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Devon Towns and Villages

Listed below are all of Devon's main towns and cities. For a more complete list of Devon's towns and villages have a look at the Devon gazetteer page.
  • Appledore

    Appledore
    The small fishing village of Appledore stands in North Devon where the Taw and Torridge rivers meet before they flow into the Atlantic at Bideford Bay.For centuries an important shipbuilding centre, Appledore is now home to the North Devon Maritime Museum. A large, privately owned indoor shipyard continues to employ...
  • Ashburton

    Ashburton Bull Ring - North Street
    Ashburton lies in the heart of the South Devon countryside on the southern slopes of Dartmoor. It is roughly half way between Plymouth and Exeter and is an ideal base from which to explore the whole region from the moor to the coast. Among the various activities offered in the area are walking, pony trekking, canoeing...
  • Barnstaple

    Barnstaple High Street
    The largest town in North Devon is Barnstaple on the River Taw. This ancient town was granted its charter in 930 AD by King Aethelstan - the grandson of Alfred the Great. It lies to the north of Dartmoor and to the west of the beautiful Exmoor National Park. There are some lovely beaches not far away around Saunton...
  • Bideford

    Bideford Quay
    Bideford is an attractive town on the west bank of the River Torridge, where the river begins to widen to form the estuary. The old road has a lovely old bridge crossing the Torridge linking the town of Bideford to its neighbouring village East the Water. This impressive, arched stone bridge was built in 1535. The...
  • Bovey Tracey

    Bovey Tracey
    Bovey Tracey is a small market town, built of cob and granite and known as one of the gateways to Dartmoor. It is the ideal location for exploring the southern edge of the moor and is close to the famous Haytor, one of the high points of Dartmoor. At nearby Parke is the headquarters of the Dartmoor National Park...
  • Brixham

    Brixham Harbour
    Perhaps the least commercialised part of what is known as the English Riviera, Brixham is a picturesque fishing town built upon a limestone outcrop at the southern end of the Torbay crescent of coastline. Brixham had one of the largest fishing fleets in the UK in 1851 but this is now much reduced. Pleasure craft now...
  • Budleigh Salterton

    Budleigh Salterton
    Budleigh Salterton offers a quiet and relaxing holiday, with unrivalled views of the dramatic East Devon coastline with its wonderful red sandstone cliffs. It is a beautiful town made famous by celebrities such as Noel Coward and the writer P.G. Woodhouse. A small stream flows past some of the quaint town houses on...
  • Clovelly

    Clovelly down the hill
    Set into a steep hillside, Clovelly is one of the best known and most unusual villages in the North Devon. The cobbled high street winds its way down the hillside through traditional 16th century whitewashed cottages decked with fuchsias and geraniums. This street drops 400ft in the half mile down to the small harbour...
  • Crediton

    Crediton High Street
    The historic market town of Crediton is convenient for both Dartmoor and Exmoor, and lies only seven miles from Exeter. It lies in the heart of an area of outstanding natural beauty and has a unique climate due to its position relative to Dartmoor. The town was the birthplace in 680 AD of St Boniface, the Patron Saint...
  • Cullompton

    Manor House Cullompton
    Cullompton is on the River Culm and is famous for its working textile and paper mills. It is an ancient market town still boasting an old market place and several attractive half-timbered buildings. The wide open area where the market is held is known as the Bull Ring. The town’s War Memorial is in this area. The...
  • Dartmouth

    River Dart and Dartmouth
    Dartmouth is built in the valley of the picturesque River Dart, between steep wooded hillsides. The main South Embankment runs the length of the town, from New Ground, built on land reclaimed from the river, towards the historic Bayard’s Cove. This long stretch along the riverside provides visitors with a pleasant and...
  • Dawlish

    Dawlish red cliffs
    Dawlish is a small resort set slightly back from the coast above steep, red cliffs. It lies on the east coast of Devon not far from the larger town of Torquay and within easy reach of Exeter. Although most architecture in the town dates back to the late Georgian and Victorian periods, there are a few 17th century...
  • Exmouth

    Exmouth beach
    As the name implies, Exmouth lies where the River Exe meets the sea. It is a good base from which to explore this part of the Devon coast and some of the inland towns and villages. Exmouth boasts the longest seafront in Devon and Cornwall along two miles of golden sand, rare on this coast, and fascinating rock pools,...
  • Great Torrington

    Great Torrington is an historic market town in the heart of Devon. The town commands spectacular views over the River Torridge and the surrounding farmland. It is a pleasant little town built round the Market Square where there is a refurbished Victorian Pannier Market. This undercover market houses a variety of...
  • Holsworthy

    Holsworthy church
    The ancient market town of Holsworthy is situated amidst the rolling green hills of North Devon. Within a short distance are the rugged cliffs of the Hartland Peninsula, the sandy beaches of Bude and nearby Widemouth Bay, the South West Coastal Path and fishing and boating on the Tamar and Roadford Lakes. Holsworthy...
  • Honiton

