Devon works well as a rail holiday with two bases and five different landscapes. We begin in Exeter, using the city for separate outings to the Exe estuary, Okehampton and the Taw valley. The luggage stays put while the trains carry us to Topsham, Exmouth, Dartmoor’s northern edge and Barnstaple. The fourth day transfers the base to Paignton along the Riviera Line, turning the famous sea-wall journey into part of the holiday’s progression. A steam ride to Kingswear and a passenger-ferry crossing to Dartmouth provide the final day’s change of pace.
The five days are a planning framework with named stops, not a promise that every train and attraction operates continuously. Ordinary branch services and the Dartmouth Steam Railway have different timetables and tickets. We choose the heritage running day first, then arrange the Exeter outings around it. A woodland circuit at Eggesford, the East Hill walk at Okehampton and an extended Exmouth coastal loop each deserve real space; doing all of them in full would make a more active holiday than a series of town visits. The daily notes identify where to choose between those versions without losing the railway journey.
Window advice changes with the geography. Sit on the right towards Exmouth for the eastern-bank estuary stretch, on the left towards Paignton for Dawlish’s sea wall, and on the right towards Kingswear for the River Dart approach. Okehampton’s moorland edge is south of the railway, while the Tarka Line rewards both sides as it crosses the Taw valley. Those preferences concern particular stretches, not a guarantee of unobstructed water or mountain views throughout. Each linked journey guide gives the reverse direction, access information and sourced station walks. Book accommodation for three Exeter nights and two Paignton nights if following this sequence, adding an arrival night when the main-line journey would otherwise consume the first day. Both bases then have a clear rail departure for the next stage.
Your bases
Counts follow each day’s listed overnight base, including the final day; adjust that last night if you travel home instead.
Best window: Right from Exeter towards Exmouth for the Exe estuary beyond Topsham; left on the return.
Begin at Exeter St Davids or Exeter Central and take the Avocet Line towards Exmouth. The urban railway gradually opens onto the estuary, so keep the right-hand window for the stretch through Exton and Lympstone. Tidal mudflats, channels and open water make this a different coastal introduction from the exposed sea wall planned later in the holiday. The view belongs to the estuary side; it is not continuous from the city centre.
Break the outward journey at Topsham for the town trail, Goat Walk and the setting around Bowling Green Marsh. Use the route guide’s walking directions to decide how much of that circuit to include. The Bridge Inn is the named food stop in the guide, giving the stop a practical anchor. We keep this to a town-and-waterfront visit when arriving in Devon the same day, leaving a longer birdwatching outing for a separate stay.
Continue by train to Exmouth and make the seafront the afternoon destination. The railway and bus stations sit together, while the beach is a separate walk through town. The full Orcombe Point circuit is an option for a walking-led day, but it is not necessary to enjoy the end of the line. The Point at Exmouth Marina provides another named refreshment stop. Return to Exeter with the estuary on the left and spend the first night in the city, keeping the luggage in one base for the next two branches.
Best window: Left towards Okehampton for the northern edge of Dartmoor; right when returning to Exeter.
Take the Dartmoor Line from Exeter towards Okehampton, staying on the left for the moorland edge on the approach. This is a railway to a Dartmoor gateway, not a train across the high open moor. Fields, wooded cuttings and the rising land to the south explain the landscape before the town walk begins. Keep the original Okehampton station as the destination: Okehampton Interchange is a separate station farther east.
The station sits above the town, so the walk out and the climb back are part of the day. For a defined outing, follow the guide’s East Hill circuit through Tramlines Woods and the Fatherford Viaduct area. It gives the visit a woodland and railway-history focus without requiring a bus onto remote moorland. We carry footwear suitable for unpaved ground and treat the longer loop as the main activity, with a shorter station-and-town day as the alternative if conditions deteriorate.
Bulleid Buffet is the named station refreshment stop, useful before the return journey or after the walk. Leave the last part of the afternoon for the approach back uphill and the actual train chosen in the planner. Crediton offers a separate circuit through Hookway and the River Yeo landscape, but adding both full walks would change the character of this day. Return to Exeter and the same accommodation. That arrangement keeps the following morning’s Tarka Line departure simple and avoids carrying an overnight bag around the woods.
Where to stop off
Original Okehampton station and Bulleid Buffet
East Hill, Tramlines Woods and Fatherford Viaduct circuit
Best window: Use both sides between Eggesford, Umberleigh and Barnstaple as the railway crosses the Taw valley.
Travel north from Exeter on the Tarka Line, watching both sides as the railway follows and crosses its valley. The Taw, fields and woodland change position along the route, so there is no single window to protect for the whole journey. We make this the inland contrast to the two coastal days: settle into the carriage and let the landscape unfold between the village stations.
Crediton is a useful first stop for the parish church and a drink at Crediton Station Tea Rooms. The church visit involves the separate station-to-town approach described in the guide; it is not a landmark beside the platform. Continue towards Eggesford if the day is mainly about a woodland walk. The Flashdown Woods circuit has a clear station start and finish, with Tarka Line Bistro as the named food option. Choose that substantial stop or a longer Barnstaple outing so the afternoon does not become a sequence of hurried departures.
