England in March 2018

I hope you're not planning to get off a plane and into a car. I would wait until you get to Torquay before hiring.

As for accommodation, I'd either stay in London, or if you insist on stopping elsewhere Bath or Bristol, or perhaps Exeter.

The rail station is right at the airport, with hourly departures for Reading, where connecting trains take you west. This website will help you plan the train trip. From Gatwick all the way to Torquay takes about four hours and requires two train changes, at Reading and Newton Abbot. But you don't need to ride that far. I'd recommend stopping somewhere along the way, between Reading and Newton Abbot, and renting the car there the next day to start your exploring.

Exeter would be a good choice if time allows, with plenty of accommodations, car rentals, and its own sights to see. It's not far from Torquay. But there are other towns before Exeter where you could stop for the day and get a car. How far you can take the train that first day will depend on when your flight lands. If you buy advance tickets, cheapest but inflexible, allow several hours for a possible flight delay, immigration processing, and getting to the station.

We rented a car at Heathrow and drove to Bath on the day of our arrival from the USA. I managed it very well.

However, coming from Gatwick, which is farther east, you will have to drive through the congested SE England/London area. The traffic is terrible, especially on the M25. Torquay is way on in the SW in Devon.

First you need to research and find out if you can rent a car in Torquay. Then find out how you can go to Torquay without a rental car.

Thank you all so much for the valuable information. We don’t need to start in Torquay, so perhaps we will put that in another spot. We will be there 2 weeks.