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🛒 Top picks for this trip
✅ Essentials Checklist
- Swimwear and beach kit for coastal days
- Sunscreen SPF50 ↗+
- Waterproof jacket — sea mists and moor weather
- Comfortable walking shoes for coast path sections
- Beach towels
- Reusable water bottle
- Cash for beach car parks and cream tea stops
- Daypack
🛒 More kit for this trip
👕 Clothing Checklist
- Swimwear × 2
- Light layers plus one warm jumper for evenings
- Waterproof jacket
- Walking shoes or boots for coast path and moors
- Sandals or flip-flops for beaches
- Sun hat
⭐ Nice to Have
- Wetsuit for North Devon surf (Croyde, Woolacombe)
- Bodyboard for the kids
- Windbreak for exposed beaches
- Binoculars for Exmoor red deer and coastal birds
- Crabbing lines for harbour towns
🚫 What to leave at home
A full suitcase for every possible weather scenario — Devon's changeable weather rewards a tight core of layers you can combine, not five different outfits for five different forecasts. Heavy hiking boots if you're mainly doing coastal towns and beaches — trainers or approach shoes handle the South West Coast Path's popular sections fine unless you're tackling the genuinely tough stretches like Hartland Quay. And bulky beach gear (a full parasol, an inflatable) if you're visiting outside July-August — Devon's beaches are excellent for walks and rockpooling year-round, but swimming-focused kit is dead weight most of the year.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better — North or South Devon?
They're genuinely different holidays. North Devon (Croyde, Woolacombe, Saunton) has Atlantic surf, big sandy beaches and a livelier feel. South Devon (Salcombe, Dartmouth, Torbay) has sheltered water, sailing towns, and a gentler pace. Families with young children often prefer the calm south; surfers and bodyboarders head north.
Is the South West Coast Path in Devon difficult?
It varies enormously. The stretch around Salcombe and Bolt Head is moderate with spectacular scenery. North Devon's Hartland Quay section is one of the toughest on the entire 630-mile path, with relentless steep valleys. Check the ascent figures before committing to a section — coastal miles are slower than inland miles.
What is a proper Devon cream tea?
Scone, clotted cream, jam — and in Devon, the cream goes on first, then the jam. (In Cornwall it's jam first.) This is taken more seriously than any visitor expects. Either way, the scone should be warm and the clotted cream should be local.
What is Dartmoor like compared to the Devon coast?
A completely different trip within the same county. Dartmoor is wild open moorland, granite tors, wild ponies and genuine hill-walking terrain with real navigation risk in poor visibility. The coast is beaches, fishing villages and the South West Coast Path. Many visitors base themselves centrally (around Exeter or Okehampton) to reach both, but pack for Dartmoor as seriously as any UK upland area — waterproofs, a map, and layers regardless of season.
Is Dartmoor safe to walk without a guide?
The waymarked routes near visitor centres (Postbridge, Princetown) are fine for most walkers. The open moor is a different matter — Dartmoor has genuinely claimed lives from exposure and disorientation, mist can descend within minutes, and mobile signal is patchy to non-existent across large areas. Take a paper OS map (OL28), a compass and know how to use both before heading beyond the waymarked paths.
What are the best beaches in Devon for surfing?
Croyde and Woolacombe in North Devon are the county's best-known surf beaches — consistent Atlantic swell, surf schools, and a proper beach-town atmosphere. Bantham and Bigbury-on-Sea in the South Hams also get good waves with a quieter, less commercial feel. Water is cold year-round (a wetsuit is not optional outside peak summer) but the surf culture here is genuinely serious, not just a tourist add-on.
How do you get around Devon without a car?
Trains connect Exeter, Exmouth, Totnes and the coastal Tarka and Riviera lines well, and the Exeter–Exmouth and Exeter–Paignton routes are genuinely scenic. Rural bus coverage away from the main towns is thin, though, and Dartmoor's interior is essentially car-dependent for anything beyond the visitor-centre car parks. A car adds real flexibility if the trip includes both coast and moor.
What food is Devon known for besides cream tea?
Fresh seafood in the coastal towns (Brixham crab, Dartmouth's harbourside restaurants), local cider (Devon rivals Somerset for cider country), and the county's dairy heritage more broadly — clotted cream ice cream is everywhere in summer. Ottery St Mary and other market towns have excellent farm shops if self-catering.
Check the weather and best time to visit before you finalise your Devon packing list — and see country facts and travel info for entry requirements and local tips.
Not sure which suitcase size or clothing sizes you need? Check 247Sizing's luggage and clothing size guides before you pack.