Borough of Torbay: The English Riviera and Its Three Harbour Towns
Torbay markets itself as the English Riviera, and the microclimate cooperates. Palm trees grow in the seafront gardens. The bay faces east, sheltered from Atlantic weather by the bulk of Dartmoor to the west, and mild winters allow subtropical planting that looks implausible this far north. The borough consists of three towns — Torquay, Paignton, and Brixham — each with its own waterfront and personality.
Torquay is the largest and most obviously resort-like, with Victorian and Edwardian villas climbing the hills above the harbour. Agatha Christie was born here in 1890, and the town makes good use of the connection: a mile-long Agatha Christie trail winds past her birthplace, the Grand Hotel (which featured in several novels), and the pavilion on the harbourside. Paignton, further south around the bay, is more traditional family seaside — bucket-and-spade beaches, a pier, Paignton Zoo, and the steam railway running along the coast to Kingswear.
Brixham is the fishing town. Its harbour is still a working fish market — the largest by value in England — landing crab, sole, cuttlefish, and whatever else comes in on the beam trawlers. A full-size replica of the Golden Hind, Francis Drake's circumnavigation vessel, sits permanently in the harbour. The borough population is around 136,000, and the economy depends heavily on tourism, retirement, and hospitality. Deprivation indices for parts of Torquay and Paignton are surprisingly high for an area so associated with leisure.
Show more
Torbay markets itself as the English Riviera, and the microclimate cooperates. Palm trees grow in the seafront gardens. The bay faces east, sheltered from Atlantic weather by the bulk of Dartmoor to the west, and mild winters allow subtropical planting that looks implausible this far north. The borough consists of three towns — Torquay, Paignton, and Brixham — each with its own waterfront and personality.
Torquay is the largest and most obviously resort-like, with Victorian and Edwardian villas climbing the hills above the harbour. Agatha Christie was born here in 1890, and the town makes good use of the connection: a mile-long Agatha Christie trail winds past her birthplace, the Grand Hotel (which featured in several novels), and the pavilion on the harbourside. Paignton, further south around the bay, is more traditional family seaside — bucket-and-spade beaches, a pier, Paignton Zoo, and the steam railway running along the coast to Kingswear.
Brixham is the fishing town. Its harbour is still a working fish market — the largest by value in England — landing crab, sole, cuttlefish, and whatever else comes in on the beam trawlers. A full-size replica of the Golden Hind, Francis Drake's circumnavigation vessel, sits permanently in the harbour. The borough population is around 136,000, and the economy depends heavily on tourism, retirement, and hospitality. Deprivation indices for parts of Torquay and Paignton are surprisingly high for an area so associated with leisure.
Country selected
Region selected
Optional — select or proceed
