Devon is the perfect destination away from London to the countryside and the sea. And only a 3.5 hour train ride from London Waterloo to Exeter! I spent £90 on a return trip with the Southwestern Railway, so not bad if you’re looking to get away and avoid the airport. Here is how I would recommend spending 2 full days in Devon.
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You could honestly do these days flipped if you want, it’s really whatever you are wanting to do your first day. If you’re visiting in the warmer months, a day at the beach in Exmouth will be amazing – maybe see which day is warmer and decide from there. To get to Exmouth from Exeter, you have to take another train from Exeter Central about 30 minutes. It was £13 round trip on TrainLine.
Where to Stay
While I was in Devon, I was lucky enough to stay with my friend, Madi while she was doing a house sit. Here’s what I would do if I was going without a place to stay. Take a late train into Exeter, settle into your hotel and get a good nights rest. The next morning, take the train to Exmouth and enjoy the day there. Go back to Exeter that evening, and spend the second day exploring Exeter. If you can swing spending another night, go for it. If not, take a late train back to London!
Even though I didn’t need a hotel, I did some research for you! My first recommendation is Holiday Inn Express because it is near the river, reasonably priced, and has breakfast included. The quay is only a 5 minute walk. For something a little fancier, but similar location, Mill on the Exe is a good option. They also have suites with river views. If you’d rather be more in central Exeter, renting a flat like this one might be the right fit for you. It offers more of the comforts of a home and is only 5 minutes to the Exeter Cathedral.
If you’d rather spend your nights (or one) in Exmouth, here are some options to make your search a little easier!
Day 1: Exmouth
So, you’ve rested up (hopefully) and get a whole day to explore the beautiful seaside town of Exmouth! When you leave the train station, you will walk straight into the city central where you can grab a coffee or tea and something to eat if you’d like. The walk to the sea from the station is about 15 minutes. And it’s beautiful with lots of green and a nice walking path to lead you there.
Lunch
Find yourself a spot on the beach or pop into some of the shops along the water and just enjoy the day! When you start to get hungry, lunch at Heydays is my recommendation. Grab a pint and one of their Devon crab sandwiches and you are good to go for the rest of your afternoon. Exmouth is extremely dog-friendly. You will see dogs everywhere, including inside restaurants sometimes. Personally, I love dogs and was thrilled by this, but if you aren’t so keen then you’ve been warned.
If you need a sweet treat, walk down the road a bit to Sea Shore Ice Creamery – they have so many flavors to choose from (see photo)! I opted for the Devon toffee fudge and even added a fudge stick. Yumm!
Dinner
After some more relaxation, wandering, or shopping, you might start thinking about heading back north to Exeter. I would recommend staying in Exmouth to at least have dinner before leaving (if you can manage to eat again). The Grapevine Brewhouse was a yummy spot for a burger and, if you fancy more ice cream, a milkshake! They even do boozy shakes (highly recommend the Toblerone). Of course you can just have a pint if you prefer, but where’s the fun in that? Instead of a regular burger, we went with the Piggy – a pulled pork sandwich big enough to share.
Day 2: Exeter
The next day you’re ready to explore Exeter! If you have another day of good weather, it will be a great day to be down by the quay. I would recommend stopping in the city center first. Grab breakfast if you didn’t at your hotel – I’d recommend Between Bread. From there, head to the Exeter Cathedral. It costs £5-10 to go in, which was a bit strange. I decided to not walk through it, but it is very impressive! If that is something you’d like to pay for, then definitely do. For the fans, the cathedral is rumored to be the inspiration behind the Great Hall in Harry Potter. JK Rowling went to university in Exeter.
On a similar note, right outside the cathedral on 10 Cathedral Close, you can find an old wooden door that is said to be the inspiration behind the door to the room of requirement. I’m not sure if it’s true, but it is a beautiful door and is extremely old. Dating back to the 14th century, even if you aren’t a Harry Potter fan, this is a cool one to see!
At this point you might need a pint to quench your thirst. Head in towards The Turks Head pub – they have a nice selection of beers and ciders to choose from. You can grab a snack here if you’re hungry, but I wouldn’t have a full meal here just yet. If you go all the way upstairs you can get some nice views of the streets below! After a little relaxing, walk down to Gandy street. Another rumored Harry Potter inspo spot, this time for Diagon Ally. I’m not sure I’m convinced on this one, but it is really cute and there are shops, restaurants, and bars all along to pop into if you’d like. Consider coming back here in the evening if you want some going out vibes. The Cocktail Club is always a good option.
Exeter Quay
Once you’ve explored thoroughly, you can (finally) head down to the quay. This is where we spent most of our time, but the only regret I have is doing the quay first. By the time we went back into the city center, a lot of shops were closed. So trust me when I tell you to do the city first! I’m sure you’ll be famished by this point – so walk down to the quay and straight to On The Waterfront. This is a pizza spot with incredible views. Do yourself a favor and sit outside. We ordered the garlic dough balls (you can skip these they aren’t what you think) and a Hawaiian pizza. It was plenty for 2 people to share.
After eating and relaxing a little bit, you can wander around the quay and do a little shopping if you’d like. One of my favorite shops in Exeter is called The Fire Trees. They make beautiful furniture and cutting boards – I really wanted to buy one but I couldn’t carry it around all day. However, they do ship, and I imagine I will be buying something in the near future. There are other cute souvenir type shops on the quay that were fun to look around in as well.
Refresh
We needed a bit of fuel and decided to grab a chai at The Coffee Cellar – honestly one of the best ones I’ve had in England so far! The couple running the place are so nice and even gave us a free pain au chocolat. If it’s too warm, you can always get an iced coffee or some gelato. There are chairs outside next to the quay if you’d like to stop here to just chill.
When you’re ready, head to the footbridge where you can get to the other side of the quay. There, you’ll find Topsham Brewery, where you can have a nice pint in the garden. Another opportunity to relax, people watch, or even strike up a conversation with some locals! Honestly, we couldn’t have asked for a better day spent in Exeter just like this.
Dinner
When you’re ready to eat again, I would recommend going to The Ivy. If it’s nice outside, you can sit outside and have nice views of the Cathedral. For a pint after, we went to The Old Firehouse, which is another rumored Harry Potter haunt. Supposedly mirroring the idea behind The Leaky Cauldron. It is a cool outdoorsy pub! You can eat here as well, but their main dinner menu is pizza, so if you took my recommendations for lunch to heart, you probably want to switch it up. If you’re happy to skip the drink and just have dessert, Kaspa’s is the spot. The menu is a bit overwhelming, but you’re sure to find something to take the edge off that sweet tooth!
Back to London
From here, you’re either catching a late train back to London or heading out the next day (or maybe you get an extra day to explore!) Whatever it is, I hope this helped you get the most of your time in these cool English towns. And if you want more ideas for quick trips away from London, check out more of my UK travels!
