A weekend in Paignton

2 days For everyone Built from visitor-rated places

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This is a weekend for people who like their history with a side of sea air. You base yourselves in Paignton, where all four of our cottages, Turtle Beach, Starfish Shack and Crabby Cove (each sleeping 4) and Shells Shore (sleeping 5), sit just 0.2 miles from Paignton station and 0.1 miles from Paignton Sands, whose bathing water is rated Good by the Environment Agency. Arriving by train couldn't be simpler, and the beach is practically on the doorstep.

Day one pairs the National Trust's Shute Barton with Colcombe Castle, with lunch in between at Frydays, a fish and chip shop holding a 5/5 food hygiene rating. Day two is the longer haul: Trematon Castle lies 56.8 miles beyond Colcombe, then Saltash Heritage Museum is only 1.4 miles further on. It's very much a driving weekend, so the EV charging near each cottage is a genuinely useful bonus.

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Day 1

Start at Shute Barton, then drive 4.7 miles to Frydays for lunch before a short 3-mile hop to Colcombe Castle for the afternoon. Frydays opens for lunch 12:00–15:00 Tuesday to Saturday only, so plan this day for one of those.

Morning

Shute Barton

Stately Home & Palace

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Lunch

Frydays

Fish & Chips

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Afternoon

Colcombe Castle

Castle & Heritage

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Day 2

Get the biggest leg of the weekend done first: Trematon Castle is 56.8 miles on from Colcombe Castle, the previous stop. From there Saltash Heritage Museum is just 1.4 miles away, which keeps the afternoon relaxed.