Alan Payling continues his occasional series about coastal resorts where he recommends the delights of an excursion to Dawlish and Teignmouth, which includes a drive through some of South Devon’s finest scenery
There’s a lot to be said for an excursion to Dawlish and/or Teignmouth when operators are on tour in places like Torbay or Exmouth. If you’re staying on the English Riviera, Dawlish and Teignmouth aren’t far away. From the popular Queen’s Hotel in Paignton it will take 36 minutes to cover the 11.4 miles to Teignmouth and 43 minutes to travel the 14.6 miles to Dawlish going via Shaldon. Also, in addition to the scenic coastal delights that make themselves apparent when travelling along the A379 that hugs the coast, drivers can enhance the journey by taking in other parts of Torbay’s coastline.
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After leaving the harbour in Torquay, at the first set of lights, if drivers turn right and head up the hill the road will then bring them down to Meadfoot Beach overlooked by the splendid Georgian style Hesketh Crescent, now the Osborne Hotel. A slow drive along Meadfoot beach will be rewarded with grand views across Torbay to Brixham and Berry Head. Drivers will then pop out back on the A379 and just up the road will have the option to drive along Babbacombe Downs. This little detour will offer passengers grand views across Lyme Bay. Included in the splendid scenery is the unspoilt view along the coast to Teignmouth. If this was Spain, such a coastline would be part of Torbay’s urban concrete sprawl. Not here.
Also, on a clear day – and we get a few hereabouts – this is one of the best view points in the West Country, so it’s not to be missed. After the eye has wandered along the coast past Teignmouth and Dawlish Warren you can clearly see Exmouth, Budleigh Salterton and Seaton and on into Dorset where hawkeyed passengers can pick out Portland Bill.
When groups re-join the A379 and head out through St Marychurch they will enjoy the delightful drive along the coast. For drivers, it’s a winding road in places with a few blind bends where they have to stick their nose out into oncoming traffic, so best take it steady. But for the passengers, as well as fine views along the coast they can pick out to their left the heights of Dartmoor that looms grandly over South Devon.
Shaldon – keep out
I’ve had a few queries about visiting Shaldon because as you descend the final hill before Teignmouth there is a sign for coach parking above the riverside village. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s a good walk down the hill to reach the village, and though scenic, the walk back up the hill will not be welcomed by many. I like Shaldon and there’s a nice trio of pubs and cafes there, and that’s it. It’s really holiday/second home land. Even the local newsagent gave up the ghost a couple of years ago due to lack of trade.
Also, when you get to the bottom of the hill on the A379, while there are no signs prohibiting PSVs from entering Shaldon, there should be – so please don’t be tempted. There is a clue in the sign that says that there are ‘Narrow Streets’ ahead. Very narrow. If you enter Shaldon, you will regret it. Best press on to Dawlish and Teignmouth by crossing the river Teign.
When you cross over the bridge, in addition to fine views along the Teign estuary to Dartmoor where the source of the river is to be found, you will see to the right that Teignmouth is also something of a port. Chances are there will be a freighter there unloading timber and loading china clay. That explains all the dusty eight-wheelers that you see hereabouts as the quarries in the Bovey Basin still export a lot of English china clay.
Teignmouth – a traditional full English
Once you’ve crossed the bridge, turn right at the railway station into Hollands Road and then into the Esplanade where the drop off point is located, right in the middle of the town handy for the shops and the front. Passengers will enjoy Teignmouth as there is a nice buzz about the place. If they want a stroll along the prom they can enjoy the scenic coastal delights. Also, a place that I would recommend for a hot drink and a snack is in the new(ish) Teignmouth Pavilions on the front. Don’t be put off by the appearance of the building. From the rear it looks like an ugly grey box and from the front it resembles a Grand Designs special. Appearances can be deceptive.
Teignmouth Pavilions is in fact a lively arts/community centre. Insofar as day visitors are concerned, on the ground and first floors, there are two great cafes/bars where visitors can enjoy a nice latte while looking out over the front. Also, when the weather allows, there is an outdoor terrace where coffee and cake can be enjoyed along with sea views. It comes with a personal recommendation.
