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Devon: Exeter, Dartmoor, Plymouth & the English Riviera: 5-Day Plan You Can Actually Drive
Last updated:
The 5-day version for June: every day fits real transit, opening hours and daylight. Prefer more or fewer days? 5-day plan · 6-day plan · best time to go.
5
days
225 km
distance
8.3 h
driving
19
curated stops
💡 Good to know for this plan
- ~16.2 hours of daylight in June.
- Dartmoor's tors dry out for walkers, Salcombe's estuary turns Mediterranean-blue, and the crab boats land daily — June before the school holidays is the sweet spot.
- Light day: day 4 has one stop and time left over. Local tours and day trips are the way to fill it — each day links to what is bookable in its own town.
Before you go · check live details
This is a planning draft. Check these changing details for your dates before booking or travelling.
Some route advice is currently available in English.
- Arrange a suitable car for the complete road journey.
Confirm licence, insurance, fuel, parking, any one-way drop and the complete finish before departure.
Check source ↗ - Check current roads, weather, parking and site access.
Check Devon roadworks, Dartmoor access and weather, fire or flood conditions, official parking, coast and tide conditions, and every site’s current opening. Arrange any one-way rental drop. Seasonal, temporarily closed, timed and ticketed attractions need separate confirmation.
Check source ↗
Day 1 Exeter
- Transit
- 0h30
- Finish
- ~18:00
- Temperature
- 11.3°C–17.5°C
- Rainy days
- ~10
- Daylight
- 16.2h
09:00
Exeter public cathedral-quays-and-city circuit visitexeter.com map ↗
Use Exeter’s public cathedral close, historic lanes and quayside; cathedral or museum interiors, underground passages, Met Office access, sports and performances remain separate.
240 min · Exeter · Public streets, paths and viewpoints; confirm current parking, opening and access before travel
13:10
Visit the 900-year-old guest wing, furnished as a 1602 family home.
50 min · Exeter · Free
open: Sun 13:00-16:00
14:10
15:10
Admire the Gothic architecture and the longest unbroken stone roof beam in the world.
50 min · Exeter · Adult £8.50, senior/student £6, child free
16:10
Browse the exhibits in this museum and art gallery.
50 min · Exeter · Free
open: Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00
17:10
Stroll the grounds and see the remaining Norman structures of this event venue.
50 min · Exeter
Overnight here
e.g. Globe Backpackers · Premier Inn Exeter Central St Davids
Day 2 Dartmoor
- Transit
- 2h38
- Finish
- ~17:25
- Temperature
- 11.3°C–17.5°C
- Rainy days
- ~10
- Daylight
- 16.2h
10:10
Dartmoor public Haytor-and-Postbridge landscape circuit dartmoor.gov.uk map ↗
Use official car parks and a weather-suitable bounded Haytor/Postbridge landscape circuit; slow for roaming animals, avoid satnav shortcuts, and do not assume a long hike, house, wildlife sighting or off-road access.
240 min · Dartmoor · Public streets, paths and viewpoints; confirm current parking, opening and access before travel
14:40
16:35
Day 3 Plymouth
- Transit
- 1h40
- Finish
- ~17:25
- Temperature
- 11.3°C–17.1°C
- Rainy days
- ~11
- Daylight
- 16.2h
10:25
Plymouth public Hoe-Barbican-and-Mayflower circuit visitplymouth.co.uk map ↗
Use Plymouth Hoe, the Barbican and Mayflower Steps as a public waterfront heritage circuit; towers, military sites, houses, museums, aquarium, distillery, railway and boats remain separate.
240 min · Plymouth · Public streets, paths and viewpoints; confirm current parking, opening and access before travel
14:35
Discover diverse collections including natural history, pottery, and rotating special exhibitions.
50 min · Plymouth · Free
open: Tue-Fri 10AM-5:30PM; Sat and Bank Holiday Mondays 10AM-5PM
15:35
See the resilient church that stood amid the ruins of the blitzed city centre.
50 min · Plymouth
16:35
Admire the UK's only surviving Baroque Ark, two storeys high, with stunning stained-glass windows.
50 min · Plymouth
Overnight here
e.g. Copthorne Hotel · Crowne Plaza Plymouth
Day 4 Salcombe & South Hams
- Transit
- 1h28
- Finish
- ~15:00
- Temperature
- 13.4°C–15.5°C
- Rainy days
- ~9
- Daylight
- 16.2h
10:30
Salcombe public harbour-and-estuary circuit southhams.gov.uk map ↗
Use lawful parking and a bounded public harbour, town and estuary-view circuit; ferries, boats, Overbeck’s seasonal garden, coast-path stages and swimming remain separate.
210 min · Salcombe & South Hams · Public streets, paths and viewpoints; confirm current parking, opening and access before travel
14:00
Time to spare on this day
One stop and a free afternoon. We don't book activities, but these partners do.
Day 5 Torquay & Babbacombe
- Transit
- 2h01
- Finish
- ~17:40
- Temperature
- 11.3°C–17.5°C
- Rainy days
- ~10
- Daylight
- 16.2h
10:40
English Riviera public Torquay-and-Babbacombe coast circuit englishriviera.co.uk map ↗
Use Torquay harbour and a condition-suitable public Babbacombe Downs/coast circuit; caves, model village, railway, abbey, museums, theatres, wheel and beach access remain separate.
240 min · Torquay & Babbacombe · Public streets, paths and viewpoints; confirm current parking, opening and access before travel
14:50
Discover fascinating exhibits ranging from Victorian relics to the world of Agatha Christie.
50 min · Torquay & Babbacombe
open: Daily 10AM-4PM
15:50
Explore a subterranean wonderland once home to early man for 700,000 years.
50 min · Torquay & Babbacombe · Adult or senior £21.50, child (3–15 years) £17.50
open: Daily from 10AM
16:50
Visit a historic Premonstratensian monastery founded in 1196.
50 min · Torquay & Babbacombe
🔍 Check before you book
Every stop is a real, sourced place, but opening hours change, roads close and businesses move. Check anything you're paying for before you book.
Sources (11)
- Exeter public cathedral-quays-and-city circuit — visitexeter.comOfficial public source; original paraphrase
- Wikivoyage — ExeterCC BY-SA 4.0 (facts extracted; prose not redistributed)
- Wikipedia — St Mary Arches Church, ExeterCC BY-SA 4.0 (facts extracted; prose not redistributed)
- Dartmoor public Haytor-and-Postbridge landscape circuit — dartmoor.gov.ukOfficial public source; original paraphrase
- Wikivoyage — Dartmoor National ParkCC BY-SA 4.0 (facts extracted; prose not redistributed)
- Plymouth public Hoe-Barbican-and-Mayflower circuit — visitplymouth.co.ukOfficial public source; original paraphrase
- Wikivoyage — Plymouth (England)CC BY-SA 4.0 (facts extracted; prose not redistributed)
- Salcombe public harbour-and-estuary circuit — southhams.gov.ukOfficial public source; original paraphrase
- Wikivoyage — KingsbridgeCC BY-SA 4.0 (facts extracted; prose not redistributed)
- English Riviera public Torquay-and-Babbacombe coast circuit — englishriviera.co.ukOfficial public source; original paraphrase
- Wikivoyage — TorquayCC BY-SA 4.0 (facts extracted; prose not redistributed)