Discover Torquay, Devon

Brunswick Square, Torquay, Devon, England: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brunswick_Square,_Torre_-_geograph.org.uk_-_197411.jpg
Author: Derek Harper


Torquay is a seaside town in the Torbay unitary authority area, in Devon, England. The town is best known for being the home of Agatha Christie for much of her life. It lies about 35 km (22 mi) south of Exeter and 61 km (38 mi) northeast of Plymouth. Torquay has a population of 64,000 people, making it the third largest settlement in Devon.

The Torquay area bears evidence of human habitation going back into the Stone Age. The hand axes found in Kents Cavern may be the oldest articles by modern human in Europe, dating to as early as 40,000 years ago.

Although there is no trace of Roman settlement in the area, Roman soldiers have visited Torquay and left offerings at a rock formation in Kent's Cavern. Modern Torquay probably dates back to the construction of Torre Abbey in 1196. Little was known of Torquay thourh the ages, and it was just a small village at the start of the 19th century, with a population less than 900 people. Yet within less than fifty years, that would grow to 11,474.

The construction of a railway station helped to increase the development and population of the town. In the early days, Torquay was a convalescence retreat attracting those seeking a good rest from illnesses. By the late 19th century, the visitor composition evolved, with healthy tourists forming the bulk of visitors.

Today Torquay depends on tourism as the mainstay of its economy. It has a number of tourist sights that are worth checking out.

Visiting Torquay

If coming from Manchester, take the M5 motorway until Exeter, where it continues as the A38 and then as the A380. Take the A380 heading south till you arrive in Torquay.

Chapel in Torquay Cemetery: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chapel_in_Torquay_Cemetery_-_geograph.org.uk_-_257352.jpg
Author: Derek Harper

Places of Interest in Torquay

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.