For a town finish, remain on the train to Barnstaple and use the station-side approach to the Tarka Trail. The guide’s Home Farm Marsh walk is a longer option along this corridor; a visitor wanting more time in town can keep the trail section shorter without treating the entire walk as compulsory. Stationmaster’s Café provides refreshments close to the railway. Umberleigh is a request stop if selected instead: tell the conductor before leaving the train and signal clearly when returning. Finish back in Exeter for a third night, ready to transfer towards Torbay the following day.
Where to stop off
Crediton Parish Church and Station Tea Rooms
Choose Eggesford’s Flashdown Woods circuit or Barnstaple and the Tarka Trail
Best window: Left from Exeter towards Paignton for the Dawlish sea wall; right for that stretch in reverse.
Move the overnight base from Exeter to Paignton on the Riviera Line. This is the day to secure the left-hand window before the train reaches the Dawlish sea wall. The railway exchanges the estuary setting for open sea, towns and the changing curve of the coast. Portioned into stops, it becomes an easy seaside day with a clear destination for the luggage at the end.
Dawlish is our first choice for a compact break. Follow the town-side approach to The Lawn and Dawlish Water, where the black swans give the stop a specific focus beyond watching trains on the sea wall. Gay’s Creamery is the guide’s named takeaway option. In rough conditions, the green and town streets are a more practical centre for the visit than an exposed shore walk. Dawlish Warren is a different option, with dunes and beach rather than the stream-side town setting.
Continue to Teignmouth for the promenade and Grand Pier, using the street route that descends from the station and climbs on the return. The Jolie Brise on Station Road is convenient before rejoining the train. We then carry on to Paignton and check into the new base, leaving the beach and seafront as the evening’s short outing. Torquay’s Torre Abbey is another worthwhile stop, but its collections and gardens deserve a larger share of the day. Choose it instead of one of the earlier town breaks, not as another full museum visit squeezed between them.
Best window: Right from Paignton towards Kingswear for the River Dart below Greenway; left on the rail return.
Start at the Dartmouth Steam Railway’s Queen’s Park terminus, beside Paignton’s National Rail station. The two railways are separate services and bookings even though the transfer is short. Head of Steam Café is the named station food stop if breakfast or a drink fits the booked departure. On the steam train, choose the right-hand side towards Kingswear for the eastern-bank approach beside the River Dart below Greenway.
Kingswear is the railway terminus; Dartmouth is across the water. Follow the guide’s route from the platform to the passenger-ferry landing and make the crossing part of the day, not an assumed continuation of the train. The river creates the final change of scene after the holiday’s city, moor and coast sections. In Dartmouth, we leave the middle of the day for the waterfront and town streets, keeping the return ferry and heritage train as the two connections that determine when to turn back.
For refreshments on the railway side, Belle Bistro is the named Kingswear option. Cross back from Dartmouth in time for the train selected in the operator’s programme, then return to Paignton for the final night. The company’s Round Robin is an alternative advertised train, boat and bus circuit through Totnes; choose that package explicitly if it is the day you want. This itinerary uses the straightforward steam-and-ferry return, which keeps the overnight base unchanged and gives a clear main-line departure from Paignton through Exeter on the journey home.
Compare ordinary returns with the Devon Day Ranger for the Exeter-based outings and the transfer towards Paignton. National Rail currently lists the ranger for National Rail services within its mapped area; read its validity conditions for the intended travel day. Our England ranger guide explains the product alongside other regional options.
The Dartmouth Steam Railway and river crossing need the operator’s own ticket or advertised combination. Buy a separate heritage ticket or a combination that explicitly includes the steam train. Our heritage-ticket guide explains why the operating calendar and the included journey matter. Keep the main-line arrival and journey home separate when comparing fares, using the savings guide for ticket restrictions and the railcard guide where a current discount applies.7778
Getting there and home
Reach Exeter St Davids by GWR from London Paddington, Bristol or Plymouth, or CrossCountry from Birmingham and the north. Exeter Central can be convenient for local outings, but St Davids is the main-line interchange used in this plan. Choose accommodation with the actual station approach in mind, especially when a city-centre address is above the railway.
At the end, take a Riviera Line train from Paignton towards Exeter and connect onwards as shown in the journey planner. Protect that main-line connection by keeping the final steam outing on the previous day. Travellers arriving by car can consult the station parking pages, but this sequence does not require a car or a road transfer between its two overnight bases.464742
Frequently asked questions
Can I do this Devon holiday without a car?
Yes. The plan uses Exeter for three rail outings, transfers to Paignton by train and reaches Dartmouth by the advertised Kingswear passenger-ferry connection.
Does one ticket cover the whole itinerary?
Compare National Rail returns or a Devon Day Ranger for the ordinary trains, then book the Dartmouth Steam Railway and ferry arrangement separately. The ranger’s mapped area and validity conditions need checking.
Which day should I book first?
Choose the Dartmouth Steam Railway running day and ticket first, then arrange the other days and accommodation around the confirmed heritage service.
