Short answer: Totnes is inland, so winter weather matters less here than on the coast. A full street of independent shops, a free museum in an Elizabethan building, and the Pig & Whistle just outside town for the country pub Sunday.
Totnes sits eight miles up the Dart at the tidal limit, so it does not take the weather the coast does. It is also a market town rather than a resort — the shops serve people who live there, and they are open in January.
A full street of independents climbing from the river to the castle — bookshops, delis, whole-food places, second-hand everything. Very few Devon towns still have that, and in winter it is genuinely the reason to come.
Totnes Museum and Archives on Fore Street, in a remarkable Elizabethan building, run by volunteers and free to enter. There is a room on Charles Babbage among the local history. An easy hour out of the rain.
Totnes climbs steeply and the flat ground is the Plains by the river, which is where most of the good places to eat are. With a buggy on a wet afternoon, do not fight the hill.
The steam railway station car park is around £7.50; there is free parking on the nearby industrial estate. Worth knowing on a shopping trip.
The South Devon Railway runs festive services up the Dart valley. Santa trains sell out early across Devon, so book rather than turning up.
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.
See the full Totnes guide, filtered by who's with you.
Plan your day near Totnes →