Devon by Motorhome: Dartmoor, Coast, and Cream Teas

Devon rarely gets the attention it deserves from motorhome travellers. Most people heading to the south-west aim straight for Cornwall, and while Cornwall is wonderful, it also has narrower roads, bigger crowds, and fewer options for the kind of relaxed touring that makes a devon motorhome holiday genuinely enjoyable. Devon is bigger, wider, more varied, and - crucially for anyone driving a six-metre vehicle - significantly easier to navigate.

The county splits into two distinct halves. The southern coast is sheltered, green, and scattered with beautiful harbour towns. The northern coast is wilder, with proper surfing beaches and dramatic cliffs. Between them sits Dartmoor - 368 square miles of granite upland that offers something almost unique in England: the legal right to wild camp.

Dartmoor Motorhome Adventures: Wild Camping and Wide Horizons

Dartmoor is one of the only places in England where wild camping is permitted by right, and this extends to motorhome overnight stops in certain areas. The reality is slightly more nuanced than the myth. Backpack camping is allowed on most of the open moor under Dartmoor's ancient commons rights. For motorhomes, the picture is more restricted - you cannot simply park anywhere on the moor and sleep. However, several car parks and laybys on Dartmoor are used regularly for overnight stops, and the Dartmoor National Park Authority generally tolerates discreet single-night stays in larger car parks such as those at Bellever Forest, Postbridge, and Haytor.

The Dartmoor National Park Authority publishes a free Coach Driver and Motorhome Guide map showing recommended routes and parking areas suitable for larger vehicles. Download it from dartmoor.gov.uk before you visit - it saves you discovering the hard way that a lane narrows to single track with no turning point.

The key word is discreet. One night, tidy up completely, leave no trace. Set up a full camp with chairs and awning in a car park and you will attract complaints. Arrive late, leave early, and be respectful, and the arrangement works for everyone.

For those who prefer proper facilities, there are several excellent Devon motorhome campsites on Dartmoor. River Dart Country Park near Ashburton offers spacious pitches in woodland beside the river, with swimming and walking trails on site. Parkers Farm Holiday Park near Newton Abbot has hardstanding pitches and is well-positioned for both the moor and the coast. Higher Murchington Farm near Chagford is a small, peaceful CL in the heart of the moor.

Dartmoor itself rewards exploration on foot. The tors - weathered granite outcrops crowning the hilltops - are the defining feature, and walking between them is some of the finest moorland hiking in Britain. Haytor is the most accessible (a short walk from the car park), but Hound Tor, Bowerman's Nose, and Yes Tor offer quieter experiences. The Teign Gorge walk from Castle Drogo to Fingle Bridge follows the river through ancient oak woodland and is one of the best short walks in Devon. Widecombe-in-the-Moor is the quintessential Dartmoor village - famous for its fair and its church tower, known as the Cathedral of the Moor.

South Devon Motorhome Touring: Harbours and Hidden Coves

The South Devon coast between Torbay and Plymouth is some of the most beautiful in England. The South West Coast Path traces every inlet and headland, and the combination of deep-water harbours, wooded estuaries, and sheltered coves creates a landscape that feels almost Mediterranean on a warm day.

Dartmouth is the jewel of South Devon - a steep, colourful town climbing the hillside above the River Dart, with a Royal Naval College crowning the skyline and a harbour full of yachts and fishing boats. There is no bridge across the Dart here; you arrive by the higher ferry (a chain ferry that takes vehicles, including motorhomes - check height restrictions) or approach from the Totnes direction. Leonards Cove Holiday Park south of Dartmouth has excellent coastal pitches. The town itself has outstanding restaurants - the Seahorse on South Embankment serves some of the best fish in the south-west.

Salcombe sits at the mouth of the Kingsbridge Estuary and is Devon's answer to Padstow - a sailing town with a foodie reputation. The roads into Salcombe are narrow and steep, and arriving with a large motorhome requires nerve. A better approach is to stay at Bolberry House Farm campsite on the cliffs near Hope Cove and drive into Salcombe in a smaller vehicle, or take the coastal path walk which is spectacular.

Brixham is a working fishing port - the largest by value in England - where trawlers unload on the quayside each morning and the fish restaurants serve what was caught that day. It lacks the polish of Dartmouth and Salcombe, and is better for it. Hillhead Caravan Club Site overlooks the harbour from the clifftop and has some of the finest views of any campsite in Devon.

