Best Places to Visit Near Torquay
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best places to visit near Torquay are Long Quarry Point, Elberry Cove, Ness Cove Beach, Bradley Woods (Totnes), Scabbacombe Sands, Staverton Weir, Sugary Cove and Lady Exmouth Falls.
Torquay, the heart of the English Riviera, makes an ideal base for exploring the coves, rivers and wooded valleys of South Devon. Right on the doorstep at Babbacombe, Long Quarry Point cuts a dramatic figure where an old limestone quarry meets the sea.
From there the coast unfolds in a string of quiet beaches: clear-watered Elberry Cove near Broadsands, the tunnel-reached shingle of Ness Cove at Shaldon, and the wild, undeveloped sweep of Scabbacombe Sands beyond Brixham. Turn inland and the River Dart offers a cold, clear swim at Staverton Weir, while the National Trust's Bradley wraps a medieval manor in woods near Newton Abbot.
South of Dartmouth, tiny Sugary Cove hides below its castle, and further afield in the Teign valley, Lady Exmouth Falls plunges seventy metres down a cliff. Quarries, hidden coves, river pools and a towering waterfall all lie within a short drive.
Here are eight places to visit near Torquay.
Long Quarry Point
Photo: N Chadwick via Geograph.org.uk
Explore Long Quarry Point Barely two miles from Torquay at Babbacombe, Long Quarry Point is a headland formed by a large disused limestone quarry cut into the coast. Steep cliffs rise at the back of the quarry floor, with rock pinnacles and old iron mooring posts left from the days when stone was loaded onto boats and shipped away.
The rock is a well-studied Devonian limestone, holding the fossil remains of an ancient reef, and the point sits within a protected coast and a UNESCO geopark. A zig-zag path drops down from Walls Hill, and it is a busy spot for climbers and coasteering close to Torquay.
Elberry Cove
Photo: Ian S via Geograph.org.uk
Swim at Elberry Cove A short way south around Torbay, near Broadsands, Elberry Cove is a quiet pebble cove backed by woods and reached only on foot along the coast path. The water here is notably clear and sheltered in the bay, used for swimming and water-skiing through summer.
At one end stand the ruins of an old bathing house built for Lord Churston. The writer Agatha Christie knew the cove well and wove it into her fiction.
It makes a peaceful, easy escape from the busier Torquay beaches, all the better for the walk in through the trees.
Ness Cove Beach
Photo: Alan Hunt via Geograph.org.uk
Head down to Ness Cove Beach Across at Shaldon, over the estuary from Teignmouth, Ness Cove is a secluded shingle beach below the red headland of the Ness. The way down is through the Smugglers' Tunnel, a dark, winding passage cut through the cliff that opens onto the shore.
The shingle slopes gently to the sea, with a marked swimming zone kept clear of boats, and it suits bathing, rock-pooling and fishing. Whether the tunnel was cut by smugglers or by the owners of a nearby house in the nineteenth century is not certain.
Steep steps make it hard going and there are no facilities on the sand, but it is a rewarding find near Torquay.
Bradley Woods (Totnes)
Photo: Derek Harper via Geograph.org.uk
Bradley Woods (Totnes) The Totnes tag misleads, since Bradley actually sits on the western edge of Newton Abbot in south Devon, a National Trust holding of around a hundred acres of meadow, orchard and woodland filling the River Lemon valley. At its centre stands an early fifteenth-century manor house, counted among the most complete in the county, opening for guided tours on set days through the season.
The woods themselves are a protected site of small-leaved lime, laced with riverside and woodland paths free to walk, dogs welcome on leads. It makes an unhurried, leafy day out with a genuine medieval house waiting in the middle of it.
Scabbacombe Sands
Photo: Derek Harper via Geograph.org.uk
Escape to Scabbacombe Sands Down the coast north of Kingswear near Brixham, Scabbacombe Sands is a small, secluded cove sheltered by cliffs and facing east. Despite the name it is more pebble than sand, though the water is clear, and there is no road down: you walk in from a small car park on Scabbacombe Lane, down a steep track and across a field.
Quiet and undeveloped, with no facilities, the far end has long been used by naturists. Dogs are allowed all year.
For anyone after a proper away-from-it-all cove near Torquay, this is a fine choice.
Staverton Weir
Photo: Christine Johnstone via Geograph.org.uk
Staverton Weir draws wild swimmers to the deep, calm pool that gathers above it, well clear of the weir face itself. The river here is the Dart, on a quiet wooded stretch lined with meadows a few miles upstream of Totnes in Devon.
The medieval Staverton Bridge stands close by, and the South Devon heritage steam railway keeps the river company along this reach, with a station in the village. There is parking near the bridge, and the water runs cold and clear, which is the whole appeal on a warm afternoon.
Sugary Cove
Photo: Derek Harper via Geograph.org.uk
Find Sugary Cove A little south of Dartmouth, Sugary Cove is a tiny, secluded beach of mixed sand and pebble below wooded cliffs, overlooked by Dartmouth Castle. It is reached on foot from the castle car park down a steep path with steps, and there are no facilities on the beach itself.
The sand all but disappears at high tide, so time your visit for the ebb. It is a quiet spot used for swimming when the tide allows, and the walk down past the castle only adds to the sense of a hidden find near Torquay.
Lady Exmouth Falls
Photo: Lewis Clarke via Geograph.org.uk
Marvel at Lady Exmouth Falls Worth the slightly longer drive into the wooded Teign valley near Christow, Lady Exmouth Falls is the main fall at Canonteign Falls, a tall waterfall made by hand rather than by nature. It was created in 1890 by leading water over a cliff, work done by miners left idle when the estate's silver mines closed, and named for the lady of the estate.
It drops around seventy metres and is often described as the highest man-made waterfall in England. Woodland trails lead up to it from the visitor attraction below, making a memorable day out from Torquay.
FAQs
Which beaches near Torquay are the most secluded?
Elberry Cove, Scabbacombe Sands and Sugary Cove are among the quietest near Torquay, each reached on foot and free of the crowds found on the town's main seafront.
Where can you go wild swimming near Torquay?
Staverton Weir on the River Dart, near Totnes, is a popular wild swimming spot close to Torquay, with a deep, calm pool above the weir on a wooded stretch of river.
How tall is Lady Exmouth Falls?
Lady Exmouth Falls at Canonteign, in the Teign valley near Torquay, drops around seventy metres and is often described as the highest man-made waterfall in England.
Conclusion
From a sea-cut quarry at Babbacombe to a hand-built waterfall in the Teign valley, the country around Torquay rewards anyone willing to wander a little. The coast is the great draw, with Elberry Cove, Ness Cove, Scabbacombe Sands and Sugary Cove each tucked away and reached on foot, offering clear water and real seclusion.
Inland, Staverton Weir tempts wild swimmers to the Dart, while Bradley pairs ancient woodland with a rare medieval manor. For sheer spectacle, Lady Exmouth Falls is hard to beat.
Whether you fancy a rock-pool scramble, a river dip or a woodland walk, pack sensible shoes and mind the tides on those steep cove paths: these are the places to visit near Torquay.
