Description
Walking and Sightseeing in South Devon
Grade 
Enjoy short, leisurely walks, quirky towns, pretty villages and stately homes in beautiful South Devon on this walking and sightseeing holiday.
Price: £880
– No single supplement
Duration:
7 nights
Next departure:
– September 17th 2023
The countryside around South Devon is 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 Meadfoot, and the traditional village of Cockington with its thatched cottages and Norman church. Travelling further afield, we use the sea ferry to walk a second section of the coastal path around Brixham and Bury Head, walk a lovely stretch of the Dart Valley to visit Agatha Christie’s House, Greenway and explore the quirky town of Totnes and the beautiful Dartington estate. Our hotel is situated close the Torquay train and bus stations and the ferry port, 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, including dramatic coastal views, scenic creeks and idyllic hamlets.
- Take in the breath-taking views over the Dart Estuary and visit Agatha Christie’s house at Greenway.
- Walk a section of the South West Coastal Path around Torquay, and travel by sea ferry to walk a second section around Brixham and Bury Head.
- Do the ‘Round Robin’ -an award-winning tour that usessteam train, river boat and bus to visit the quaint towns of Paignton, Dartmouth and Totnes.
- 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) 49 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 63 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 £105 pp (in addition to the sole use of a double room supplement if applicable)
Included
- Half board en-suite accommodation
- Guided walks and activities organised by a professional guide
- Use of the swimming pools and spa facilities in neighbouring Carlton Hotel
- Bus, train and sea ferry travel to all walks -though please bring your bus pass if you have one!
Not included
- Lunches
- Incidental expenses such as drinks.
- Entrance fee to Greenway and the Round Robin ticket
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. More specific to this holiday, the tide times affect the running of the Round Robin, and the sea ferry to Brixham does not run in poor weather.
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 Babbacombe.
Today we explore the South west Coastal path around Torquay. We walk from the hotel, through the gardens of Torre Abbey to pick up the path. We follow this route around to Meadfoot to have coffee in the lovely café overlooking the cliffs surrounding Torbay. We continue to Hope’s Nose, the most easterly point on the Torbay peninsular before heading north across the cliff tops to the village of Babbacombe, where there will be time for tea before heading back to the hotel. 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 walk back from Meadfoot after coffee -the route is easy to follow or indeed, if you are feeling energetic, walk on beyond Babbacombe to Watcombe to complete more of the path before heading back to Torquay
10 km (6 miles) ascent 300 m, descent 200 m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 3: Totnes and the Dartington Estate.
Today we explore the Dartington Hall estate and the quirky town of Totnes. The picturesque estate with its crumbling buildings was purchased in 1925 by Dorothy and Leonard Elmhurst and used as a base to set up a host of farming, forestry and educational projects. The Dartington Hall trust was established in 1932, and the area quickly became a magnet for artists, writers, philosophers, and musicians from all over the world. It is now beautifully restored and a centre for learning, arts, ecology, and social justice.
Our walk today is a little over five miles on reasonably flat terrain. We walk from Totnes onto the Dartington estate and then to the Grade 1 listed Dartington Hall itself. There will be time to explore and have lunch in the cafe there before following a beautiful stretch of the river Dart back to Totnes. There will be time to explore this attractive and alternative town before we return to Torquay by bus.
9 km (5.6 miles) ascent 70 m descent 70 m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 4: Cockington Village
Despite its proximity to Torquay, the secluded and well wooded Cockington Valley has retained it’s atmosphere of traditional and rural England. The meadows and parkland surrounding Cockington Court have been designated a Country Park, and the village itself, with its thatched cottages make Cockington the archetypal English village of picture postcards.
We walk from the hotel down through Torre gardens to pick up the coastal path. We follow this for a short while before heading inland to follow the Cockington Valley, up to the town of the same name. We continue our walk around Cockington at a leisurely pace, giving plenty of time to explore the craft shops (and tea room!) of 16th century Cockington court, the Norman church and village itself before returning by bus to Torquay.
7 km (4.5 miles) ascent/descent 100 m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 5: The Round Robin or a free day
Today can be taken as a free day to allow your legs a bit of a break and give you an opportunity to explore the area. You could spend the day relaxing in Torquay or exploring another of the local towns. However, it is also an ideal opportunity to 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. We take the sea ferry from the harbour at Torquay to the fishing port of Brixham. Brixham has a rich and interesting history; 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. After a little time to explore and/or have a coffee, for those that want to, we will take a circular 4-5 mile walk along the coastal path around the headland of Berry Head, returning to Brixham for a good look round before taking the ferry or bus back to Torquay.
7 km (4.5 miles) ascent/descent 200 m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 7: The lower Dart valley and Agatha Christie’s house at Greenway
The route today takes us through some of the finest inland scenery in South Hams. We take the bus to Churston and from there we walk down towards the River Dart -the views out over this estuary are superb. At Greenway, on the river we will have ample free time to explore Agatha Christie’s house of the same name, now owned by the national trust, or you may prefer to take the foot ferry across the river to the idyllically situated village of Dittisham and spend the time there. We walk back to Churston via a slightly different route and from there take the bus back to Torquay.
8 km (5 miles) ascent 100 m descent 100 m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 8
The holiday finishes after breakfast. It’s goodbye -until next time!
Meals included: breakfast
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.
