Your holiday itinerary:
Monday: With suitable lunch and refreshment stops along the way we aim to arrive at the Marine Hotel, Paignton late afternoon, giving you plenty of time to settle in before dinner.
Tuesday: After a leisurely breakfast we set off on a scenic drive through some of South Devon’s finest scenery to visit Teignmouth and Dawlish. Our scenic drive takes us first via Meadfoot Beach with views across Torbay to Brixham and Berry Head then along Babbacombe Downs, and a delightful drive along the coast to Teignmouth. This is a hidden gem on the South Devon coast with it’s classic crescent of Georgian buildings, promenade and long sandy beach. We continue our scenic drive along the coast to Dawlish, home to the famous black swans. Rather than being a traditional seaside resort, Dawlish is more like a country village by the sea. This evening there may be the opportunity to go to the famous Babbacombe Theatre to see one of the highly acclaimed variety shows. (Tickets are not included and can be purchased once at the hotel – this is one of the rare times that we offer an optional excursion as we appreciate not everyone will want to go to the theatre).
Wednesday: Today we enjoy a scenic drive through the Dartmoor National Park and visit some of the local beauty spots. Our first visit is to the beautiful town of Tavistock, part of Devon and Cornwall’s UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once noted for its tin and copper mines, the town is famous for its pannier market, and with a unique collection of shops and eateries this an ideal lunch stop. From here we journey into the heart of the Dartmoor National Park to enjoy the rugged scenery of granite tors and wide-open moorland, perhaps see some of the Dartmoor ponies and learn about the rich heritage and folklore of this unique part of the country. Driving past Princetown, famous for the prison we next visit Postbridge, a picturesque little village renowned for its clapper bridge. We then visit the popular beauty spot of Dartmeet, where the two major tributaries of the River Dart meet before making our way back to Paignton.
Thursday: We leave our coach behind and enjoy the Steam & Cruise excursion courtesy of the Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway. We make the short walk from the hotel to the station and board the steam train for what is arguably one of the most beautiful train rides in England, along the spectacular Torbay coast and through wooded slopes bordering the Dart estuary to Kingswear. Here we take the passenger ferry across the river to the historic town of Dartmouth. With its narrow streets, overhanging medieval houses and old quays full of galleries, restaurants and shops Dartmouth is a beautiful place to explore and enjoy lunch. Early afternoon we enjoy a 1-hour circular cruise with commentary on the lower part of the River Dart, viewing the castles flanking the estuary, the Britannia Naval College and toward Agatha Christie’s Greenway Estate. We then catch the ferry back to Kingswear then board the steam train for the return to Paignton.
Friday: Enjoy a day of leisure here in Paignton. The great thing about Paignton is that it is a compact resort, with the seafront and town centre shops all within close proximity. Don’t miss Paignton’s 18th century harbour, a real maritime gem with a bevy of boats, a historic harbour wall plus delightful restaurants and cafes. If you want to go further afield, take the bus to Paignton Zoo, Torquay or Brixham. You can just simply sit in the hotel’s conservatory, boasting a panoramic view of the Paignton seafront and watch the world go by.
Saturday: Today’s excursion takes us to Plymouth, Britain’s Ocean City, where there’s hundreds of years of history to uncover from Sir Francis Drake and the Spanish Armada to the Mayflower sailing in 1620 to a city rebuilt following the Blitz during World War II. A short walk from the centre of the city is Plymouth Hoe, overlooking Plymouth Sound and home to the striking red and white striped former lighthouse, Smeaton’s Tower as well as a number of statues and memorials. During the day we have included a 1-hour Harbour Cruise.
Sunday: Our excursion today takes us to another of Devon’s delights, the beautiful coastal town of Sidmouth. Located along the Jurassic Coast, beneath majestic red cliffs and the green hills of the glorious Sid Valley, Sidmouth is a town caught in a timeless charm, with a Regency feel, beautiful gardens, royal connections, fine hotels, clean beaches and friendly shops.
Monday: Leaving the Marine Hotel and the English Riveria we begin our journey home. With suitable stops along the way including somewhere to get those essential supplies for home we aim to be back in Essex late afternoon after a memorable week in Paignton.
The 2-star Marine Hotel is a firm favourite with our regular travellers with many returning every time the hotel features in our brochure. This is thanks to the friendly staff and homely atmosphere of the hotel, excellent food and its level location on the seafront with excellent views across the bay. All the bedrooms are individually decorated and en-suite and equipped with TV, telephone, hairdryer, and hospitality tray. The hotel has a delightful lounge bar and a sea-view conservatory. A small lift serves all floors and there are a limited number of ground floor rooms available.
included excursion programme:
Please read the itinerary carefully before deciding if this tour will be suitable for you:
1) Single Supplement – NIL (max 6)
2) The hotel has four floors and whilst the hotel does have a lift to all four floors, you may encounter steps whilst walking along the corridors after the lift.
3) Anyone wanting to book a specific room number and/or a sea view room at the hotel, this will now incur a surcharge of £10 per room per night. Subject to availability. This must be confirmed at time of booking. All sea view rooms have 5 steps down and 5 steps up.
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