For family adventures, the South Devon Railway runs steam trains between Buckfastleigh and Totnes along the Dart valley - 45 minutes of proper old-fashioned railway travel that children love. Totnes itself is a fascinating town: quirky, independent, and home to more independent shops per head than almost anywhere in Britain.

North Devon: Surf and Spectacle

If you also enjoy the southern English coastline, our Dorset and Jurassic Coast guide covers the neighbouring county. Cross Devon to the north and the character changes completely. North Devon faces the Atlantic, and the coastline is bigger, wilder, and more exposed. The beaches are the draw here - great sweeps of sand backed by dunes and headlands, with the best surf in England.

Woolacombe is the flagship: a mile of golden sand consistently voted one of the best beaches in the UK. The village itself is small and unpretentious, with surf shops, fish and chip takeaways, and a couple of good pubs. Damage Barton campsite in Mortehoe (the next headland north) is a quieter alternative to the busy sites in Woolacombe itself, with a walk down to the beautiful Barricane Beach - a sheltered cove covered in tiny tropical shells carried north by the Gulf Stream.

Croyde is the surfers' village - smaller than Woolacombe, with a genuine surf culture and the Thatch pub at its centre. Croyde Bay is more compact and more sheltered than Woolacombe, and the waves are excellent for intermediate surfers. Ruda Holiday Park sits behind the beach with direct dune access.

Ilfracombe is the largest town on the North Devon coast and has undergone something of a renaissance. Damien Hirst's 20-metre bronze statue, Verity, dominates the harbour entrance (you either love it or hate it), and the town has an improving restaurant scene anchored by Thomas Carr at the Olive Room on Fore Street. The harbour itself is genuinely pretty, with a Victorian tunnel beach (carved through the rock to a hidden cove) and boat trips to Lundy Island. Hele Valley Holiday Park on the edge of town is a well-run site with good facilities.

A Week-Long Devon Motorhome Itinerary

Day one: drive from Yorkshire (five to six hours via the M1 and M5) and pitch on the edge of Dartmoor. River Dart Country Park is a good first stop. Evening walk around Ashburton or Buckfastleigh.

Day two: explore Dartmoor. Walk to Haytor or Hound Tor. Lunch at the Rugglestone Inn in Widecombe (one of Devon's finest pub gardens). Afternoon exploring the moorland lanes.

Day three: move to South Devon. Pitch near Dartmouth or Brixham. Visit Dartmouth town, take the ferry across the Dart, walk the coastal path toward Start Point.

Day four: Totnes and the South Devon Railway. Explore the town, ride the steam train. Afternoon at one of the South Hams beaches - Blackpool Sands (a privately managed beach in a sheltered cove) is outstanding.

Day five: drive across to North Devon. Pitch at Damage Barton or near Woolacombe. Afternoon on the beach. Evening in Croyde.

Day six: surf lesson at Woolacombe or Croyde (several schools offer all-abilities sessions). Afternoon visit to Ilfracombe. Walk the coastal path between Mortehoe and Lee Bay - one of the most dramatic sections of the South West Coast Path.

Day seven: morning at Barricane Beach for shell collecting, then head home via the M5 and M1. Or extend by a day or two and explore Exmoor, which borders North Devon and is itself a magnificent motorhome touring destination.

You can browse our full fleet to find the right motorhome for your trip.

Cream Tea Protocol

You cannot visit Devon without addressing the cream tea question. In Devon, the cream goes on first, then the jam on top. In Cornwall, it is the other way round. This is not a trivial matter - feelings run deep. Our position, as a Yorkshire-based company, is diplomatic neutrality. But we note that the Devon method results in a thicker layer of cream, which is objectively the correct outcome.

For the best cream tea in Devon: the Waterman's Arms in Bow (proper farmhouse clotted cream), Otterton Mill near Budleigh Salterton (stone-ground flour, home-baked scones), and the Bridge Inn at Topsham (the only pub in England to have been personally opened by the Queen). All three are accessible by motorhome, making them essential stops on any Devon motorhome adventure. For more, see our Cornwall guide.

See our Cornwall destination guide for more.