Local guide
Local guide to Torcross & Start Bay
Beaches, National Trust and English Heritage properties, pubs, cafés, shops and the practical things you may need while you stay at At The Beach.
Last checked October 2026. Opening times change with the seasons, so check with each place before you set off. Distances are approximate road miles from Torcross unless stated.
- Beaches
- National Trust & English Heritage
- Other places of interest
- Pubs
- Cafés & restaurants
- Shops & food
- Practical information
Beaches
Start Bay's beaches are mostly shingle, with sandier coves further west. Several are dog friendly all year; check local signs in summer.
Torcross & Slapton Sands
Three miles of shingle running north from the building. Dogs are welcome all year. Access right by the sea defence works is limited until spring 2027.
Beesands
A long shingle beach in front of an old fishing village, with a pub and a seafood shack.
Hallsands
A small beach beside the ruins of the old village lost to the sea in 1917. There's a viewing platform over the ruins.
Blackpool Sands
A sheltered cove of fine shingle backed by pine trees, with a café and watersports in season. Privately run; parking charges apply.
Website →Salcombe's beaches
North Sands and South Sands near Salcombe, and Mill Bay across the estuary at East Portlemouth, are sandy and sheltered.
Bantham & Thurlestone
Wide sandy beaches on the west side of the Kingsbridge estuary, popular with surfers and families.
National Trust & English Heritage
There's a good spread of historic houses, gardens and castles within an hour of Torcross.
Coleton FishacreNational Trust
An Arts and Crafts country house built for the D'Oyly Carte family in the 1920s, with a garden running down a valley to the sea.
Website →GreenwayNational Trust
Agatha Christie's holiday home, with woodland gardens above the Dart. Arriving by ferry from Dartmouth makes a great day out.
Website →Overbeck'sNational Trust
An Edwardian house with lush, subtropical gardens and views across the Salcombe estuary.
Website →Prawle Point & the Bolt coastNational Trust
Wild coastline cared for by the National Trust, including Prawle Point, Devon's most southerly point, and the cliffs from Bolt Head to Bolt Tail.
Dartmouth CastleEnglish Heritage
Coastal fortress guarding the entrance to the Dart since the late 1300s, with gun towers and wide estuary views.
Website →Bayard's Cove FortEnglish Heritage
A small Tudor artillery fort on Dartmouth's waterfront. Free to visit.
Website →Totnes CastleEnglish Heritage
A Norman motte-and-bailey castle with views over the town and the Dart valley.
Website →Berry Pomeroy CastleEnglish Heritage
A romantic ruined castle with an Elizabethan mansion inside its walls, deep in the woods.
Website →Other places of interest
Wildlife, wartime history and family days out close to At The Beach.
Slapton Ley National Nature Reserve
The South West's largest natural freshwater lake, with easy trails and bird hides. Managed by the Field Studies Council.
Website →Exercise Tiger memorial
The Sherman tank memorial remembering the American servicemen killed in 1944.
Start Point Lighthouse
A lighthouse dating from 1836 at the end of a dramatic headland walk, with car parking above.
Dartmouth Steam Railway & River Boats
Steam trains along the Dart to Paignton and boat trips on the river.
Website →Britannia Royal Naval College
The Royal Navy's officer training college, which dominates the Dartmouth skyline. Guided tours run on selected dates.
Woodlands Family Theme Park
Indoor and outdoor rides and play areas, a good bet in any weather.
Website →Cookworthy Museum
Local history museum in a 17th-century schoolhouse.
Salcombe Maritime Museum
The town's seafaring history, from shipbuilding to lifeboats.
Pubs
Village pubs within a few miles of At The Beach. Many serve food; booking is wise in summer and at weekends.
The Start Bay Inn
The village's seafront pub, well known for fresh fish and chips and views across the bay.
The Cricket Inn
A popular seafront pub with rooms, known for local seafood.
Britannia @ the Beach
A beachside seafood shack and café, open seasonally.
The Tradesman's Arms
A traditional village pub just inland from Torcross.
The Church House Inn
A historic pub beside Stokenham's parish church.
The Queen's Arms
A friendly village local at the north end of the Ley.
The Tower Inn
An old inn tucked beside the ruined chantry tower.
Cafés & restaurants
For a coffee, lunch or a takeaway close to home. Dartmouth, Salcombe and Kingsbridge have a much wider choice of restaurants.
Torcross Boathouse
A licensed café and takeaway in the Old Watch House, with fish and chips and seaside lunches.
Seabreeze
A seafront café with cakes, light lunches and beach essentials.
Stokeley Farm Shop restaurant
Breakfasts, lunches and cream teas at the farm shop near Stokenham.
Dartmouth & Salcombe
Both towns have a wide range of restaurants, from seafood to fine dining. Book ahead in high season.
Shops & food
Torcross has no supermarket, so most guests stock up on the way in.
Stokeley Farm Shop
Farm shop with a deli, butcher and fish counters, plus a garden centre.
Kingsbridge
The nearest town, with supermarkets including Tesco and Morrisons, pharmacies, banks and a leisure centre.
Dartmouth
Independent shops, galleries, a food market and supermarkets. Currently reached inland via Kingsbridge.
Totnes
A historic market town with independent shops and markets, and the nearest main line railway station.
Practical information
Useful to know before and during your stay.
Medical help
For urgent advice call NHS 111. The nearest A&E departments are Derriford Hospital in Plymouth and Torbay Hospital in Torquay. South Hams Hospital in Kingsbridge has a minor injuries unit; check it's open before you go.
Website →Parking
Guests use the private, code-controlled car park behind the building. The public Tank car park next door is closed until around June 2027.
Website →Getting here
The A379 coast road over Slapton Sands is closed after storm damage, so approach Torcross via Kingsbridge.
By train & plane
The nearest main line station is Totnes, about 15 miles away. Exeter Airport is about 45 miles away.
Tide times
Check the tides before rock pooling, walking the beaches or launching a kayak.
Website →Dogs
Slapton Sands welcomes dogs all year. Keep dogs on leads around the Ley's wildlife and on farmland.