Discover Totnes, Devon

Butterwalk in Totnes, Devon, England: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Butterwalk.jpg
Author: Totnesmartin


Totnes is a market town in the district of South Hams, in the southeastern part of Devon, England. Located at the estuary of the River Dart, it has a population of around 7,500 people (2012 estimate).

Totnes traces its history to AD 907, when its first castle was erected. According to 12th century historian Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae (1136), the mythical founder of Britain Brutus of Troy first came ashore in Britain at Totnes.

Brutus Stone, Totnes: Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BrutusStoneTotnes.JPG
Author: Alex1011


There is a granite stone at Fore Street claimed by locals to be the ground on which Brutus first stepped on from his ship. It is called, of course, Brutus Stone. However, the location of the stone, so far above the highest tide, and the fact that it was only first mentioned in 1697, cast much doubt to its verity. Sceptics argued that it is more likely the stone upon which medieval town criers, called bruiter, called called out their news, or bruit.

By the 16th century, Totnes was the second richest town in Devon and the 16th richest in England, deriving much of its wealth from trades. Today much of that wealth is part of history. Totnes is a modern English town with a fair share of artists and a vibrant art scene.

Bridgetown, Totnes: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bridgetowntotnes.jpg
Author: Totnesmartin

Visiting Totnes

From Manchester, take the M5 motorway until Exeter, where the M5 continues as the A30 and then as the A380 road. Take the A380 until Newton Abbot, then turn off to the A381 road. Continue south of the A381 until you reach Totnes.

River Dart at Totnes: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Dart_at_Totnes_-_geograph.org.uk_-_703768.jpg
Author: Gordon Brown

Places of Interest in Totnes

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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.