Exeter Live Cam

As well as providing their full boatyard services, Trouts are now a major Ribeye dealer able to supply the full range of Ribeye and Ribtec boats, everything from dinghies to 10 metre ribs powered by a range of outboards or inboard engines supplied by major manufacturers such as Yamaha.

Topsham has made delightful features including 10 pubs and 5 restaurants, offering a fine variety of foods ranging from French and Italian to Indian and fish. There are a number of local hotels and B&B's.

Autumn South Devon is shaped by a landscape of contrasts, attracting thousands of visitors every year who come to enjoy the miles of sparkling coastline and wonderful beaches, fishing harbours and vibrant market towns. South Devon is also a great base for exploring Dartmoor.

South Devon Thatched CottagesMany people come to spot wildlife amongst the wooded valleys and river estuaries teeming with birds, or to wander the patchwork of rolling green hills and moorland dotted with pretty thatched villages and leafy green lanes once used by drovers and packhorses. Newton Abbot South DevonThe quaint coastal towns of Salcombe, Dartmouth and Teignmouth and the vibrant inland market towns of Ivybridge, Totnes, Kingsbridge, Ashburton, and Newton Abbot are well worth a visit as part of your South Devon holiday, all offering accommodation. South Devon AccommodationChoose from Hotels, Guest Houses, B&Bs, Self Catering Cottages and Holiday Parks or bring your own tent, caravan or motor home.

Devon has always been popular with holidaymakers and there's an impressive variety of both luxury and affordable accommodation to suit every budget throughout the year. Whether you're planning a short break, family holiday, group celebration or last minute getaway, the choice of hotels, guest houses, farm accommodation, B&B's and self-catering cottages is impressive. For caravan and camping enthusiasts there's a good choice of sites available and with plenty of holiday parks offering chalets and caravan hire there's something for everyone.

To experience the true character of Devon, choose from a wide variety of B&B or Guest Houses across the region where you'll be treated to genuine hospitality and excellent home cooking in comfortable surroundings.

A visit anywhere along the 70 miles of the South Devon coast is a pure delight, but if it's beaches you're looking for, then South Devon is hard, if not impossible to beat. There are miles and miles of safe bathing and watersportswith beaches of every hue - most of pure sand or sandy shingle. RocksIf you want more action you can surf, jetski, or dive; or you may just want to poke around rock pools, or stand and catch fish - we've got so much beach space in South Devon, we can cater for just about everyone| Dawlish Warren is internationally recognised as a wildlife centre as well as affording a prime beach facilities for families.

From the Exe Estuary and Dawlish Warren in the east, you can walk the entire 100 miles or so of the South Devon stretch of the South West Coast Path to Wembury in the west - this being perhaps the best way to appreciate its full glory. Or sample it in short walks and explore special places like Hallsands, Start Point or Dawlish Warren; investigate the smuggling trade, or shipwrecks, or the fishing villages strung along the coast; or just sit on any of the fabulous beaches and dream.

Our modern interest in the coast has expanded from beaches and swimming to include all its aspects as a special environment. Most of the South Devon coast enjoys environmental protection of one sort or another, either as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) or under ownership of the National Trust (or both), or as wildlife reserves of international significance. The attractions of such a well endowed environment are legion - walking, watersports, wildlife, history, geology, culture, archaeology - there is almost no end to the resources here to hold your interest and bring you back for more.

Wrapped around the east and south of Dartmoor is an inland area of hilly agricultural land, home to most of the local population in a dozen or so towns and countless villages and hamlets. Although the influence of the moor and the coast predominates in South Devon, this inland area can claim a character entirely its own. Serenity and calm pervades the place - its lacework of green lanes, bridleways and footpaths, its scattered homestead farms, its deep, quiet valleys offer a landscape in which you can, literally as well as metaphorically, lose yourself. The green lanes specifically offer a wonderful way to discover the magical landscape, set in between acres and acres of farmland some of which is open to the public for exploring interesting plants, birds and even bugs, and offer their own farm walks. There is always something new to discover as the South Hams district itself has more than 190 individual green lanes covering 180 miles. CountrysideThe old market towns that favour the moorland edge or the estuary heads could be a million miles from these secluded coombes. So make time to slow-travel this enraptured land tucked between moor and sea. There's a whole new world to discover here. For a brief sketch of some of the delightful villages to be found, click on countryside inland villages or also see Dartmoor Villages.

