The journey from Paignton to Kingswear is almost 7 miles long and starts from Queen’s Park station, which is right next door to the mainline station, and even though it’s clearly marked, people go to the wrong station all day, every day. Just to be clear, the platform for the Steam Railway is on the beach side of the level crossing next to the Old Paignton Picture House in Torbay Road which is currently being restored to its former glory. There are any number of advertising boards at the entrance, so you should find it easily enough.

Once inside the ticket office you’ll also find an extensive gift shop and Head of Steam café where you can relax with a coffee and snack before boarding the train, or if you prefer, order a picnic to take with you.

The company own a total of 9 locomotives – 8 steam engines and 1 diesel, plus a Pullman observation car. As of 2025, 4 of the steam engines are in active service, 3 are on loan, and 1 is currently being overhauled in their workshop at Churston.

At Kingswear there’s not a great deal to detain anyone wanting to complete the Round Robin, and so passengers usually head straight for the Dartmouth ferry. At the station there used to be an interesting old railway carriage that acted as a visitor centre, but for some reason it didn’t conform to modern day legislation and was forced to close.

Now that the old information carriage isn’t available, and for anyone who might be interested, I’ll do my level best to fill in a few gaps about the history of the line between Paignton and Kingswear.

To start with, the eagle-eyed among you might have noticed that the owners of the line market it as the Dartmouth Steam Railway (and River Boat Company), and that’s because the original intention was to take the railway across the river to Dartmouth – but it didn’t happen, and I’ll explain why.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel originally brought his broad-gauge railway down to this part of the West Country with the help of the South Devon Railway, but the line finished at Torre. To attract more holidaymakers, the Dartmouth and Torbay Railway then took over and extended the line to Torquay, Paignton, Brixham Road (now Churston), and Kingswear. Unfortunately, the company didn’t have enough funds to build the bridge they needed to take the railway across the River Dart to Dartmouth, and so the line was terminated at Kingswear.

To solve the problem, a floating bridge was built in the form of a chain ferry, and in 1864, both the railway and ferry opened, as did a railway station at Dartmouth where you could buy a combined ferry and train ticket. To find out more, you can read my post about the Train Station with no Railway. The ‘station’ is still here but now operates as a restaurant.

As with so many branch lines, the railway from Paignton to Kingswear fell under Dr Richard Beeching’s axe and was closed on 28^th Oct 1972, but it wasn’t all bad news because a couple of months later it was purchased by the Dart Valley Railway Ltd. This is still the same company who owns it now (as well as the South Devon Heritage Railway that runs between Totnes and Buckfastleigh).

Just in case you’re not confused yet, how about this? – the Paignton to Kingswear line under the new ownership was called the Torbay Steam Railway, then the Torbay and Dartmouth Railway, and then another change of mind with the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway – and now it’s called the Dartmouth Steam Railway which comes under the Dartmouth Steam Railway and Riverboat Company (DSRRC), which if you’re still with me is also responsible for the running of the ferry, boat cruises, and buses of the Round Robin. Now you know why I choose to call it the Paignton to Kingswear Steam Railway.

Now that you know how much effort was involved in getting you between Paignton and Kingswear, all you have to do is get off the train and catch the modern foot passenger ferry next to the station and cross the river to Dartmouth, where the next part of the Round Robin begins with a trip upriver to Totnes.

For the latest information check out the official website.

https://www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk/

ORIGINAL POST – JUNE 2018

LATEST UPDATE – JUNE 2025

On the other side of the main road is the approach to the beaches and Young’s Park, where the main attraction is the boating lake. At one time this was a natural lagoon known as May’s Pool. Legend has it that kids were warned to steer clear of this ‘bottomless’ lake, no doubt fuelled by the tale of a certain Richard Thorne who, in 1667, fell from his horse, disappeared into it, and drowned. When it was decided to reclaim the land, this mythical lake was found to be just 2 feet deep!

Not only is the lake popular with holidaymakers, but also the local wildlife as well, and a section of the park is now run by the ‘Young’s Park People’ who have managed to create and maintain a successful conservation area.

The building that is now a hotel and pub was originally a hospital during the Napoleonic Wars and it’s believed that there are around 300 French sailors buried beneath the park. The area was consecrated ground, which is why you may be surprised to see a lone granite headstone in the park known as the ‘Major’s Grave’. Being English, and a major, gave him privileges in death as well as life it would seem.

If you don’t mind getting sand between your toes then Goodrington has two beaches – North Sands and South Sands. In reality it’s more or less the same beach, but for practical reasons, (such as dog access all year round on North Sands) it’s been officially divided into two.

South Sands is the most popular with sunbathers and swimmers, who no doubt are also attracted to the adjacent Quaywest Water Park which has rides like ‘The Devil’s Drop, The Screamer and Wild Kamikaze’.

