A road trip to a seaside town is a popular thing for people in the Uk to do for a feel-good experience. Recently I had the absolute pleasure of spending the day in the town of Torquay by the harbour which lies within the English Riviera along the southwestern coastline of Torbay.
It was only a 20-minute drive via the motorway, from Newton Abbot, which lies 9 miles away in South Devon.
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| A shot of me snapping the scenery along the drive. | This particular spot is not so hilly, but I like to see the houses dotted amongst the greenery. | Beach Huts- owned by different individuals, who might spend the day by the sea on sunny days. |
The landscape and geographical layout of this part of the UK is hilly and picturesque, which gives you a scenic, light, and cheerful vibe as you drive along the motorway.
There are quaint old cottages that allude to charm, so traveling as a passenger was conducive to my head-turning antics to grasp individual unique homes.
Overtourism can be expected in Torquay, especially in the summertime or on bank holidays. Therefore, you can sometimes expect delays in finding available parking, as we experienced.
Scenes from around the Fleet Walk Shopping Centre.
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We took advantage of the situation, by taking a stroll through the central shopping area where I was able to pick up a few items from TK Maxx since that was the closest store in that region.
I had a small camera and tried to take a few shots without being intrusive or annoying to anyone.
I regret not getting any great closeup photos of The Pavilion which was once a prominent theatre, however, events are still held there throughout the year.
The Bay Area
You have the option to view the bay area and the English Riviera that overlooks Torquay Harbour, from this high wheel pictured here; It's a vantage point that I don't see myself ever taking advantage of.
A more viable way for me to experience this stunning area is on foot, as it's an amiable stroll along the harbour, with ice cream as was seen by many.
The Boardwalk is a people-watchers haven.
There's a row of seating along the boardwalk on opposite sides; This is the perfect place to sit and relax by the calm waters in the bay, or you can admire people going by casually along the boardwalk.
Dining by the Bay
There's a highly recommendable restaurant called Below Decks where my friend and I had a light lunch. The menu was varied, with paninis, burgers, a pasta selection, and typical English meals. My friend went for an exotic shrimp and mussels spaghetti, while I had warm camembert and cranberry panini. They both looked divine and we devoured them forgetting to take photos.
Torquay is a historic location, and here you can see some original D-Day Embarkation World War 2 Ramps that are still standing.
On the deck, passersby take in the view of the area, which of course was strategically built so you can look out at the entire harbour.
There are tour boats and other rentals available for day trips around the harbour and neighbouring locations.
At the far end, you can see the cove area of Brixham, a fishing port along the southwestern coastline of Torbay.
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| Exterior of the Living Coasts Zoo that was closed and is no longer in operation since the pandemic. | Looking out from the broad ledge where people tend to sit for conversation. | The edge of Brixham, where I explored on foot on a separate trip to Brixham. |
I'll be honest and say that being a tropical islander, there's just no magnetic effect of the English waters on me. So, as much as I enjoy spending the day exploring and sightseeing, there's no force on earth strong enough to make me join the handful of people that were seen in the water.
This truly is an amazing location of a well-protected marina that's home to a fleet of sailing yachts, powerboats, and pleasure boats (no Badger narrowboats).
What I like is that you can do so much, very little, or nothing at all, and spend the day daydreaming and seeing just how the other half lives.
Would I go back to Torquay?
Absolutely! I've been back a few times since this visit, and I noticed the difference in foot traffic and available parking spots, on a regular day compared to a Bank Holiday.
Ssh! A top tip from my friend is that Torquay is great to visit in the wintertime when there are no tourists around.
Thank you for checking out my blog:)
Wait, wait!
PS. I forgot to add a drive-by photo; Apparently, there's a land train that offers tours around the town.
Isn't that cool?
The only thing is that there was no Choo Choo, so I nearly missed it!👀