Holiday apartment in Torbay: coastal paths, culture and nature
Accommodation in Torbay
Torbay combines impressive coastal paths with protected natural areas, historic buildings, museums and unusual visitor experiences. Between caves, gardens, geopark landscapes, a fish market and theatre, the region presents a diverse picture encompassing cultural history as well as nature observation and activities on the water.
File:Towards Torbay - geograph.org.uk - 6187339.jpg
Photo: Michael Dibb via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Culture
One special place is Kents Cavern, a protected ancient monument and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Visitors can either enter the cave independently or take expertly guided tours. Torre Abbey is a protected monument dating from 1196 and is set in 18 acres of gardens and parkland. The art collection comprises more than 600 works from the 18th century to the present day. The gardens include heated greenhouses with tropical and desert plants as well as a medieval physic garden.
The Brixham Heritage Museum preserves more than 10,000 objects, including fishing nets, boats and maritime models. It conveys Brixham’s geology and Neolithic past, as well as the town’s importance to the British fishing industry and its role in the Napoleonic Wars and subsequent periods. The collections of Torquay Museum were started by the Torquay Natural History Society, which was founded in 1844. Today, the museum is a family-friendly, hands-on visitor attraction presenting 400 million years of the history of the Torbay region.
Cockington Court is a visitor attraction and an innovation centre promoting art, culture and local talent. The Babbacombe Theatre programme features in-house productions, guest performances and family-friendly entertainment. The Babbacombe Cliff Railway visitor centre presents the history of the railway through photographs, information panels and artefacts; admission is free. Built in 1926, the Babbacombe Cliff Railway carried holidaymakers to Oddicombe Beach and back for more than 90 years.
Nature
Berry Head is both a National Nature Reserve and an Iron Age hillfort. The visitor centre offers CCTV footage of the birds living there. A 22-mile coastal path runs along the entire English Riviera through impressive geopark landscape. Another notable section is the South West Coast Path from Brixham to Babbacombe, which is 13.2 miles or 21.2 kilometres long.
Historic trails also form part of the landscape. The 35-mile John Musgrave Heritage Trail passes through parts of Torbay and is accessible by public transport. Greenway can be reached from Broadsands or Churston Station via a 3½-mile walk along country lanes.
Activities
On the water, Torbay Kayak Tours offers sit-on-top kayaks. Another form of nature experience is provided by Paignton Zoo: it is a globally important wildlife conservation park set in extensive botanical gardens with large lakes.
Local character
Brixham Fish Market combines maritime work and culinary themes. Tours of the market explain how fish are sorted and graded in the market hall. More than 40 different fish species are landed there, including squid, megrim and Dover sole, cuttlefish, monkfish and turbot. Tours of Brixham Fish Market end with a seafood breakfast at Rockfish.
Further places
Further places to explore: Paignton, Churston Ferrers and Brixham.
For the higher-level travel overview: South West England.
Further destinations
More places in the same destination:
