Short answer: Paignton is the easiest Torbay town in winter: flat, with a level promenade and a mainline station near the sand. The zoo runs through the winter and is far quieter, and the pier arcade is a dry hour.
Torquay is built across hills and Brixham is squeezed into a steep harbour. Paignton is flat, with a level promenade and parking along the front. On a dark wet afternoon with children, that is the whole argument.
Paignton Zoo stays open through the winter with indoor habitats and play areas, and it is a different experience without the summer crowds — four or five hours is typical, and parking is free for over 1,100 cars.
Dogs are not admitted. But their own nature reserve, Primley Park, takes all dogs free and is open round the clock.
Free to walk onto, with an arcade, penny pushers and dinosaur mini golf at the end. It is not a day out, but it is a dry half hour that costs only what you choose to put in the machines.
Paignton Beach South opens to dogs from 1 October, and Fairy Cove behind the harbour takes dogs all year — shaded, with rock pools, and almost nobody there in December.
Paignton has a mainline station a short level walk from the seafront, which is easier than parking in the dark and wet.
Winter opening is where online listings are least reliable. Ring before you drive — several places here show as closed on Google and answer the phone perfectly happily.
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