Getting to Totnes Without a Car: Trains, Buses and Boats

You do not need a car to enjoy Totnes. The town sits on the main London-to-Plymouth railway, has bus links to Dartmouth, Plymouth, Newton Abbot and most of the surrounding villages, a heritage steam line up to Buckfastleigh and a scheduled river boat service down to Dartmouth. It is genuinely one of the best-connected small towns in the South West.

This is the full transport rundown, with the things that actually matter when you are planning a trip.

Getting to Totnes by train

Totnes is on the Exeter to Plymouth line, 222 miles down from London Paddington. Two operators call here:

GWR (Great Western Railway)

Roughly hourly services from London Paddington to Plymouth and Penzance, calling at Reading, Taunton, Exeter St Davids, Newton Abbot and Totnes. Journey time from Paddington is around three hours direct. Booking in advance through GWR or trainline is significantly cheaper than turn-up-and-go.

CrossCountry

Long-distance services from Penzance and Plymouth up to Birmingham, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Aberdeen all stop at Totnes. Useful if you are travelling from the Midlands or the North of England rather than via London.

The station itself

Totnes station has a café on Platform 2, accessible ticket machines at the entrance, a small waiting room and taxi ranks. Bus services from outside the station connect to the town centre, Newton Abbot, Plymouth and Dartmouth. The town centre is a fifteen-minute walk downhill or a short taxi ride if you have heavy bags.

A separate footbridge across the River Dart opened in 1993 and links the main-line station to Totnes Riverside, where the heritage steam line departs.

Getting around by bus

The local bus network is thinner than the train service, but the routes that exist are useful.

Stagecoach GOLD

The flagship route. Runs between Plymouth and Paignton via Ivybridge, South Brent and Totnes (Royal Seven Stars). Sometimes branded as service 80 in newer timetables. Frequent service throughout the day, hourly or better in peak hours. Good for arriving from Plymouth or for a day trip across to Paignton and the English Riviera.

Country Bus service 88

Connects Totnes to Buckfastleigh, Ashburton and Newton Abbot. First service from Newton Abbot around 7am, last service around 5.50pm. Mostly Monday to Saturday. The right bus for visiting Buckfast Abbey, the Dartmoor edge, or for connecting onto the rail network at Newton Abbot. The 88B is a smaller circular service to Totnes’ Westonfields estate.

Stagecoach service 92 and the 100/200 routes

The Dartmouth connection. Several services run between Totnes and Dartmouth via the villages along the way, with journey times of around 45 minutes. Worth checking the current Stagecoach timetable for the day you travel, as routes have changed in recent years.

What to know

Bus services in rural South Devon are vulnerable to timetable changes, so check the day before you travel via the Stagecoach South West app, Country Bus Devon’s website, or Traveline South West. A day ticket is usually the cheapest option if you are making more than one journey.

Getting around by boat

Two scheduled boat options operate out of Totnes during the season.

Dartmouth River Boats

The Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company runs daily scheduled services between Totnes Steamer Quay and Dartmouth, nine miles downriver. Sailings are tidal, so departure times move through the week. The trip is around 75 minutes each way and the views are exceptional. Their Round Robin ticket combines the boat down, the steam train back up via Kingswear and Paignton, and a Stagecoach bus back to Totnes. A genuinely lovely full-day outing.

The paddle steamer Kingswear Castle

Britain’s last coal-fired paddle steamer in passenger service operates on the Dart, mainly out of Dartmouth, with occasional sailings up to Totnes. Worth checking if you are a heritage transport enthusiast.

The heritage railway

The South Devon Railway runs steam trains between Totnes Riverside and Buckfastleigh, a seven-mile former Great Western branch that follows the Dart upriver. The timetable is colour-coded: yellow days are the busiest, with frequent trains; green days are normal service; and shoulder seasons run a reduced timetable. February half-term has trains roughly every two hours. Buckfast Abbey is a short walk from Buckfastleigh station and the natural pairing for a half-day out.

Sample car-free trips

Day trip from London

06.30am Paddington, arrive Totnes around 9.45am, walk down into town for breakfast, take the river boat to Dartmouth at 11.30am (tide permitting), lunch in Dartmouth, return on the boat or via Round Robin, evening train back. Easily done in a long day.

A car-free week in Totnes

Train in, walk everywhere in town, day trip to Dartmouth by river boat, day trip to Buckfast Abbey by South Devon Railway and a short walk, day trip to Plymouth or Paignton by Stagecoach GOLD, evenings at the cinema or Dartington (taxi back if late).

Practical advice

Book main-line trains as far ahead as you can. Pack lighter than you think (the walk down into town is much easier without four suitcases). Pick up a paper timetable from the tourist information office on the High Street when you arrive, because that is still the most reliable way to know what is running between the villages on a given day.