Things to do . . and there's plenty . . .

Attractions within walking distance:
Hollicombe Beach – nice sunny, sandy beach - shallow sloping with rock pools for exploring; take what you need, as there are no facilities to buy anything.

Preston Sands – very much the safe family beach, with beach huts, café, toilets and a green.

Paignton Beach – lively and buzzing with its Pier, beach take-away huts, crazy golf and amusements. A safe, sandy beach backed by a green – often the site for the fairground and other events.

Paignton Pier – built by the Victorians, now packed full of amusement machines and bingo.

Paignton Harbour – small crafts and pleasure boats – a good place to sit and watch others doing things. A friendly pub and lovely tea-room overlooking the harbour.

Fairy Cove – reached by steps from the West arm of the Harbour this pretty little cove is often overlooked. A pebble beach, with rock pools at low tide - not very good for bathing but a lovely spot to sit and gaze out to sea.

Goodrington & Youngs Park – sandy beaches, boat lake, beach huts, amusements, Quaywest Water Park, pub – very much the safe, family fun, traditional seaside beach, with a lovely view of the Steam railway too.

Paignton Town Centre – browse the “grockle” shops (the local name for holiday-makers) at the bottom end, or make your way up to Palace Avenue for more relaxed shopping!

Oldway Mansion – built by Isaac Merritt Singer (Singer sewing machines) much of it is given over to Civic Offices of Torbay Council, but the main staircase, ballroom and grounds are open to the public and are well worth a visit.

Paignton to Dartmouth Steam Railway – a lovely trail along the coast, over the viaduct at Broadsands, through Devonshire countryside to Kingswear on the River Dart.

A short bus ride away:
Torquay: whereas Paignton is a family, seaside resort, Torquay is a more lively, cosmopolitan place. Worth a visit are:
Torquay Harbour and Marina – gaze at the luxury boats and wish for a lottery win!

The Living Coasts – a coastal zoo featuring marine life and birds – only opened in 2004.
Bygones Museum – a personal favourite! Crammed with memorabilia from Victorian times to the present day. From the front it doesn’t look much, but it’s like a Tardis – bigger on the inside – spot the mice (hidden in the pictures on display)!
Babbacombe Model Village – life in miniature – another favourite – great for all ages – just round the corner from Bygones so you could do one in the morning, lunch on the Downs, and visit the other in the afternoon.
Babbacombe Downs and Cliff Railway – stroll along the Downs taking in the stunning views of the red sandstone coast, then take the railway down to Oddicombe Beach for an ice-cream. A must – learn the story of John Lee – the man they couldn’t hang.
Kents Cavern – fascinating, world famous prehistoric caves.
Torquay Museum of Natural History – where many of the finds from Kents Cavern are on display, and much, much more.
Cockington Village – a picturesque Devon village with thatched houses, walks round the ponds, cricket pitch and Church. Probably one of the most photographed places in Torbay!

Paignton:
Paignton Zoo – forget the old concrete bear pit and cramped lion in a cage – they’ve spent over £6M on making the place a delight for animals and humans!

Brixham:
Brixham Marina and breakwater – the Marina is a recent development – lots of small boats.
Fishing Harbour – the smell of fish, dive bombing seagulls (seriously – don’t feed them – they can be over-eager to share your chips) and lots of pubs and restaurants – it’s a bustling, working port. Look out for the replica of the Golden Hind, statue of William of Orange, and the Coffin House (when a young couple married against the wishes of the father of the bride, he built them a house as a wedding present – in the shape of a coffin to show his feelings!)

Berry Head – the tallest and shortest lighthouse in England (tall because it is on the cliff tops, short because it is one storey high) – visitor centre with information about the wildlife - remains of the Napoleonic Fortress – stunning coastal scenery – on a clear day you can see across to Portland Bill. Berry Head is now a National Nature Reserve with a large colony of protected Greater Horseshoe Bats.

Totnes:
Town Centre - a time warp from the 1970’s where the fashion is still to dress hippy style. An historic town, with Castle and many ancient buildings - well worth a wander round. Plenty of individual shops too, still with plenty of character.
River Dart – flows through Totnes – there are some superb riverside pubs for lunch.

Dartmouth:
A must! Britannia Royal Naval College, the Butter Walk, Dart Marina, Bayards Cove, the Ferry and views across the river to Kingswear. Don’t drive – parking is a nightmare – take the steam train – or go by boat from Paignton Harbour.

Newton Abbot:
Market Day – Wednesday – livestock on sale and the pubs are busy.
Horse Racing.
I am not a fan of Newton Abbot (Grandpa always said “Newton Abbot – you can ‘ave it”)

By Car:
Dartington Cider Press and craft shops: some serious shopping!
Dartington Hall: peaceful and beautifully laid out gardens – nice for wandering.
Berry Pomeroy: real spooky Castle ruins owned by English Heritage – interesting history.
Trago Mills: cheap as chips, bargain hunters – sells everything, plus there are amusements for kids.

By Train:
Paignton to Kingswear – steam railway – lovely scenery and from Kingswear you can get the ferry to Dartmouth.
Paignton to Newton Abbot – change for down-line to Totnes & Plymouth, or up-line for Dawlish & Exeter.

By Boat:
Boat trips available from Paignton Harbour – to Brixham, Dartmouth or just around the Bay (see Torbay lit up at night – very pretty, but take a jumper – it gets cold once the sun goes down!).

Theatres:
The Little Theatre, St Marks Road, Torquay (TOADS amateur dramatics – very high standard).
The Babbacombe Theatre, Torquay (some good “seaside” entertainment shows).
Princess Theatre, Torquay (the Bay’s main theatre with a whole range of big name events).
Palace Avenue Theatre, Paignton.

Cinemas:
Apollo – multi screen cinema on Paignton Seafront – still quite shiny and new.
Central Cinema – multi screen cinema on Abbey Road, Torquay – old and comfy.

SPORT:
Tennis: Oldway Mansion, Torre Abbey, Torquay Tennis Club etc. (a good place for tennis facilities – Paignton is Sue Barker’s home town!).
Golf: Courses nearby at Churston and Torquay.
Cayman Golf at Churston.
Pitch & Putt at Torre Abbey and Roundham Gardens.
Putting at Oldway Mansion.
Crazy Golf at Paignton Seafront.
Driving Range at Waterside, Paignton.
Bowls: Oldway Mansion (outdoor and indoor), Torre Abbey.
Swimming, Badminton, Squash and Table Tennis at Clennon Valley Leisure Centre.
Snooker: Snooker Hall at Manor Road, Paignton.
Ten Pin Bowling: AMF Torquay.
Go-Karting: Churston
Sailing: from Torquay Harbour
Scuba Diving: from Torquay and Paignton Harbours.
Fishing: Sea angling from the shore or by boat.
Walking: the South Devon Coastal Path is 115 miles of fabulous coastline – red sandstone cliffs, sandy beaches, towns and villages.

GARDENS:
Exotic things will grow in this area because of the exceptionally
mild climate – palm trees are everywhere, and English Nature rates
Torbay as one of the top six sites in the country for rare plants.

If plants and gardens are your thing, there is plenty to see:
Brunel Woods
Babbacombe Model Village
Tessier Gardens
Living Coasts
Princess Gardens
Rock Walk
Abbey Park
Torre Abbey
Cockington
Oldway
Paignton Zoological and Botanical Gardens
Battery Gardens, Brixham
Berry Head