Discover Buckfastleigh

Three distinct themes stand out when planning a trip to Buckfastleigh: the South Devon Railway, local history reflected in buildings and streets, and outdoor activities. You can tailor your stay to your interests, whether you want to focus on train rides, historic features, or the outdoor pool and walking route.

Train rides and railway history

The South Devon Railway runs along a traditional Great Western Railway branch line between Buckfastleigh and Totnes Riverside. Its journeys bring back the golden age of travel between the 1930s and 1960s. Buckfastleigh is the railway’s headquarters, and most journeys on the line start here. This gives train rides a clear starting point in the town and a defined destination at Totnes Riverside.

Buckfastleigh station is also home to the South Devon Railway Museum, housed in the former goods shed. The building’s original purpose connects the museum’s location with the station’s railway history. The train journey and the museum offer different perspectives: the line runs between the two stations mentioned, while the goods shed itself is a historic railway building. Buckfastleigh also offers extensive free parking. Parking regulations may change, so check the current conditions before you arrive.

Buildings and local history

The present building of the Valiant Soldier dates from the 18th century; its earliest recorded mention as a pub dates to 1813. Its rooms reflect its history as a pub and family home, as well as its 1960s heritage. The building therefore brings together several distinct points in time: the age of the present structure, its early mention as a pub, and the former uses visible in its rooms.

Buckfastleigh’s streets and surviving architectural features also tell the story of its past. Holy Trinity Church, built in the 13th century, burned down in July 1992. Today, only the shell of its walls and the spire added in the 1840s remain. Chapel Street is home to a listed row of weavers’ cottages with tenter lofts, preserved as a testament to Buckfastleigh’s industrial history.

Buckfastleigh Lower Town also reveals its history in its layout: the High Street follows a medieval pattern of long, narrow plots known as burgage plots. Each of these plots has access to the River Mardle and Dean Burn. Unlike a single historic building, this layout reveals a broader structure of the town. If you’re interested in architectural and industrial history, the street layout, the weavers’ cottages and the surviving parts of the church therefore offer different perspectives on Buckfastleigh’s past.

Outdoor pool and walking routes

Buckfastleigh Open Air Pool is a heated, 21-metre outdoor pool in the heart of Buckfastleigh. The history of the pool and Victoria Park includes a gift made in 1887: the Hamlyn family, prominent benefactors and the original owners of the town’s woollen mills, gave both to the town to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. This links a present-day leisure facility with a specific date and an event in the town’s history.

For a walk, the Welcome to Dartmoor Buckfastleigh Walk is available in two stated lengths: the longer option is 5.8 km, and there is also a shorter 2 km route. The 3.8 km difference makes it easy to compare the options when planning how far to walk. Dartmoor Otter Sanctuary and Buckfast Butterfly Farm is located at the station in Buckfastleigh, Devon, TQ11 0DZ.

Buckfast Abbey and the landscape

Buckfast Abbey brings together a religious community and its landscape: the abbey is home to a community of Roman Catholic Benedictine monks. It is situated in the centre of a picturesque valley on the edge of Dartmoor National Park. Buckfast Abbey therefore offers a different historical perspective from the railway, the former weavers’ cottages and the medieval layout of the High Street.

Discover more destinations: South Pool, Sampford Spiney, Southleigh, Meavy, Devonport, Two Bridges, Tavistock, Ashburton.

For the wider travel overview: Devon.