Discover Buckfastleigh

Buckfastleigh combines railway history, a vibrant town history and the landscape on the edge of Dartmoor National Park. Anyone planning a trip with varied experiences will find notable destinations here: a traditional railway line, historic buildings, a short or longer circular walk, an outdoor swimming pool and facilities focused on nature and cave studies. This combination helps you choose a holiday apartment or holiday home according to your preferred pace of travel.

Railways and experiences at the station

The South Devon Railway runs along a traditional branch line of the Great Western Railway between Buckfastleigh and Totnes Riverside. It brings back the golden age of travel between the 1930s and 1960s. Buckfastleigh is the railway’s headquarters; extensive free parking is available there, and most journeys on the line begin here. The South Devon Railway Museum is located in the former goods shed at the station. Together, the railway line, museum and station offer an engaging introduction to the region’s railway history.

Also located at the station in Buckfastleigh, Devon, is the Dartmoor Otter Sanctuary and Buckfast Butterfly Farm, postcode TQ11 0DZ. This allows you to add another nature and wildlife experience to your outing. For an active option, the Welcome to Dartmoor Buckfastleigh Walk offers two clearly defined possibilities: the main route is 5.8 km long, with a shorter 2 km option also available. Take these different distances into account when planning your day, without committing to a specific walking time.

Town history between the pub, church and weavers’ cottages

The Valiant Soldier has been preserved as a museum and offers an insight into the past. The present building dates from the 18th century, while the earliest reference to it as a pub dates from 1813. Its rooms reflect its history as a pub and family residence, as well as its heritage from the 1960s. Those who appreciate historic interiors and everyday history can make this visit a focus in its own right.

The townscape also contains several specific traces of earlier times. The listed row of weavers’ cottages with tenter lofts in Chapel Street has been preserved as evidence of Buckfastleigh’s industrial history. In the High Street of Buckfastleigh Lower Town, a medieval layout with long, narrow plots is visible. These burgage plots each provide access to the River Mardle and the Dean Burn. Of the Holy Trinity Church, built in the 13th century, only the shell of the walls and the tower spire added in the 1840s remain today following the fire in July 1992.

Dartmoor, abbey and time outdoors

Buckfast Abbey is home to a community of Roman Catholic Benedictine monks and lies at the heart of a picturesque valley on the edge of Dartmoor National Park. The abbey adds a cultural and scenic element to the trip. The Cave Studies Centre at Higher Kiln Quarry near Buckfastleigh is also located within Dartmoor National Park. The William Pengelly Cave Studies Trust operates a study centre there. This means that, alongside town history and railways, you can also include topics relating to the landscape and cave studies.

For a more relaxed or weather-dependent day out, there is Buckfastleigh Open Air Pool: the heated outdoor pool is 21 metres long and lies in the heart of Buckfastleigh. Its history also stretches back: in 1887, the Hamlyn family, prominent benefactors and the original owners of the town’s woollen mills, donated Victoria Park and the swimming pool to Buckfastleigh to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. When choosing your accommodation, you can therefore consider whether you would particularly like to focus on the railway, the historic town, the Dartmoor landscape or a varied combination of these themes.

Compare other places

If you would like to compare other destinations with Buckfastleigh when searching for accommodation, here is a compact selection: Teignmouth, Exebridge, Otterton, Umberleigh, Okehampton, Lapford, Milton Abbot and Salcombe.

To the main travel overview: Devon.