    The South-East Devon market town of Honiton has long been famous for lace, pottery and glove making, and Honiton still has numerous shops dedicated to lace or pottery. More recently the town has become a centre for antiques and antiquarian books. There are around thirty establishments connected with this trade and...
  • Ilfracombe

    Ilfracombe harbour
    Ilfracombe is the leading holiday resort in North Devon. It sits snugly amongst the rugged cliffs of the Atlantic coast, and has a charming natural harbour and elegant Victorian architecture. The town enjoyed its heyday after the arrival of the railway and most buildings derive from this period.[[{"fid":"700","...
  • Ivybridge

    Ivybridge has a magnificent natural setting and boasts centuries of history both as a mill town and as a staging post on the route from London. The first recorded mention of the town was in 1280 when it was described as a dowry of land on the west side of the River Erme, by the Ivy Bridge. For many years, the bridge...
  • Kingsbridge

    Estuary at Kingsbridge
    Kingsbridge is in the area of South Devon known as the South Hams. It is an attractive town with cobbled streets, quaint passage and alleys. Some of these have strange names such as Squeezebelly Alley. Perhaps the most interesting building is the Shambles, an old market hall raised on granite pillars dating from...
  • Lynton

    Foreland Point - Lynmouth
    Set amongst the spectacular scenery of an area known as England’s Little Switzerland is Lynton, a small Victorian town with a selection of shops, tea-rooms and cafés. The town boast few buildings of particular note but the Town Hall is worth a second glance, as is the strangely named Valley of Rocks Hotel. The Lyn and...
  • Newton Abbot

    Newton Abbot is located close to the Dartmoor National Park with its beautiful scenery, as well as to the attractive beaches of Dawlish, Teignmouth and Torquay. The Town Council organises various activities during the year including a Cheese & Onion Fayre, a Town Criers’ Championship, a Victorian Evening, the...
  • Okehampton

    Okehampton Fore Street
    Okehampton sits at the centre of Devon, where the gentle rolling hills of North Devon meet the stark scenery of the Dartmoor National Park. The high peaks of Yes Tor and High Willhayes can be seen on the horizon on a clear day. The granite strewn moorland of Dartmoor has been inhabited from the earliest of times....
  • Paignton

    Paignton pier
    Paignton is part of Torbay on what is known as the English Riviera. It is a family resort with a harbour, long beaches and parks. The town has grown considerably since becoming a Victorian resort. There is a new cinema complex on the Green next to the theatre on the sea front and lots of clubs and pubs, many with...
  • Plymouth

    Plymouth Hoe
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  • Salcombe

    Salcombe
    Salcombe became famous for the schooners which brought fruit from the West Indies. Details of this past trade and other local history can be found in the Museum of Maritime and Local History on the Custom House Quay. The museum has a fascinating collection illustrating ship building and ship wrecks, in addition to...
  • Sidmouth

    Sidmouth
    Sidmouth has beautiful gardens, regency buildings, fine hotels, clean beaches and friendly shops. This resort, lovely seaside town nestling beneath majestic red cliffs was most fashionable in the early 19th century and was visited by Queen Victoria in her youth in 1819. Victoria and her parents stayed at Woolbrook...
  • Tavistock

    Tavistock town centre
    Tavistock is the main town of Dartmoor's western moor. It is an exceptionally attractive town owing as much to some fine Victorian architecture as to its picturesque location on the banks of the river Tavy. A busy market town, there is no shortage of shops and cafes plus Tavistock is home to a purpose built pannier...
  • Teignmouth

    Teignmouth Harbour
    Teignmouth is a pleasant seaside town nestling below the Haldon Hills. It lies along a stretch of red sandstone coast on the attractive estuary of the River Teign, beneath the shadow of Dartmoor. There are panoramic views from the high ground around the town. Teignmouth claims record-breaking hours of sunshine and its...
  • Tiverton

    Tiverton River Exe
    Tiverton is a busy market town situated in the middle of Devon and a convenient centre for both coasts, the moors and the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. The name was originally Twyfyrde, meaning town of two fords, and Tiverton stands on two rivers - the Lowman and the Exe. It was thought to have been a Saxon...
  • Torquay

    Torquay harbour
    The elegant seafront lined with palm trees, the Italian style white villas perched on the surrounding hillsides and the yachts moored in the modem marina create a truly continental atmosphere. For over a hundred years, Torquay has attracted the rich and famous and today thousands of visitors still enjoy its charm....
  • Totnes

    Totnes
    Totnes is a charming Devon town with a bustling main street and a regular market. Totnes has regular outdoor markets on Fridays and Saturdays. During the main season, between May and September, there is an Elizabethan market each Tuesday morning, where local people and traders go about their daily business dressed in...
  • Woolacombe

    Woolacombe beach - North Devon
    Woolacombe in North Devon is a favourite for spot for surfers and beach lovers. The resort has three miles of golden sand and has won a number of awards for cleanliness and facilities. These include Blue Flag, Best Family Resort and Best British Beach. The town sits between the dramatic headlands of Baggy Point and...