For most of us Dartmoor is defined by the famous "tors" of hard granite - which top the huge heather and bracken clad hills, rising to almost 2000 feet above sea level, a landscape veined by rushing watercourses, and strewn with granite boulder. It is a rare survivor of a landscape not much altered for thousands of years. Yet Dartmoor is essentially an abandoned agricultural and industrial landscape dating from as early as the Bronze age, and its value to archaeologists and historians is incalculable. From about 3000BC onwards, as farming communities settled the area, and the moor acquired its treasure trove of prehistoric archaeological artefacts. The stone rows and circles built by these early communities are wonderful places to stir the imagination. Visit Grimspound to see a Bronze age settlement, and Stall Moor for a stone circle and the longest stone row on the moor (over 3Km!).

A change in the climate around 1000BC undermined the viability of the soil and the moors were abandoned, remaining little used for nearly 1500 years until the next phase of significant activity began with the woollen trade and the discovery of tin in the 12th century. From these times right up until the 20th century, mining for tin, arsenic and copper, quarrying for stone, and sheep farming have been the major features of moorland life. When these industries failed in the late Victorian period, the moor fell silent again, and its amenity value as a wilderness and rich historical environment, led eventually to the foundation of the Dartmoor National Park in 1951. The Park Authority continues to administer the moor, and manage the demand for the space and tranquility so important to balance our pressured lifestyles.

South Devon has an extensive bus network. There is also a vintage bus that operates between South Devon Railway, Buckfast Abbey and the town of Buckfastleigh - a great way of visiting several great attraction in one day. One of the most popular attractions in Devon is the steam train and the South Devon scenic railway lines. Explore the old way of life on a ride through the tranquil landscape of the River Dart on the South Devon Railway or take the Paignton to Dartmouth Railway along spectacular coastline. Frequent trains run along the Riviera Line so why not take in Dartmoor, coastal and estuary views along Devon train tracks and visit Totnes, Newton Abbot, Teignmouth, Dawlish, Dawlish Warren or Starcross.

Take a pleasure boat cruise along the River Dart or out to sea, or paddle your own canoe! The Teign Ferry runs regularly all year round between Teignmouth and Shaldon. The Topsham to Turf Ferry runs daily in season and weekends duing April and October.

South Devon produces some of the best food and drink in the world - and we want to share it with you! South Devon's vast agricultural landscapes has meant the area is now home to many small dairy farms which can offer cheese, yoghurt, traditional clotted cream and delicious ice cream. Not only does South Devon have the traditional farming sources for quality beef and lamb, but our farmers have also diversified to produce some speciality foodstuffs including wines, cider, preserves, and, surprisingly, chillies! And of course with the stunning coastline you can't forget the wealth of fresh fish and shellfish on offer. For a true taste of South Devon you can find delicious local products widely available through well-stocked farm shops, farmers' markets and tempting local specialist shops in many towns and villages. Increasingly, restaurants and pubs boast of the high quality of their food - and it's all local! By sourcing and seeking out local produce you will not only contribute to the local economy, but you will be helping to reduce food miles and local traffic. And don't forget - seek out those businesses with the green leaf and not only do you get quality local produce, but you get great piece of mind knowing that this business is environmentally sound.

In a rural area as rich and fertile as South Devon, you'd expect to find evidence of its bountiful harvest, both from the land and the sea and you won't be disappointed. Fresh local produce features strongly in the menus of our hotels, restaurants and inns. But there's far more to this region's culinary heritage than fine meats, freshly caught seafood and outstanding dairy produce. If you can't find what you're looking for in the local deli's then head for one of our regular farmers' markets. These take place in all the main towns in South Devon, just look and see.