Random Travels in South Devon
22 November 2025
ABOVE: Stagecoach South West 15312 (YN67 YJV), a Scania N250UD ADL Enviro400 MMC, arrives at Kingswear Banjo on route 120 from Paignton. All photos in this article were taken on Thursday 2 May 2024.
It was back in 2024 that I presented my route studies, as part of the 100 British Bus Routes series, for routes 2 (Exeter to Newton Abbot) and 12 (Newton Abbot to Brixham) in South Devon. But I discovered some other interesting routes and local features that day, and this short article is designed to celebrate those.
I have just left route 12 in Brixham. The town is built around a natural harbour, which provides anchorage for what is now one of England's largest remaining commercial fishing fleets. As I have noted before, a replica of Sir Francis Drake's ship The Golden Hind is permanently moored in the harbour as well.
Route 12 terminates in the Town Square. All Saint's Church, the Parish Church of Lower Brixham, towers over the Square, despite being two streets away.
Whilst the photo below may look like one I have used before, it isn't quite...
ABOVE: Stagecoach South West 15311 (YN67 YJU, front) and 15316 (YN67 YJZ), Scania N250UD ADL Enviro400 MMCs, at The Square in Brixham, the terminus of route 12.
Just around the corner from the route 12 stand (behind me to the left in the above picture) is where the other local buses pick up from, including route 18, a short slog to Kingswear, on the east bank of the River Dart, opposite the town of Dartmouth itself.
I use the word "slog" deliberately, as it feels like the 18 is climbing continuously from the moment it pulls off the starting blocks in Brixham. The 1235 departure on this hourly service is pretty busy. It's another Stagecoach South West service, operated by an Optare Solo with most seats taken. (I wonder whether more people catch the bus out of town than in - the downhill wander must appeal to some - walk down, bus back...)
The Square / Town Centre is Lower Brixham, and we soon climb to Higher Brixham, perhaps a mile inland. The last vestiges of the built-up town are soon behind us as we set upon a short country drive, still basically uphill.
ABOVE: Typical scenery for route 18, taken through the window of the bus; probably somewhere near Hillhead.
This is only a 20-minute drive, less than five miles, and the last part is slightly downhill as we come into the village of Kingswear. The terminus feels slightly odd as we're halfway up a hill. I'll come back to this in a moment.
When the 18 arrives, there's another bus already parked up, on route 120 from Paignton. Another Stagecoach South West operation, but a double-decker this time.
ABOVE: Stagecoach South West 48020 (YJ15 AAN), an Optare Solo SR, will shortly be heading back to Brixham on route 18. The bus in front is on route 120.
But what's everybody looking at?
The view spreads right across the river and harbour to the town of Dartmouth. I visited Dartmouth in an earlier article, in which you can view from the other side, but the quirks of writing things up out of order mean that that visit to Dartmouth is two days away as I admire this view.
On this side of the water is the terminus station, Kingswear for Dartmouth, of the Dartmouth Steam Railway, the heritage line from Paignton. And there's a train in!
ABOVE: Great Western Railway 7800 Class No. 7827, Lydham Manor, built in 1950, prepares to depart Kingswear station with the 1255 service to Paignton. The majestic Britannia Royal Naval College, on the opposite bank of the river, watches over the Harbour.
A slightly different angle, once the train has left, shows the station and the town of Dartmouth. Looking at this picture, it's hard to believe that one cannot just wander across to Dartmouth on foot. But there's 350 yards of water to swim through, and the land on our side of the river ends more-or-less at the white building beyond the station. There is a ferry, which is why there are vehicles queued up down the road on the left.
Back to the Kingswear bus terminus. In 1960 the Devon General bus company constructed this turning circle which stands around 200 yards from the railway terminus and the passenger ferry to Dartmouth. The circle eliminated an awkward and hazardous reversing manoeuvre on the narrow road adjacent to the station.
The structure juts out of the hillside above the railway, and is supported by massive concrete beams and pillars. Due to its shape, it was soon nicknamed "The Banjo". The name stuck and is now used officially in timetables. (Info source: Julian Walker on Flickr).
Note the contours:
One might be slightly curious as to why the two hourly bus services to Kingswear come in and go out more-or-less together, rather than at half-hourly intervals - there are unlikely to be many people changing between the two, I would have thought.
But actually, there are two people changing buses here - the drivers! It probably makes the rostering of route 18 easier as the two routes are apparently based at relatively distant Torquay. And buses / drivers may also switch across to local route 17 in Brixham for an hour - an extremely complicated route, based on the BusTimes.org diagram.
The time stamps on my photos suggest that the buses on the 18 and 120 arrive pretty much together for the 1400 departures.
