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All of the towns and villages in the area were built before the age of the motor car, narrow lanes, quaint cottages and thatched roofs are all part of the charm and the reason we all want to visit.
But of course if we all jump in the car, the lanes get clogged and there's nowhere to park.
Our choices are limited, knock down some of the buildings, widen the roads and concrete over the green spaces or simply find an alternative method of getting there.

We provide full information on all the alternative methods of travelling around the area and now find that many of our guests choose to leave the car and use these alternatives for more relaxed days out.
By better planning and combining our car journeys, so that we only make one journey instead of two or three, we have managed to considerably decrease our car mileage.

The Joys of Motoring

You wake up refreshed, Enjoy a good "Harbour Lodge" breakfast and are ready for a relaxing day out. Jump in the car and off you go. Which way? Keep a lookout for the signposts, enjoy the scenic view of the vehicle in front. Was that a speed camera you just passed? Where do we park? How much is it? How long are we going to stay? Have we got any change? The traffic wardens are a zealous bunch round here. Have we got time to do that? keep watching the time, do you need to go back and feed the meter? Fancy a beer or glass of wine with your lunch? no chance you've got to drive back. Is that another parking dent in the door? Some of these roads are narrow..............

Does this sound familiar, many of our guests choose to leave the car here and enjoy more relaxed days out. Here are a few ideas

Walking
As well as the sea front and coast path there are plenty of other walks. Explore "Old Paignton", meander up the narrow roads and get some spectacular views over the bay. Stroll round the gardens and tearooms at Oldway mansion built for the Singer family, now the council offices. A bit further is the village and park at Cockington.

Buses
Breakfast in Paignton, morning coffee in Dartmouth, lunch in Brixham, afternoon tea in Babbacombe, dinner in Torquay then back to Paignton for a stroll along the promenade. A dayrider ticket gives unlimited travel around the bay. Most attractions are accessible by bus and the main routes run every 10 mins. An explorer ticket will allow you to go even further, Plymouth to Exeter and beyond. Some of the best scenery in the bay can be seen from the top deck of a bus whilst someone else is doing the driving.
In fact your day out on the buses can start at the bus stop just outside our back gate.

Trains
The mainline station is about 10 minutes walk away and offers a convenient way to explore Plymouth or Exeter. The trip to Exeter is particularly scenic as the train travels alongside the River Teign to Teignmouth then follows the coast through Dawlish then continues next to the river Exe into Exeter.
The steam train gives a scenic ride to Kingswear with a ferry across the river Dart to Dartmouth. This can be combined with a Boat trip, and commentary,up the river Dart to Totnes returning to Paignton by open topped bus.

Boats
From the harbour there are ferry services to Torquay and Brixham, Day trips round the coast to Dartmouth, evening cruises and fishing trips. See the bay from a dfferent angle. Navy Vessels, Large cruise ships and sailing boats often anchor in the bay and can be seen at close quarters. Dolphins, seals and even the odd whale have been spotted.

To help you plan your day full bus and train timetables are available in each room. We are often surprised by where, and how far, our guests get during the day without a car.