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| Distance : 2.5 miles | Grading : ++ | OS Sheet : 202 |
This is a walk linking Torbay's biggest resorts, Torquay and Paignton. Starting from Torquay harbour the path passes the mariners of Torquay and the sandy beach at Torre Abbey Sands before climbing onto Corbyn Head at the end of the beach. From here the path follows the road for a little while before it turns away at Hollicombe and goes back down to the beach. From Hollicombe head the path continues at the back of the beach into Paignton.
Torquay is just off the A380 which joins the A38 near Exeter. The A379 links Torquay with the coastal towns of Teignmouth and Dawlish (and on to Exeter) to the north and Kingswear to the south. There is a large car park at the harbour and also car parking further round towards Torre Abbey.
If you're travelling by public transport, there is a station in Torquay although it is some way round the bay, at the south end of Torre Abbey Sands. It has frequent trains to Newton Abbot, Teignmouth, Dawlish, Exeter and Exmouth, with connections to Plymouth, Cornwall, London and the Midlands at Newton Abbot. There are also daily trains from London to Torquay. By bus, there are frequent buses from Exeter, Dawlish, Teignmouth, Newton Abbot, Paignton, Brixham and Totnes. For more details, see the links below.
Your spoilt for choice for accommodation in Torquay and 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 Paignton. There is a tourist information centre in Torquay (on the harbour side) and in Paignton (by the cinema on the sea-front), which carries lists of local accommodation. For more information, see the links below.
Torquay is a vibrant town with a lot to do making it well worth exploring. The pretty harbour side has a mass of boats and is surrounded by a range of shops and cafes. Further up from the harbour is the towns main shopping centre. At the north side of the harbour is the popular Living Coasts, part of Paignton Zoo. Boat trips operate from the harbour round the bay to Paignton and Brixham and the town also has a theatre, with many well-known shows on. This walk starts from the back of the main harbour, with Debenham across the street. Continue round the harbour with the tourist information centre to your right. Continue on round (you can get round), passing the car park on your right. Passing the small pier you're now passing the mariner, a mass of bobbing boats. Continue round the edge of the harbour where you soon pass the theatre.
Once past the theatre you're walking next to the road with cliffs to the right across the road before the shops and buildings begin once more. Coming round the corner you see the sandy beach of Torre Abbey Sands ahead, a popular beach, although it is quite small at high tide. A sweeping white bridge will take you over the busy road to the gardens and abbey behind, as well as the many sports facilities and the swimming pool at The Riviera Centre. Along the back of the beach is a promenade which provides a welcome break from the road above you. This continues even once the beach ends, with the sea often splashing up the steps. At the far end of the beach (known as Corbyn Beach) you have to rejoin the road by the shelter. The station is just across the road here, next to the large hotel. You then follow the road as it climbs up onto Corbyn Head (there is a pavement) and you get excellent views back to Torquay from the top. Round the head land you must continue next to the road as the path comes into Livermead, which has a small beach.
Beyond Livermead Sands you have to follow the road as it climbs again past Livermead head and Oil Cove before it descends towards Hollicombe. Here there is a park on the right, although the gas works behind do spoil it a bit. By this park the path then turns left, back to the coast crossing the railway line and then descending down to the beach. Continue past Hollicombe Head and onto Preston Beach at the north end of Paignton. You can see the towns pier straight ahead. At low tide you can walk all the way along the beach into Paignton, although about half way along the wall of a rather grand Hotel (it looks a bit like a castle) juts out onto the beach so you might have to walk round the road side of it at high tide to come into the centre of Paignton.
Paignton is a traditional seaside resort with a pier, promenade and sandy beach. Behind the beach is a large multiplex cinema, whilst the road behind this will take you past the many souvenir shops and amusement arcades to the towns shopping centre and station. The end of the pier offers good views of the town and the bay. The towns popular zoo is a little inland but is served by regular buses.
Trains operate (generally at least hourly) back to Torquay (although remember the station is a little way out of the town) offering a scenic journey back to Torquay. These trains also mostly continue on to Newton Abbot (for connections to Plymouth), Teignmouth, Dawlish and Exeter. Trains also operate daily from Paignton to London. Regular buses link Paignton and Torquay along the main road, whilst there are also buses to Brixham and Totnes from the bus station (behind the railway station). For more details, 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 Torquay and Paignton.
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.