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Totnes and Ivybridge are located close to Dartmoor National Park, making them ideal for visitors heading into the remote beauty and wilderness of the moors. Ivybridge is a pleasant town on the edge of Dartmoor, which grew as a mill town, particularly regarding paper, during the Industrial Revolution. As a result it has an attractive Victorian town centre. Ivybridge is now more a market town than industrial. Totnes is also a market town, with roots in the medieval era, a delightful laidback attitude, and convenient links into Torbay.
Moving down to the coast southeast of Totnes and Ivybridge brings you to Dartmouth. Dartmouth is an enormously historic area on the River Dart. Its heritage is largely based on its position close to the English Channel. Over the centuries Dartmouth has been involved in the Crusades, been mentioned in the Canterbury Tales, been a seat of the Royal Navy and attacked during the 100 years war. Dartmouth’s port was also utilised by the Pilgrim Fathers en route to America, and gave its name to Dartmouth in Massachusetts. Dartmouth’s town centre is quaint and traditional, with medieval and 17th century buildings.
If you travel around 20 miles west along the coast from Dartmouth, you will find yourself in Salcombe, which resides along the banks of the Kingsbridge estuary. Again, Salcombe is a port town with an international shipping heritage and an extant fishing industry. However, Salcombe has also gained a reputation as a high-end resort area, with superior shops, restaurants and marina facilities for sailors. If you want to experience more of this stunning stretch of coastline, the National Trust footpaths in and around the nearby village of Thurlestone prove very rewarding.