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| Distance : 5.5 miles | Grading : ++ | OS Sheet : 202 |
This walk starts in the popular resort of Paignton with it's long sandy beach. The coast path pases the pier and harbour then climbs to Roundham Head where it then descends through gardens into Goodrington Sands, another good (and often busy) beach which is backed by the steam railway. Round the beach at Goodrington and past Saltern Cove into Broadsands, a blue flag beach. A short distance on from Broadsands you get to the pretty beach of Elberry Cove, where the path then goes through woods before emerging at the edge of Brixham harbour, with it's imposing breakwater and on into the centre of Brixham.
Paignton is easily reached from the A380 Exeter - Paignton road, which is dual-carriageway for most of the way. At the end of the A380, turn left onto the A379, which goes into the centre of Paignton. The A385 links the A38 dual-carriageway with Paignton, passing through Totnes on the way and again, join the A379 into the centre of the town. There are several car parks near the town centre, and also parking spaces along the sea-front.
If you're travelling by public transport, there is a station in Paignton, at the end of a branch line from Newton Abbot. There are regular trains from Exeter and Exmouth to Paignton. From Plymouth there are a few direct trains, otherwise you need to change at Newton Abbot. There are also daily longer distance services from London Waterloo, London Paddington, Bristol and Birmingham direct to Paignton. The scenic Paignton and Dartmouth Railway runs trains from Kingswear to Paignton during the summer months.
There are regular buses to Paignton from Totnes, Torquay, Brixham and Kingswear. There is also a regular express coach from Exeter to Torquay and Paignton. For more details on public transport links to Paignton, see the links below.
Your spoilt for choice for accommodation in Paignton. There is a large range of hotels available in the area to suit all tastes and budgets. There is also a good range of self catering accommodation in the area, especially towards Goodrington and Broadsands. There is a tourist information centre in Paignton, on the sea-front by the cinema, which carries lists of local accommodation. For more information, see the links below.
The popular resort of Paignton, in the centre of Torbay is the starting point for this walk. Paignton is one the towns that make up The English Riviera, so called because the east facing bay is sheltered from the westerly winds, making the average temperature higher than most British resorts. Paignton is the main beach resort of Torbay with good clean beaches, with almost red sand, due to the stone that makes up the cliffs nearby. The town is also quite large, with a multiplex cinema on the sea front and a row of somewhat tacky shops leading up from it to the town centre and station, from where there is a steam railway running to Kingswear, on the banks of the river Dart.. The popular zoo is in large grounds towards the back of the town, away from the sea front.
The pier seems a good place to start this walk, the promenade along the back of the beach is the coast path. Turn right as you face out to sea and continue along the promenade, past the large cinema, towards the harbour. At the end of the beach there are a couple of thatched cottages, and a path next to them onto the harbour. Walk round the harbour where the path then climbs steeply up into Cliff Road. As the road bears round to the right, go into the park at Roundham Head. There are excellent views over Paignton and Torquay from the path round the park, which also has a good pitch and putt course.
As you round the park, you come to the top of the cliff, where there are a variety of paths zig-zagging down the cliff, through the attractive gardens to Goodrington Sands. Out of season this good beach is quiet, but during the summer season, when the Quaywest water park is open, it tends to get very crowded. The coast path continues along the back of the beach, although at low tide you could also walk along the beach. A small rocky area (known as Middle Stone) splits the beach into two. Behind the beach here there are toilets, shops and refreshments, although not all are open during the winter months. As the path rounds the beach it pases close to the railway line, which is used by steam trains on the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway.
Once out of Goodrington Sands pass under the railway line, which the path then follows on the climb up towards Saltern Cove. At Saltern Cove there is a bridge over the railway line onto the grassy headland. Continue adjacent to the railway line past the cove and Armchair Rock, where you will see Broadsands below. The coast path goes a short distance inland here, and pases under the impressive Broadsands viaduct that carries the railway on towards Kingswear, where the path descends down towards the beach. The good beach has a blue flag and so has clean and safe water, although the beach does sometimes get a bit of seaweed. There are toilets at the back of the beach here, as well as a large car park.
Once round the beach, the path continues at a fairly low-level around Churston Point, where there is another pitch and putt course and comes out onto the beautiful Elberry Cove. This is a shingle beach, but is peaceful and unspoilt and also holds a seaside award and so the water should be clean. At the eastern end of the beach is the remains of Elberry Bath House, which looks like a small castle. The path climbs fairly steeply away from the beach and then pases through the edge of woods for the next half-mile or so. You then approach Fishcombe Point and Churston Cove, where there is a car park and toilets. Round the headland and you come to the large car park and laboratory, but continue along the footpath to the harbour. The harbour in Brixham is very pretty, especially at high tide, and there are also many boats in the mariner further round the bay. The old market area is an interesting feature of the harbour, and there is also a replica of the Golden Hind here.
Regular buses (generally around every 10 minutes) return from the town square in Brixham (a little back from the harbour) to Paignton Bus station, which is next to the station, taking around 20 minutes. Most of the buses continue on to Torquay and Newton Abbot. For more information, see the links below.
Here are some photos of the walk. Click a picture for a larger version and description.
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Ordnance Survey Landranger map 202 covers this area of the coast path and is available from most book shops nationwide. It is also stocked at the tourist information centres in Paignton and Brixham.
Multimap is a web site which provides maps of the UK, including around Paignton and Brixham. The links below will be of most use to the coast path from Paignton to Brixham. These maps join to provide the complete coast path between the two points.