Dartmouth Without a Car: Train, Steam Railway and Ferry

Short answer: Dartmouth has no station, but the way in is better than one: mainline to Paignton, the Dartmouth Steam Railway along the coast to Kingswear, then the passenger ferry across the river into town. Once here, the boats are the transport.

The best car-free arrival in Devon

Dartmouth famously has a station building with no trains — the railway stops on the other side of the river at Kingswear. That sounds like a problem and it is actually the most enjoyable way to arrive anywhere in this county.

Take the mainline to Paignton. Change onto the Dartmouth Steam Railway, which runs along the coast to Kingswear. Then take the passenger ferry across the Dart into Dartmouth. Three forms of transport, all of them scenic, and you arrive on the quay in the middle of town.

Bus timetables in Devon thin out sharply from October and change between summer and winter. Check the operator's current timetable before you plan a day around a connection rather than trusting an old printout or an app that has not refreshed.

The boats are the local transport

Once here you genuinely do not want a car. Ferries run down the river to Dartmouth Castle, across to Kingswear, and upriver towards Totnes. The castle ferry is around £3.50 a head and reviewers describe it as very good value — it is also the best view of the fort you will get.

The road out to the castle is narrow with minimal parking at the end, so the boat is the better option even if you have driven.

What you can reach on foot

• The whole town — the quay, the Embankment, Bayard's Cove and the Tudor streets.
• Dartmouth Castle — about half an hour on foot, or three minutes from the castle to Sugary Cove.
• Sugary Cove — a small shingle cove for an afternoon swim.
• The coast path east and west, for as far as you want to go.

What needs the bus

Blackpool Sands, the family beach, is fifteen minutes west by road and not a walk. Buses run along that coast road towards Kingsbridge and Slapton. Strete Gate and Torcross are further along the same route — check for road closures, as storm damage has affected the through road in the past.

Totnes upriver

River boats run up the Dart towards Totnes, which is itself a mainline station with the South Devon Railway and the Rare Breeds Farm. A boat one way and a train back is a genuinely good day and needs no car at all.

The upside

Dartmouth's streets are narrow, the parking is limited and the lanes out of town are worse. Arriving without a car is not a compromise here — it is how the town is best experienced.