Newton Abbot

Market days still bring proper bustle to this working Devon town, where the weekly cattle market has drawn farmers for centuries. Newton Abbot sits at the heart of South Devon's rolling countryside, perfectly positioned between Dartmoor's granite tors and the English Riviera's sandy beaches. It's refreshingly unpretentious - a place where locals actually live and work rather than just pose for holiday snaps.

The town centre revolves around the imposing St Leonards Clock Tower, while Newton Abbot Museum tells the story of this former market hub with surprising detail. Bakers Park offers a green escape right in town, though the real draws lie just beyond. Dartmoor's wild expanse begins practically on the doorstep, with those distinctive granite peaks like Blair Hill and Wrigwell Hill rising from ancient moorland.

Getting here is straightforward enough - the A38 dual carriageway whisks you down from Exeter in half an hour, while the railway connects directly to London Paddington. The town serves as an excellent jumping-off point for both moor and coast, with Torquay's beaches just 20 minutes south and Dartmoor's hiking trails equally close north.

Staying at one of the nearby holiday parks makes perfect sense for exploring this corner of Devon. You're ideally placed for day trips in any direction - whether that's wild swimming in Dartmoor's rivers, browsing Totnes's independent shops, or building sandcastles on Paignton's seafront. Newton Abbot itself might not set pulses racing, but as a base for discovering South Devon's varied pleasures, it's hard to beat.