My husband and I will be in SW England for 4 days in July, with a car. We'd like to find a centrally located, pretty town, away from the coasts and touristy areas, that might have a few pubs/eating establishments and accommodations. We will take day trips from there. Your suggestions are welcome. Thank you very much.
Posted by
59 posts
Consider Totnes in Devon. This is inland but not very far from the sea and the estuary of the River Dart. It is an attractive town with a ruined castle and quirky sense of identity. It even issues its own banknotes for nuse in local shops! You can take a boat trip down the River Dart to Dartmouth, which is well worth a visit. Totnes is near Dartmoor, and has a mainline railway station on the line between Plymouth and Exeter. Details: http://www.visitsouthdevon.co.uk/explore-south-devon/totnes-p194553.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7208 posts
Truro in Cornwall might suit your needs. From it you can go down to Penzance or St Ives, or up to Tintagel (purported location of Merlin's cave and King Arthur castle) and Port Isaac (where the British TV show Doc Martin is filmed). It also isn't too far from Plymouth where the pilgrims departed to come to N. America.
Posted by
S.F. Bay Area, CA, United States
1878 posts
My wife and I stayed in Bovie Tracey in Devon, right outside of Dartmoor National Park. We found it to be an excellent base, and the park is a spectacular visit. We were told that it rains nearly every day there, but they might have been exaggerating. We had a couple of days of dry weather.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Near Dartmoor, our South England tours are staying in Chagford, which has well more dining options than is usual for a village of that size.