Other delights on the front would include the bowling green which is well used throughout the year. And there is of course, the pier. Not just any old pier either – well, it was built in 1865 – but this is Teignmouth’s Grand Pier, no less. The pier’s website says that: “It’s a lovely old pier to visit and it still has all the old rides that a traditional pier would have.” Entrance is free and is only a pebble’s throw from the drop off point.
While older coach passengers may not be first in line to have a go on the go-karts, even though they are Formula One Go Karts, the owners of the pier are working hard – and spending a fortune – to keep the place standing and open for future generations. So for those passengers looking for an ice cream and the chance to go promenading, the pier is the place to head for. There is a tasty selection of ice creams on offer – clotted cream vanilla, mint choc chip, cornish cream, rum and raisin and of course, a Whippy. So if your passengers enjoy a 99 they could help preserve a much loved part of our heritage.
In the town, the higgledy piggledy street pattern with an abundance of shops, cafes, bars and pubs provides visitors with the chance of a little meander. If anyone fancies some fish and chips the place I use in Teignmouth is right by the drop off point. A visit to Finn McCools won’t disappoint. There is a nice seating area with table service for those who don’t want to dine with the local seagulls. It’s a nice place. So, fish n’ chips, smashing ice cream and terrific scenery from the prom, what more could your passengers ask for? Nice weather, I suppose. All told, Teignmouth is a traditional, quiet, relaxing resort.
For drivers parked in the Eastcliffe coach park, if they want a nice cup of tea then they could walk round to the Whistle Stop Cafe at Teignmouth railway station. It comes recommended and isn’t far to walk. Also, for anyone with a smallish group of under 30 doing a steam train holiday in the area, this might just be the place to stop and eat. Their full English comes complete with real, live train announcements.
Dawlish – a village-on-sea
When you’ve rounded up your passengers once they’ve finished their ice cream and fish and chips, then it’s a short hop along more of Lyme Bay’s coastline to Dawlish. But when you drop down into this charming place, it is different again to Teignmouth. Rather than being a traditional seaside sort of place, it’s more like a pleasant little country village – but by the sea with a really big train set running slap bang through the middle of it.
You sort of get a flavour that Dawlish is by the sea at the Piermont Place drop off point. This is where the town’s amusement arcades and fish and chip shops are to be found. So it will, for a moment, look and smell like Blackpool. But that image won’t last for long. If passengers turn to the right and head to the front, then they will literally have to duck under the railway line that flashes its way along the coastline. This is now known as the Riviera Line and was all Brunel’s doing.
When Isambard got to Exeter, he found the Haldon Hills standing in his way. Drivers know it now as Telegraph Hill. A line that went through them which emerged at Newton Abbot was constructed. However, Dr. Beeching thought that relying on a line that went right along the coast and gets battered by the sea on a regular and expensive basis was the best idea. It is however a bit of an attraction to see an inter-city express hurtling along a few feet from the causeway above the beach where visitors walk. It’s an even bigger thrill when a north-bound steam special comes hurtling through after it has emerged from the Kennaway Tunnel. It’s quite a dramatic sight being, literally, in the middle of the town. And everyone can enjoy having a wave because everyone waves at a train when they’re on holiday – right?
When passengers disembark from the coach and turn left, then the town is different again. The charming gardens that run through the middle of Dawlish, The Lawn, and the river, Dawlish Water, make for a tranquil spot to take a pew. A famous local landmark to head for is Gay’s Creamery in Brunswick Place. As it’s been there since 1925, it will be welcome sight for some sore old eyes who first visited Dawlish, like me, in their childhood.
Well, it’s still there and in addition to lots of Devon and West Country delights like scrumpy, cream teas, fudge and pasties, there is of course, ice cream. Worth another lick, I can tell you.
Once passengers have got their cornet, they can cross the street and will find a few benches alongside Dawlish Water where they can enjoy all the delights that Gay’s Creamery has to offer. There’s a big sign outside that says that Gay’s ice cream is: ‘Probably The BEST Ice Cream in Town.’ Who am I to argue with that? I only tried theirs so I will take their word for it. There’s another good reason for taking a pew next to the river: the swans.