ABOVE: Despite a one hour loop time making one bus sufficient for the 18, this is not the same vehicle that I alighted from an hour before, suggesting more inter-working of services at the Brixham end. This would appear to be Stagecoach South West 48018 (YJ15 AAF), arriving at the Kingswear Banjo immediately behind the 120 (which can be seen at the top of the article).
It is notable how narrow the roads are in this area - but at least this first bit out of Kingswear is a one-way street.
ABOVE: Brixham Road, the one-way street that leads out of Kingswear
There's only one road from Kingswear to Hillhead, but the 120 then turns left to head for Churston, where it will join route 12 for the rest of the way to Paignton. The rolling hills in this area give a view out to Tor Bay:
Soon, Paignton and Torquay are laid out before us:
At the time of my trip, the journey to Paignton was scheduled to take just 20 minutes. It now seems to have increased to 24. More significantly though, it looks like route 120 has now switched to single-deck working, which is a shame given the lovely views to be had on the route.
ABOVE: A Scania N250UD ADL Enviro400 MMC on route 120 in Paignton Bus Station
I jump across to a route 22 service now. This service runs from South Devon College in Paignton to St Marychurch, accompanying route 12 along the main Torbay Road from Paignton to Torquay.
ABOVE: Stagecoach South West 18393 (KX55 TLK), a Dennis Trident Alexander ALX400, on the edge of Torquay working on route 22 to South Devon College. This bus was new to Thames Transit in February 2006. As I write this, it is still in service, now just three months away from its 20th birthday.
After Torquay, the 22 heads for St Marychurch, one of the oldest settlements in South Devon, dating back to Saxon times. The skyline is dominated by the spire of the Parish Church of Our Lady Help of Christians & St Denis (left in the picture below), and St Mary the Virgin Church (right). As can be seen in the signage below, these two structures are used as a logo for the area.
It's quite a different attraction that has brought me here, though. The Babbacombe Model Village is the best model village I have ever seen. For a start, everything is on a slightly bigger scale than elsewhere, and the grounds look stunning:
ABOVE: Many of the buildings in the Model Village are based on real structures. In this view alone is the Royal Crescent in Bath (top right), Shakespeare's London Globe Theatre (bottom centre) and Stonehenge (middle left).
What makes Babbacombe stand out for me, though, is the care and attention that is put into every model, and the humour attached to every sign. The manor house is called "Lord Elpus Hall". Elsewhere, there's a development of "unaffordable housing" under construction, and contractors serving the latter include glazier firm "Pain in the Glass" and "Baz L Brush Decorators". Earth excavation on the site is provided by "Doug Trench".
And the owners are not afraid to reflect modern issues. Next to a BP site (below), a "Just Stop Oil" demonstration has broken out. Again, the humour comes through... Who's that selling "Cushty Priced Glue"?
A lovely place well worth a visit if you're in the area.
A short stroll from the Model Village takes us to Oddicombe Beach and Babbacombe Beach:
If you don't want to clamber down to the beach (or use the Cliff Railway, which was closed at the time of my visit), a walk along Babbacombe Downs Road may suffice:
For my last ride of this article, I am rejoining route 22 for a journey to Teignmouth. We're into the School Run / rush hour now. the bus is due at 1653 but arrives at 1707 with a significant load, many of whom are of school age. This is another Enviro400 and the lost time cannot be recovered.
It's a lovely ride, though. The bus avoids the obvious pull of Newton Abbot to take the direct coastal route into Teignmouth. This involves using the Shaldon Bridge, the only crossing over the River Teign between the river mouth (half a mile to the east) and the outskirts of Newton Abbot (almost four miles to the west).
It's a stunning crossing. The first stone of the original Shaldon Bridge here was laid in 1824 and it opened in 1827. The original bridge had 34 wooden arches and was 1,671 feet long, which made it the longest wooden bridge in England when built. There have been various collapses and rebuilds over the years.
ABOVE: Crossing the River Teign via the Shaldon Bridge
I leave the bus at Teignmouth at 1735, 14 minutes late. The bus will continue to Dawlish Warren.
ABOVE: Stagecoach South West 15865 (WA62 ANX), a Scania N230UD ADL Enviro400, in Den Road, Teignmouth
Since my visit, the 22 has been cut back from this area, now terminating at St Marychurch. This link is now covered by route 11 (Torquay to Dawlish Warren).
Teignmouth started to grow from the 1800s, as a result of a fishing port associated with the Newfoundland cod industry. By Georgian times it was a fashionable resort of some note. There was further expansion after the opening of the South Devon Railway in 1846. Today, its port still operates and the town remains a popular holiday location.
ABOVE: A north-easterly view along Courtenay Place in Teignmouth, with St Michael's Church prominent in the centre
From Teignmouth, it's back onto the scenic route 2 to Exeter. By the time I get back to my hotel, I have been out and about for 10 hours! But what a lovely day!
BELOW: An approximation of the journey described in this article
