Buckfastleigh Travel Guide

As with the train, Buckfastleigh train station itself has been kept in the style it would have been originally in the 1870s.

The old ticket office & fireplace, the station master in his traditional uniform, old signs & fashioned luggage piled high on the platform. To add to the effect were these beautiful cars parked outside. Even if you dont want to go on the train the station itself is worth a look

The beautiful River Dart flows alongside Buckfastleigh, it is a nice depth & good flow from here to Totnes only 5 miles downstream, makes it a popular stretch for Kayakers. Unless you are are very experienced it is recommended you start below the weir.

There is a lovely walk heading up river starting from the train station carpark (free parking)

From outside the train station, included in your butterfly & otter ticket you can jump on this 1930s open top bus. It takes you to the the Abbey & also stops in the town. You can get off & jump on a later one to return to the train station.

You can also just say on it & enjoy the tour as we did! I think there are about 6 departures a day.

The town of Buckfastleigh is very small, one main pedestrianised street of olde worlde looking shops.

The town made its fortune on Limestone quarrying and the woollen industry, there is still a large wool product outlet next to the Abbey. The farmers market is every Thursday.

Its actually a great base for exploring the area being situated between Exeter & Plymouth, on the edge of Dartmoor National Park on only 10 miles from the sea.

The Butterfly Farm is a joint venture with the above mentioned Otter Sanctuary. Basically its a huge greenhouse full of beautiful tropical plants, pools with fish & terapins plus of course butterflys fluttering around.
There seemed to be less than I remember on our first visit a few years ago but still plenty to see. It is very hot in here so wear layers!

The admission & opening times are as the Otter Sanctuary

This quite a little place with 4 enclosures & pools for pairs of otters. There were 3 pairs there when we visited, both British & Amercian Otters. One of which had a recent litter of 2 pups.

Try to get there for a feeding time which is 11.30, 2.30 & 4.30 when the otters are more lively, especially so for the first feed.

Otters usually live for 7 - 10 years in the wild, but it is the norm for them to live as long as 20 years in captivity.

Open March to November, plus now & again in the winter. Entrance was about £7.00, but this did include entrance in to the butterfly farm & a vintage bus ride!
Under 5s free

An Abbey has been on this site since the 10th century. Henry the 8th supressed the Catholic church in the mid 1500s, so from 1539 the Abby was disbanded & damaged. In 1882 the Abbey was reopened with the monks themselves rebuilding the Abbey.

The most impressive part of the Abbey I feel is the huge round ornate window on the far end, from memory I think it is in its own private chapel. There are rose gardens for you to wander around a pleasant cafe & gift shop.

Buckfast Abbey has half a million visitors a year. So can be busy weekends & obviously Sundays