In addition to a varied selection of ducks that live here, it’s the local swans that are the stars of the show. Why? Because they’re black. They are all of Australian extraction but the black swans (cygnus atratus) have become synonymous with the town appearing on the road sign for Dawlish. They even have their own Waterfowl Warden to look after them and the other 15 species of ducks on the river. There is also a compact town centre offering lots of other places to eat, drink tea and do a bit of shopping.
When passengers get back on the coach after their time in Dawlish, it might appear that their unenthusiastic response when they’re asked if they enjoyed their visit suggests they weren’t keen on the place. On the contrary, when they say something along the lines of: ‘Oh, it was very nice, thank you,’ or, ‘It’s a nice, quiet place,’ trust me, they are top marks. You won’t get many folk gushing about Dawlish. More likely they will express a nice quiet appreciation that suggests they really did like it. And wouldn’t mind going back again, me duck.
On the way back to the hotel, there is a repeat of the journey along the coast where passengers can enjoy scenery picking out the southern tip of Torbay, Berry Head, which just peeps out behind the northern tip, Hope’s Nose. Beyond that, way off in the distance is the western end of Lyme Bay, Start Point. It’s another grand scenic drive after a smashing day out. In their quiet, pleasant, traditional, English way, Dawlish and Teignmouth are crowd pleasers that offer the best of our seaside towns and coastal scenery.
Other ideas
Speaking of coastal scenery, I have often wondered why I’ve never come across a coach operator offering a train ride along the Riviera Line to their passengers. I was reading an article in the travel section of my newspaper a while ago. In a list of the 10 best railway journeys in the world, the writer – who was only expressing his own opinion – was of the view that the rail journey from Exeter to Newton Abbot was the seventh best journey, by rail, on the planet. After departing Exeter St David’s, the line offers uninterrupted views from the train across the river Exe and the Exe Estuary before it hits the coast at Dawlish Warren.
While the train travels along the coast, apart from when it travels through the tunnels on the line, there are no obstacles to block the sea views. It’s the same again when having cleared the cuttings at Teignmouth, the track carves its way alongside the river Teign and the Teign Estuary. Passengers could be picked up at Newton Abbot but to get their money’s worth, if they carried on to Torquay, in addition to more seaside views, they would enjoy the thrill of arriving at a station with one of the best sea views on the network. Trainline quoted me a price of £8.10 for the one way journey. Just a thought, but a memorable one.
Also, the drive along the coast is enjoyable in a car, on a coach it’s great, but on top of a double-decker, it’s terrific – the closest South Devon has to a big dipper, otherwise known as Stagecoach’s number 22. It picks up at Torquay’s Strand and drops at the same place as the coaches drop in Teignmouth. For many, that could be free.
Norman Wisdom in ‘Tinmouth’
Something to have a look and a laugh at on YouTube is an extract from a 1966 film starring Norman Wisdom that was made in Teignmouth, Press for Time. The extract you want is called ‘The bus chase 1966.’ In this sequence, Norman starts to give chase after someone steals his pushbike. With the thief getting away, Norman commandeers a former Bournemouth Corporation Leyland Titan TD5 (FEL214) open-topper and gives chase through the streets of ‘Tinmouth.’
In daring scenes, the driver mounts the pavement on the front and smashes into a pile of – you guessed it – deckchairs, with the chase ending in dramatic fashion! OK, it’s not exactly Bullitt, but if you were a fan of Norman Wisdom like I was when I was very young, it’s a reminder of the sort of things we used to laugh at. And does anyone know who the driver is? Not Steve McQueen, that’s for sure.
- Gay’s Creamery – Brunswick Place, Dawlish, EX7 9PD
- Teignmouth Drop Off – Esplanade, TQ14 8SX
- Teignmouth – Eastcliffe Coach Park, Dawlish Road (A379) TQ14 ATE
- Dawlish Drop Off – Piermont Place, EX7 9PH
- Dawlish Coach Park – Sandy Lane, off Exeter Road (A379) EX7 OAF
I was told by Teignbridge District Council’s parking department the £5.00 ticket to park all day is transferable between Teignmouth and Dawlish coach parks but the £3.00 ticket for up to four hours parking isn’t. No, I don’t know either.
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