If, however, you prefer your seaside attractions a little less energetic, then Goodrington has some great rock-pooling opportunities.

For a while I did some voluntary work at the Seashore Centre where I used to give people information about the coastline and what to look out for. I’m no real expert on these things, but I enjoyed encouraging youngsters on how best to appreciate our ecosystem.

The Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust has since leased the building to ‘Reach Outdoors’, an organisation that encourages sea-based activities such as canoeing and kayaking. The change of use was probably due to financial reasons which I can understand, but still think it’s a shame in some ways because it seems that some of the general public still need educating where our fragile coastline is concerned.

One good thing to have happened recently is the designation of Torbay as a Marine Conservation Zone, and the water around Goodrington is a great example of why it’s so important for the future.

The seabed around here is a rich source of vulnerable seagrass meadows which are a feeding ground and nursery for various species of marine life, including Bass, Cuttlefish and Long-Snouted Seahorse (sometimes called the Spiny Seahorse). Whether they’re spiny or not I’ve always had a soft spot for these creatures, and not just because the male gives birth.

You won’t see any of these creatures if you walk along the shore from South Sands towards Oyster Cove, but searching among the rock pools will throw up creatures like these below.

If the tide doesn’t allow you to walk along the shore then the coastal footpath will take you the same way as the Paignton to Kingswear Steam Railway via Oyster and Saltern Coves, both of which are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), not only for the marine environment, but also for its interesting Devonian Period geology.

ORIGINAL POST – JUNE 2018

LATEST UPDATE – JULY 2025

From the harbour, walk up past Molly’s café to Roundham Road and turn left into Cliff Road. Just past the car park is a brown sign that leads through the Holocaust Memorial Garden to Fairy Cove. This little cove is not very well known, which makes it a haven of peace and tranquility under the shelter of Roundham Head. If you don’t fancy going down to the beach continue along through the Holocaust Memorial and Burma Star Gardens and back up to Cliff Road.

The Harbour and Roundham conservation area has many fine buildings dotted around, but Cliff House, just up the road on the headland, is definitely not one of them. This oblong block of flats wouldn’t look out of place on a sink estate somewhere, but sitting here incongruously on this prime spot overlooking the bay at Roundham Head is nothing short of criminal if I’m being honest – and for all I know, it could be.

I’ve tried to find out when this monstrosity was built, but to no avail, (it’s probably around the 1950s or 60s I would think) and how it ever got planning permission I’ll never know – but I can guess. What makes it worse, is that you can see this carbuncle from all over the Bay and of course, the grounds are out of bounds to the general public. I know I should be showing you one of my own photos of Cliff House here, but I couldn’t bring myself to take one, but just to prove my point I’ve borrowed one from TheHouseShop.com. Rant over!

Now that I’ve got that off my chest, we can carry on with the walk. Just past Cliff House is an all-abilities footpath that beckons us up onto a wide-open space that overlooks the sea. This really is a quite lovely spot; although we’re in an urbanised area, it doesn’t really feel like it.

As you continue around the headland your eyes will naturally be drawn to the views, but don’t miss the memorial tucked in against the wall to a local man, Lieutenant Commander Arthur Leyland VC RN. They don’t dish VCs out for nothing, so his contribution during the Zeebrugge Raid must have been something quite special.

The views from here encompass the southern half of Torbay and go round in an arc from Goodrington, Broadsands, Churston and Brixham to the protective arm of Berry Head in the distance.

As you turn the corner of the headland there are some gardens that lead down to Goodrington, and there are any number of footpaths that can take you there – even with a wheelchair or pushchair. Before you take any of these footpaths though, you may want to consider walking across the top, which not only offers good views, it will also give you a chance to look at an unusual flower bed in the shape of a Spitfire.

This small garden remembers Flight Lieutenant Frederick Ernest Denston who flew spitfires throughout the war: According to the plaque, he first saw the Torbay coastline from the air just before D-Day and vowed that if he survived the war he would retire to Torbay. His chance came, and he and his wife Peggy spent many a happy hour admiring these views and gardens, and it was Peggy who planned the Spitfire Garden after he died in 1989.

Cliff Gardens zig-zag their way down to the waterside promenade below. They were constructed in the 1930s, partly to help with stabilisation, but the range of exotic plants can give an almost Mediterranean feel to them on hot summer days.

Goodrington is another part of Paignton that caters mainly for families, with a couple of good beaches, boating lake and a popular outdoor water park, and if you’re feeling energetic, you can continue to follow the coast path on towards Broadsands and beyond, or if that’s not on the itinerary, then there are frequent buses from Goodrington to Brixham, Paignton, and Torquay – or you can walk back in the opposite direction to the harbour if you prefer. There, I told you it was an easy stroll, didn’t I?

ORIGINAL POST – JUNE 2018

LATEST UPDATE – JULY 2025