today might look like a short day, but your legs probably won’t be telling you that by the end of the day! As is often the way with coastal walking, the ascents and descents are more significant than the distance covered. However, it is all completely worth it as the views are spectacular. We walk from the hotel, through the gardens of Torre Abbey to pick up the coastal path. We follow this route to Hope’s Nose, the most easterly point on the Torbay peninsular before heading north across the cliff tops (er, maybe that should be up and down the cliff tops!) to take in the spectacular coastal views as we make our way through Babbacombe to Watcombe. The beauty of today’s walk is that it can be as short or long as you want it to be. You may decide to get the bus back from Babbacombe after lunch, or indeed, if you are feeling energetic, walk on beyond Watcombe to complete more of the path before heading back to Torquay.
13 km (8.5 miles) ascent 750 m, descent 670 m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 3: Totnes and the Upper Dart valley.
We begin our walk with a climb up Totnes High Street to the castle. After a little time to explore, we head up onto Follaton Downs for excellent views back over this lovely town and the surrounding area. We skirt the villages that surround Totnes, before heading down through North Woods onto the Dartington estate and follow a truly beautiful stretch of the river Dart, as it winds its back into Totnes. There will be time to explore this alternative and delightful town before we return to Torquay.
15 km (9 miles) ascent 300 m descent 300 m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 5: The wilds of Dartmoor, Piles Hill and Sharp Tor from Ivybridge
Today we head to Dartmoor for a total change of scene, swapping the picture postcard landscapes of coastal South Devon for moorland wilderness. We take the train to Ivybridge and follow the Two Moors Way north onto Dartmoor. A steady climb takes us up onto Piles Hill, from where the views down to Plymouth Sound in the West are excellent; the vastness of Dartmoor stretches in front of us. We climb a little further onto Sharp Tor before dropping down to follow the River Erme back into Ivybridge to catch the train back to Torquay.
17 km (10.5 miles) ascent/descent 450 m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 5: Free day
Today is a free day to allow your legs a bit of a break and give you an opportunity to explore this lovely area. You could spend the day relaxing on the beach in Torquay, exploring another of the local towns, take the ferry to Brixham or do the ‘Round Robin’ -an award-winning tour that uses steam train, river boat and bus to visit the quaint towns of Paignton, Dartmouth and Totnes.
Day 6: The coast path around Brixham and Berry Head
Today we head out to explore another part of the coastal path, Berry Head around Brixham. We take the bus to Churston to walk through the country estate of Lupton Park. From there we pick up an ancient route, Yards lane, which takes us up onto the coastal path. Brixham is no stranger to conflict. The sight of Sir Francis Drake’s attack on the Spanish Armada could be seen from Brixham’s shores; Brixham harbour is home to a replica of his ship the Golden Hind and remains of fortifications dating from the Napoleonic to the Second World Wars can be seen along the coastline. We will explore these as we walk around the coast to Berry Head. From there we drop down into Brixham and take the John Musgrave trail back to Churston.
16 km (10 miles) ascent/descent 580 m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 7: The lower Dart valley, Kingswear and Dartmouth
The route today takes us through some of the finest inland scenery in South Hams. We drive to Kingswear -one of the towns that flanks the mouth of the River Dart and from there follow the river north, at times our route takes us up above the river for stupendous views of this beautiful estuary. We take the passenger ferry across the river to the delightful riverside hamlet of Dittisham and from here turn south to follow the west side of the River Dart to the lovely town of Dartmouth. After a little time to explore, we take the ferry back across to Kingswear.
15 km (9.5 miles) ascent/descent 780 m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 8
The holiday finishes after breakfast. You may choose to head straight home or visit some of the places we just haven’t had time to explore such as Brixham, Dartmouth or Kingswear.
Then it’s goodbye – until next time!
Kit list
For walking each day:
- Good walking boots or shoes
- Waterproof jacket and trousers
- Lightweight, quick drying trousers
- Base layer
- Mid-layer such as a fleece jacket and an additional ‘spare’ layer depending on the forecast
- Walking socks
- Warm hat and gloves -just in case the weather turns
- Sun hat, sunglasses, lip salve and high SPF sun block
- Day sack (25 litre capacity is a good size) to comfortably carry your kit, lunch and water
- Dry bag or rucksack cover to keep the contents of your daypack dry
- Water bottle
- Basic first aid kit (plasters, blister treatment, antiseptic etc)
- Some snacks to keep you going
- Walking/trekking poles (if you use them)
Maps
OS Explorer maps OL 44 Torquay and Dawlish, OL 28 Dartmoor, OL 20 South Devon
Group size
This guided holiday will have a maximum group size of 14.
