Spend A Day In Paignton

Paignton is a traditional family friendly seaside town. As you arrive in the resort, you are met with the welcoming sight of its long stretch of beautiful and easily accessible beachfront, promenade, traditional pier, colourful beach huts and green.

FOR FAMILIES

Families flock to Paignton to enjoy the safe water on the sandy beaches, the family friendly play areas and the ease of getting around the compact town.  

THINGS TO DO

For a family day out, you can’t beat Paignton for its range of attractions! Animal lovers should head to Paignton Zoo to discover 2000 animals and countless amazing plants across 80 acres of beautiful, spacious grounds. Adrenaline lovers can let off some steam at Splashdown Quaywest, the UK’s largest outdoor waterpark. If you’ve got little ones who like to run around and see some farm animals up close, try Occombe Farm. Plus, with a delightful farm shop and café, there’s a place to chill for the grown ups too!

Let’s go to the beach! Paignton is blessed with long sandy beaches and safe shallow waters – perfect for little ones! Goodrington Sands is one of these, with handy parking, steam trains running along the back of the beach, nearby cafés serving great quality and reasonable value food and drink, what's not to love?

Geopark Play and Paignton Sands is a fantastic way to spend a day! The Geopark is a huge play area found on Paignton seafront with a fantastic range of equipment split into junior and toddler play areas. Plus with the beach right there, and Pirates Bay Adventure Golf right next to it, you’ve got things to keep the whole family entertained!

PLACES TO EAT

An easy place to refresh if you’re spending the day on the seafront in Paignton: Harvester. Right next to Geopark Play on Paignton seafront with a great selection of grills, meal deals and kids' menus, which means there’s something for all appetites. Just across the road, you’ll find the Hyde Dendy, a traditional pub with a play area for children, offering pub favourites, carveries and an extensive children’s menu. The Inn on the Quay is the perfect place to stop for a pub lunch during your day out at Goodrington, with a family-friendly environment and tasty, laid-back meals it’s sure to please even the fussiest eater!

LOOK OUT FOR

The steam train over the beach huts at Goodrington Sands: this is a picture perfect moment as the traditional steam train seemingly glides over the quaint beach huts.

Wildlife at Preston Sands: This safe, clean family friendly beach is a very popular holiday hot spot for spotting the sea life amongst the rockpools. What can you find here?

Paignton Pier: opened in 1878, the pier divides Paignton Sands. It is especially photogenic at dawn and dusk, as the rising sunlight combines with the twinkling lights over the sea.

FOR ADULTS

Whilst on the face of it, Paignton may seem like traditional seaside town, go slightly further out and experience hidden gems.

THINGS TO DO

Enjoy a peaceful afternoon away from the crowds at Clennon Lakes, a nature reserve consisting of manmade lakes created by the council in the 1980s. They are the most important wetland site on the English Riviera and home to many species found nowhere else in the Bay. You will find an array of birds including swans, ducks, moorhens, kingfishers, and herons. Looking for a little adventure? Get out on the water with Reach Outdoors, including guided tours and lessons in Coasteering, Kayaking and Stand Up Paddle Boarding. Travel back in time on the Dartmouth Steam Railway. Take an idyllic trip from Paignton to Kingswear with some fantastic views of the Bay.

PLACES TO EAT

Tucked away on Paignton Harbour is TJs, a delightful restaurant with top-quality food that cater for all occasions. For a taste of the Mediterranean, head to La Scala, and enjoy the flavour of real Italian Gastronomia. For great value, traditional pub food, you can’t beat Harbour Light. Take in the spectaculars views over the harbour and bay or beside the open fireplace during the colder months.

LOOK OUT FOR

Oldway Mansion and Gardens: often referred to as the Jewel in the Crown of Tor Bay. This 17 acre garden, which is open to the public free of charge, forms the grounds of Oldway Mansion which was originally built for the founder of the Singer sewing machine company, Isaac Merritt Singer between 1873 and 1875, and was remodelled, along with the gardens by Isaac’s son Paris Eugene Singer between 1897 and 1907 in the style of a mini Versailles.

Burma Star Memorial Garden: hidden above Fairy Cove and round the corner from Roundham Head is this beautiful Memorial Garden. In 2016, South Devon College’s Armed Forces Preparation course voluntarily rejuvenated the garden. It is now a stunning hidden gem, perfect to sit and read a book away from the crowds.

The Milk Bottle: whilst travelling to and from Paignton, it’s likely you’ll spot the Milk Bottle opposite Victoria Park. A three foot high milk bottle has been standing on a garden wall at the junction of Cecil Road and Torquay Road for over 100 years. In the early 1900s, a wooden milk bottle was fixed to the pillar to advertise Longcombe Dairy, and has stayed there for almost 100 years until in 1997, the rotting wooden milk bottle was replaced and a new concrete one was made. One night in 2013, someone painted it as a Coca Cola bottle, but within a week it was back to a milk bottle. It has become a local term “turn left at the Milk Bottle” and you may even notice “Milk Bottle” on some signs too.

DOG FRIENDLY

Paignton is a wonderfully dog-friendly town, with plenty of year round dog-friendly beaches, eateries that cater for your pampered pooch and lots of interesting hidden gems to be found on your meanders with your mutt.

THINGS TO DO

Nestled in between Goodrington Sands and Broadsands are Oyster Cove and Saltern Cove. Accessed via the South West Coast Path, these two secluded coves are a little-known secret with a large, enclosed field connecting them. Both coves are dog friendly all year round, and a great place to escape the summer crowds.

The North Side of Goodrington Sands is dog friendly all year round. The long sandy beach is a favourite for dog walkers as the soft sands and shallow waters are a perfect place for your pooch to play. Adjacent to a promenade, large open green and manmade lake, Goodrington Sands is a great place to bring the family. 

During the 1st October – 30th April dogs are allowed on Broadsands Beach, a long sandy beach with soft sand, it is a great place for your dog to play during the winter months. Behind the beach is a long promenade and green parkland. On the other side of the beach, is a large seafront green that leads to Elberry Cove. These places are all dog-friendly too.

PLACES TO EAT

Overlooking Paignton Beach with incredible views, Shoreline specialises in authentic Pizza and home-made burgers, and it even has a doggy menu! Tucked away on Goodrington Sands, you’ll find Cantina, surrounded by the open green and dog-friendly beach, Cantina has a large beer garden and a relaxed dog-friendly café inside. With award-winning food and hearty beverages, you can be sure of a warm welcome for both you and your four-legged friend. Another beach-adjacent restaurant that is notoriously dog-friendly is The Boathouse near Preston Sands. With its stunning views and fantastic location, you can enjoy burgers, platters, stone baked pizzas, fresh local seafood and seasonal salads to name but a few.

LOOK OUT FOR

Brunel Viaduct: if you’re heading to Broadsands and Elberry with your pooch, you can’t miss the historic Brunel Viaduct which rises over the valley, carrying the traditional Dartmouth Steam Railway.

The ruins of Lord Churston’s Seawater Bathhouse: are found on Elberry Cove. A romantic 18th century ruin, the building was once three storeys, with a thatched roof and a ground floor that would flood when the tide came in. This meant that Lord Churston and his guests could swim straight out into the sea through a gated doorway. The building also boasted an early version of a hot tub, with a fire heating up the seawater to warm swimmers after their dip.

Exotic plants at Roundham Head: just up from the dog-friendly side of Goodrington sands, zig zag paths meander up and down between borders stocked with unusual plants many originating in warmer climates but thrive here in the mild conditions of the English Riviera.