Short answer: Dartmouth has more good places to eat per square mile than anywhere on this coast, and the Embankment along the quay is flat and free. Café Alf Resco opens at seven in normal weeks.
The Embankment and the river, free. Dartmouth is a proper town on a steep-sided river, and the quay is level and lit even when everything else is shut.
Flat along the quay with the Dart beside you and Kingswear opposite. Short, easy, and enough after a large lunch.
Out to Dartmouth Castle along the river. Sugary Cove is three minutes' walk from the castle, and Compass Cove is the hidden one off the coast path south, down a long flight of steps.
Behind the town, for height over the river. A climb, but the view back down is worth it.
Ring before you set off. Boxing Day hours are decided late, change year to year, and are the single thing most likely to be wrong online. A two-minute call beats a wasted drive.
The crossings to Kingswear are real transport here rather than a summer novelty, but Boxing Day sailings are reduced or suspended. Check before planning to get back that way.
Park once in town and walk. The road out to the castle is narrow and unlit, and December does not make it any wider.
If you want to eat out, book now rather than in December. The places that do serve on Boxing Day fill weeks ahead, and the ones that do not take bookings have queues instead.
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