Closest shops (0.6 miles) and Public Transport (top of the lane): Go straight across at the top of the lane until you reach the first roundabout and the Watcombe stores (Premier) and Londis Off-licence and Post Office are on the right hand side.
Stores opening hours are Mon-Sat 7:30am to 8:00pm and Sun 8:00am to 8:00pm. New Years Day 10:00am to 8:00pm. Closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Londis opening hours are Mon-Sat 7:15am to 6:00pm, Sun 8:00am to 1:00pm. Bank Holiday hours will be posted in the window.
There is a post box at the top of the lane and just to the left, bus stops for Route 22 (Dawlish Warren to Paignton) and 222 (Summer only open top) in both directions. From Teignmouth the Route 2 bus runs from Exeter around the coast and up the Teign estuary to Newton Abbot and from Teignmouth station trains connect into the national network and Exmouth and Paignton can be reached without needing to change.
St Marychurch and Babbacombe: This centre is slightly further away but has much better facilities. Turn left at the top of the lane towards Torquay and a five minute drive brings you to St Marychurch with Babbacombe just beyond. Here you will find a Co-op and Tesco Express together with many other shops and cafes in the precinct. There is a large pay car park by the model village but also areas of one hour parking and a lot of free roadside parking. As well as the superb Model Village, there is also Bygones which is an excellent collection of all things past (complete with a re-created victorian street, steam locomotive and a World War 1 trench experience) and the Babbacombe Cliff Railway, a funicular railway that takes you down to Oddicombe beach where you will also find Three Degrees West, an excellent café right on the beach. At the opposite end along the coastal path is the excellent Cary Arms.
Babbacombe Cliff Railway – (closed currently)
Shaldon and Teignmouth: Turning right at the top of the lane a ten minute drive brings you into Shaldon and Teignmouth, both excellent centres with lovely beaches, cafes and restaurants plus Lidl, Tesco Express and Morrisons and the historic Shaldon foot ferry. In Shaldon you can discover the Zoo and Ness Cove beach via the smugglers tunnel. Teignmouth also has a pier, busy centre with most facilities, extensive beaches and sea wall walks. Recommended places to eat include the Ness, London Inn and the Clipper in Shaldon and Tradewinds in Teignmouth. On the Shaldon side of the Teign estuary, Coombe Cellars is a spectacular location for an evening meal with the possibility of witnessing the sun setting over Dartmoor. The thatched Churchhouse Inn at Stokeinteignhead is also highly recommended.
Walks from the door: Straight from the door there are excellent walks as you are within a few yards of the South West Coast Path which you can take in either direction.
Introductory Walk to Watcombe Beach: If you go straight down the lane that you arrived on a five minute walk brings you straight to the sheltered Watcombe beach. Take care as some parts are uneven underfoot due to previous earth movement which is why a sign shows that the beach is technically closed. There are currently no facilities at the beach and it is usually very quiet here. There are plans for repairs and improvements soon but meanwhile the beach is less frequented.
Introductory Walk to Valley of the Rocks: Heading straight across the public car park opposite and through the gate at the far corner immerses you immediately in ancient woodland and some fantastic rock formations in what is the ancient hanging valley named Valley of the Rocks. Head down through the valley and you join the coast path in a couple of hundred yards. Turn right and follow the coast path to the lane and either go right, back up to Staar Escapes or go left, down to the beach.
