Plymouth
Plymouth's main museum was closed for a multi-million-pound redevelopment at the time of writing. It's set to reopen in 2020, with the transformation of a…
Must-see attractions in Devon
Torquay
Built in 1196, this impressive abbey is a setting for arts and cultural events, but it's the wonderful gardens that are of most interest – particularly to…
East Devon
East Devon's history emerges here, from the town's connections to crime novelist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to the incisive Victorian diarist Peter Orlando…
East Devon
Artefacts from Topsham's salty past fill this 17th-century waterfront building, including model sailing ships, shipwrights' tools and tublike historic…
Plymouth
A child-friendly jaunt through the story behind the sailing to America of the Pilgrim Fathers aboard the Mayflower in 1620. It makes good use of cartoons,…
South Devon
Signs in this tiny walled garden cast light on 16th-century medical thinking, outlining which herbs were used to cure which ailment: soapwort for syphilis…
South Devon
An eclectic collection of exhibits explores the town's salty history, majoring in sailboats, smuggling, shipbuilding and sea rescues. There are…
Plymouth
A huge, largely 17th-century fortress that occupies an imposing position on Plymouth Hoe. It's home to a regiment of Commando Gunners. You can only visit…
Dartmoor National Park
Lydford's diminutive 13th-century castle sits in the heart of the village. Now a compact, roofless, cube, it used to double as a jail and helped make …
Plymouth
On the side of this old harbourside house, look out for a plaque bearing the names of the Pilgrims who set sail on the Mayflower in 1620 for what became…
South Devon
It's worth tracking down Dartmouth's quaintly cobbled Bayard's Cove, the quay from which the Pilgrim Fathers set sail to America, having put into…
South Devon
Parts of this atmospheric structure were once the kitchens of the town's Norman priory; look out for cells, ceremonial robes and an elaborate council…
Plymouth
A monument to one of Plymouth's most celebrated sons, Sir Francis Drake – the globetrotting explorer and hero of the battle against the Spanish Armada.
Dartmoor National Park
At around 30m in diameter, Scorhill is impressive, despite around half the stones (27) only still standing. It's tucked away on open moor near Gidleigh.
Torquay
One of a string of sand-and-shingle beaches, Oddicombe sits at the foot of the Babbacombe Cliff Railway.
Torquay
A pocket-sized beach that's popular with swimmers, thanks to a picturesque rock ridge and pinnacle, and a cheerful beach cafe.
North Devon
Artefacts and powerful photographs evoke some of the hundreds of vessels that have foundered on Hartland's jagged shore.
Totnes Fashion & Textiles Museum
South Devon
Beautifully displayed 18th- to 20th-century garments, set in one of Totnes' finest Tudor merchant's houses.
North Devon
Recreates aquatic environments from Exmoor to the Atlantic, via estuary, rock pool and harbour.
Plymouth
Now severely faded, the vast painting covering an entire side of a three-storey house was created by Robert Lenkiewicz (1941–2002; www.robertlenkiewicz…
Plymouth
It's worth checking whether this fine half-timbered building has re-opened after essential repairs. The largest 17th-century house in Plymouth, it's…
Exeter
This stately 17th-century building was once the address where ships arriving in Dartmouth were required to pay customs duties. Look out for the antique…
Torquay
To indulge in pure holiday nostalgia, head to this grand old Victorian pier where you can parade along the long wooden deck, jump in a dodgem, bounce…
Exeter
Originally part of a medieval Benedictine monastery, and later a lavish Elizabethan manor house, this 900-year-old building is currently closed for…
South Devon
Compact North Sands lies a short walk or drive (1.5 miles) south along Cliff Rd from the centre of Salcombe (on the same side of the estuary as the town)…
Exeter
Newly arrived ships in Dartmouth would once have paid their wharfing fees at this picturesque house, which was built in the 1700s. Not open to the public.
Dartmoor National Park
At this remote site near Chagford, stone circles stand side by side on a stretch of open moor; another stone circle is 400m away near Fernworthy.
Exeter
Little remains of Exeter's 11th-century castle except a russet stone gatehouse, attached to a fragment of the city's defensive wall.
