Devon

Exeter

Exeter is surrounded on three sides by Roman city walls, although it is mostly a Saxon/Norman and late medieval city. It also features an historic quayside and unique medieval underground passages.

Practical Information

Exeter Tourist Information Centre

Civic Centre, Paris Street, Exeter

Tel (01392) 265700

Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-1pm & 2pm-5pm

Coming & Going

AIR

Exeter Airport (website www.exeter-airport.co.uk) has excellent connections throughout Britain and Europe with budget airline, Flybe (website www.flybe.com). Bus 56 runs between the airport and the city centre.

BUS

National Express (tel 0870 580 8080; website www.nationalexpress.co.uk) buses go to Bristol and London and Megabus (website www.megabus.com) has daily buses to London with prices between £1 and £9 (plus 50p booking fee). All buses depart from the Exeter Bus Station, which is near the corner of Paris and Cheeke Streets.

The First Bus and Rail Card costs £10 and allows one day travel on First Great Western Trains between Totnes and Penzance and all First buses in Devon.

TRAIN

Exeter has several train stations. Central Station in the city centre is the most convenient but more trains stop at Exeter St David's Station, which is about a 20-minute walk from the centre. Central Station has trains to London (Waterloo Station) and St David's has trains to Bristol and London (Paddington Station).

South West Trains (website www.swtrains.co.uk) stop at Central and St David's Stations en route from London (Waterloo Station) to Torquay and Paignton and Wessex Trains (website www.wessextrains.co.uk) run trains from St David's Station to Penzance and Bristol with connecting services to London (Paddington and Waterloo).

Local Transport

Stagecoach (website www.stagecoachbus.co.uk) operates Exeter's local buses, which is handy if you're staying at the YHA or if you want to get to some of the bigger supermarkets in the suburbs. All buses (except some Park & Ride services) stop on High Street in the city centre.

Accommodation

Exeter YHA

Mount Wear House, 47 Countess Wear Road, Exeter, Devon EX2 6LR

Bus 57, 85, K, T

Tel 0870 770 5826

Globe Backpackers

71 Holloway Road, Exeter

Tel (01392) 215 5219

Sights

Cathedral Church of St Peter

Exeter's 800-year-old Gothic cathedral is noted mainly for the Cathedral Library, whose collection includes the medieval Exeter Book of Anglo-Saxon Poetry, and its 15th century astronomical clock, which is believed to have been the inspiration for the nursery rhyme, Hickory Dickory Dock.

The Close, Exeter

Tel (01392) 255 573

Admission £3.50 donation

Open Mon-Fri 6.30am-6.30pm, Sat 7.30am-5pm, Sun 8am-7.30pm

Quay House Visitor Centre

This exhibition shows the development of the Quayside area with displays and an audio-visual presentation.

46 The Quay, Exeter

Tel (01392) 265213

Admission free

Open Jan-Mar Sat-Sun 11am-4pm; Apr-Oct 10am-5pm daily; Nov-Dec Sat-Sun 11am-4pm

Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery

This museum has a large range of displays in 16 galleries. It covers everything from local history to exotic cultures and exhibits include Egyptian tombs and a stuffed elephant.

Queen Street, Exeter

Tel (01392) 665 858

Admission free

Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm

Underground Passages

Britain's only medieval vaulted passages that are open to the public were constructed during the 14th century to bring water into the city.

Romangate Passage, off High Street, Exeter (next to Boots)

Tel (01392) 665 887

Admission £3.75

Open Feb-May Tue-Fri noon-5pm, Sat 10am-5pm; Jun-Sep Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; Oct-Dec Tue-Fri noon-5pm, Sat 10am-5pm

Torbay (Torquay/Paignton/Brixham)

Although it has an air of elegance there is certainly no comparison between the Torbay region and the French Riveria, which it likes to compare itself with. The region is comprised of several towns that sprawl from Torquay (the region's main city) south to Paignton and Brixham.

Practical Information

Brixham Tourist Information Centre

The Old Market House, The Quay, Brixham

Tel 0906 680 1268

Website www.theenglishriviera.co.uk

Open summer Mon-Sat 9.30am-6pm, Sun 10am-6pm; winter Mon-Fri 9.30am-1pm & 2pm-5pm

Paignton Tourist Information Centre

The Esplanade, Paignton

Tel 0906 680 1268

Website www.theenglishriviera.co.uk

Open summer Mon-Sat 9.30am-6pm, Sun 10am-6pm; winter Mon-Sat 9.30am-1pm & 2pm-5pm

Torquay Tourist Information Centre

Vaughan Parade, Torquay

Tel 0906 680 1268

Website www.theenglishriviera.co.uk

Open Jan-Apr Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm; May-Aug Mon-Sat 9.30am-6pm, Sun 10am-6pm; Sep-Dec Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm

Coming & Going

BUS

National Express (tel 0870 580 8080; website www.nationalexpress.co.uk) has express services to Exeter and London that leave from the coach station on Lymington Road in Torquay.

First (website www.firstgroup.com) and Stagecoach (website www.stagecoachbus.co.uk) operate local buses to destinations throughout Devon. Local buses depart from the Pavilion at the corner of the Stand and Torbay Road.

The First Bus and Rail Card costs £10 and allows one day travel on First Great Western Trains between Totnes and Penzance and all First buses in Devon.

TRAIN

Train stations in the Torbay region are located in Torquay and Paignton.

South West Trains (website www.swtrains.co.uk) run trains between Torbay and London (Waterloo) stopping en route at Exeter and Salisbury. Virgin Trains (website www.virgintrains.co.uk) have trains north to Birmingham and Bristol and west to Plymouth and Penzance. Wessex Trains (website www.wessextrains.co.uk) operate trains to Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter with connecting services to Plymouth and Penzance.

Local Transport

Stagecoach (website www.stagecoachbus.com) buses provide frequent services in the Torbay area.

You can buy a Dayrider ticket for £3.50 that gives you unlimited bus travel in the Torquay, Paignton and Brixham area and there is also a Dayrider ticket that includes ferry travel on the Kingswear and Dartmouth ferry (£5).

If you want to travel a little farther a field, the Dart Explorer ticket offers unlimited Stagecoach bus travel, a river cruise between Totnes and Dartmouth and a ferry connection between Dartmouth and Kingswear. The Dart Explorer costs £11.

Accommodation

River Dart YHA

Galmpton, Brixham, Devon TQ5 0ET

Bus 12 to Churston Potter, then 3.25km walk

Tel (01808) 842 444

Torquay Backpackers Hostel

119 Abbey Road, Torquay

Bus 32, 32H, 33

Tel (01803) 299 924

Sights

Living Coasts

Operated in conjunction with Paignton Zoo, Living Coasts is an excellent wildlife park focusing on coastal wildlife featuring reconstructed beaches and cliff-faces with penguins, puffins, sea ducks and fur seals.

Beacon Quay, Torquay

Bus 63

Tel (01803) 202 470

Website www.livingcoasts.org.uk

Admission £5.70 (£4.40 students); joint ticket with Paignton Zoo £12.95 (£10.40 students)

Open Jan-Feb 10am-3.30pm daily; Apr-Sep 10am-5pm daily; Oct 10am-4.30pm daily; Nov-Dec 10am-3.30pm daily

Paignton Zoo

Paignton Zoo has the usual collection of African wildlife including giraffes, gorillas, rhinos and zebras.

Totnes Road, Paignton

Bus 82, 100, 172, 179, X80, TC

Tel (01803) 697 500

Website www.paigntonzoo.org.uk

Admision £8.50 (£7 students); joint ticket with Living Coasts £12.95 (£10.40 students)

Open summer 10am-5pm daily; winter 10am-3pm daily

Torquay Museum

Devon's oldest museum has been home to the Torquay Natural History Society since 1876. Its collection covers archaeology, ethnography and local history.

529 Babbacombe Road, Torquay

Tel (01803) 293 975

Website www.torquaymuseum.org

Admission £3 (£1.50 students)

Open summer Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 1.30pm-5pm; winter Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 1.30pm-4pm

Plymouth

There's a good chance that your ancestors passed through Plymouth on the way to the New World. Not only is this where Captain Cook set sail from before heading to Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii, but this historic port in Devon was also the departure point for the Mayflower.

Practical Information

Discovery Centre Tourist Information Centre

Plymouth Discovery Centre, Crabtree, Plymouth

Tel (01752) 266030

Website www.visitplymouth.co.uk

Open Jul-Sep Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm

Plymouth Mayflower Tourist Information Centre

Plymouth Mayflower Centre, 3-5 The Barbican, Plymouth

Tel (01752) 304849

Website www.visitplymouth.co.uk

Open Jan-Easter Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 10am-4pm; Easter-Oct Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm; Nov-Dec Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 10am-4pm

Coming & Going

BUS

National Express (tel 0870 580 8080; website www.nationalexpress.co.uk) buses go to Bristol, Exeter, London and Truro.

Stagecoach (website www.stagecoachbus.com) buses go to nearby towns in Devon and Cornwall and include buses X38 and X39, which run between Exeter and Plymouth.

National Express and Stagecoach buses depart from Bretonside coach station north of the Barbican.

Megabus (website www.megabus.com) has daily buses to London with prices between £1 and £9 (plus 50p booking fee). Megabus departs from outside Theatre Royal on Royal Parade in the city centre and in North Hill outside the main entrance to Plymouth University.

FERRY

Brittany Ferries (website www.brittany-ferries.co.uk) sail from Millbay Docks to Roscoff, France and Santander, Spain.

TRAIN

South West Trains (website www.swtrains.co.uk) run trains between Plymouth and London (Waterloo) stopping en route at Exeter and Salisbury. Virgin Trains (website www.virgintrains.co.uk) have trains north to Birmingham and Bristol and west to Penzance. Wessex Trains (website www.wessextrains.co.uk) operate trains to Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter and Penzance.

The train station is north of the city centre on North Road, accessible by buses 5 and 6.

TRAVEL PASSES

The First Bus and Rail Card costs £10 and allows one day travel on First Great Western Trains between Totnes and Penzance and all First buses in Devon.

Local Transport

Plymouth's local buses are run by Citibus (tel (01752) 222 221), First (tel (01752) 402060; website www.firstgroup.com) and Stagecoach (website www.stagecoachbus.co.uk). Bus fares range from 50p to £1.80.

Accommodation

Globe Backpackers

172 Citadel Road, The Hoe, Plymouth PL1 3BD

Tel (01752) 225 158

Sights

Crownhill Fort

This fortified hill 6.5km north of Plymouth was built in the 1860s to defend the city from attack by both land and sea. Crownhill has an impressive collection of artillery that includes the Moncrieff Counterweight Disappearing Gun.

Crownhill Road, Plymouth

Tel (01752) 793 754

Website www.crownhillfort.co.uk

Admission £5

Open Apr-Oct Mon-Fri & Sun 10am-5pm

Mayflower Steps

The Mayflower Steps marks the departure point for several historic journeys. It is where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail for North America in the Mayflower in 1620 and it also witnessed the departure of Captain Cook's voyage to Australia and New Zealand, Sir Humphrey Gilbert's journey to Newfoundland and Sir Walter Raleigh's trip to North Carolina.

The Barbican, Plymouth

Website www.mayflowersteps.co.uk

National Marine Aquarium

This aquarium is home to a large variety of marine life including several sharks.

Rope Walk, Coxside, Plymouth

Tel (01752) 600 301

Website www.national-aquarium.co.uk

Admission £8.75 (£7.25 students)

Open Jan-Mar 10am-4pm daily; Apr-Oct 10am-5pm daily; Nov-Dec 10am-4pm daily

Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery

This museum has a large collection that covers fine art plus human and natural history.

Drake Circus, Plymouth

Tel (01752) 304 774

Website www.plymouthmuseum.gov.uk

Admission free

Open Tue-Fri 10am-5.30pm, Sat 10am-5pm

Plymouth Dome

The Plymouth Dome is a museum with hands-on exhibits focusing on 400 years of Plymouth's history. There are two observation galleries that offer spectacular views of Plymouth Sound.

Hoe Road, Plymouth

Tel (01752) 603 300

Website www.plymouthdome.info

Admission £4.75; combined ticket with Smeaton's Tower £6.50 (£5.50 students)

Open Jan-Mar Tue-Sat 10am-4pm; Apr-Oct 10am-5pm daily; Nov-Dec Tue-Sat 10am-4pm

Royal Citadel

This large fortress was built in the 17th century as a defence against the Dutch and is still in use today.

Plymouth Hoe, Plymouth

Website www.english-heritage.org.uk

Tours cost £3

Tours depart May-Sep Tue 2.30pm

Smeaton's Tower

This striking lighthouse was built 22.5km off the coast on Eddystone reef in 1759 but later moved to its present position on the Hoe after its foundations became unstable. The 22-metre tower offers stunning views from the lantern room.

The Hoe, Plymouth

Tel (01752) 603 300

Website www.plymouthdome.info

Admission £2.25; combined ticket with Plymouth Dome £6.50 (£5.50 students)

Open Jan-Mar Tue-Sat 10am-3pm; Apr-Oct 10am-4pm daily; Nov-Dec Tue-Sat 10am-3pm

Ilfracombe

This coastal town in north Devon is centred on a historic harbour and it makes a good base for exploring Somerset and north Devon.

Practical Information

Tourist Information Centre

The Landmark, The Seafront, Ilfracombe

Tel (01271) 86301

Website www.northdevon.co.uk

Coming & Going

National Express (website www.nationalexpress.co.uk) has daily buses to London. Change at Barnstaple for connecting buses to Birmingham.

Accommodation

Mullacott Farm Camping Barn

Mullacott Farm, Mullacott Cross, Ilfracombe, Devon EX34 8NA

Tel 0870 770 8868

Ocean Backpackers

29 St James Place, Ilfracombe, Devon EX34 9BJ

Tel (01271) 867835

Sights

Ilfracombe Aquarium

Ilfracombe's aquarium focuses on the region's river and marine life with creatures from the Exmoor River, the Taw Estuary and Ilfracombe Harbour.

The Old Lifeboat House, The Pier, Ilfracombe

Tel (01271) 864 533

Website www.ilfracombeaquarium.co.uk

Admission £2.75

Open Mar-Jun 10am-4.30pm daily; Jul-Aug 10am-6pm daily; Sep-Oct 10am-4.30pm daily

Ilfracombe Museum

This museum has an eclectic collection of artefacts that cover local and natural history.

Runnymede Gardens, Wilder Road, Sea Front, Ilfracombe

Tel (01271) 863541

Website www.devonmuseums.net

Admission £1.50

Open Jan-Mar 10am-1pm daily; Apr-Oct 10am-5pm daily; Nov-Dec 10am-1pm daily

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