Gather for a welcome drink reception at the hotel to meet your Tour Director and fellow travellers. Raise a glass, settle in, and hear a concise orientation covering the days ahead and practical tips for enjoying Exeter and the English Riviera.

This relaxed start fosters camaraderie and confidence, helping you soak in the Devon atmosphere while learning about local customs, transport, and dining spots. A warm, convivial way to begin your journey through Devon’s storied houses and coast.

Join a guided tour of Powderham Castle, the ancestral seat of the Earls of Devon set by the shimmering Exe Estuary. Wander through gilded salons, grand staircases, and intimate family rooms that reveal centuries of aristocratic life.

Outside, look for resident herds in the historic Deer Park and pause for photos across tidal marshes alive with birdlife. Stories of medieval foundations, Georgian elegance, and Victorian refinement enrich a visit that balances stately drama with a lived-in, family heritage.

Step inside Greenway House, Agatha Christie’s beloved riverside retreat cared for by the National Trust. Rooms dressed in 1950s style display first editions, travel souvenirs, and family photographs, while windows frame the wooded bends of the Dart.

Stroll the woodland gardens of camellias and magnolias to the atmospheric Boathouse on the River Dart, a setting immortalised in Dead Man’s Folly. The visit illuminates Agatha Christie not just as author, but as mother, traveller, and collector, rooted in Devon’s gentle light.

Explore Coleton Fishacre, a 1920s Art Deco house built for the D’Oyly Carte family, where sleek lines meet coastal breeze. Period interiors evoke jazz-age glamour, from streamlined fireplaces to ocean-hued textiles.

Descend through coastal gardens rich with exotics and a fern-filled valley to glimpses of sea views above Pudcombe Cove. The design merges architecture and landscape, showcasing how sheltered microclimates and Gulf Stream warmth shaped a subtropical palette on Devon’s south coast.

Follow the Agatha Christie Mile on a hosted seafront stroll, linking places tied to the author’s life and inspirations. Trace the curve of Tor Bay past palms and promenades, calling out the Grand Hotel, Princess Pier, and other Riviera landmarks.

Insights weave biography with setting—debut novels, seaside dances, and storm-lit clifftops—while you pause for photos and reflection over the bay’s shifting light. The walk brings Christie’s world into focus amid salt air and Victorian pleasure gardens.

Ride a heritage steam train along the coast from Paignton to Kingswear, cross by ferry to Dartmouth, and cruise the River Dart beneath wooded hillsides. Plumes of steam and whistle echoes set a nostalgic rhythm to this classic South Devon circuit.

Look for Greenway Quay, Dittisham’s pastel cottages, and the Britannia Royal Naval College cresting the town. This experience is at additional cost and bookable with your Tour Manager during the tour.

Sample a traditional Devonshire cream tea in a characterful tearoom, pairing freshly baked scones with thick clotted cream and homemade strawberry jam. Porcelain cups clink as the aroma of loose-leaf tea drifts across polished tables.

Learn the Devon custom—cream first, then jam—and chat with locals about seaside life, orchards, and dairy traditions. This optional experience is at additional cost and can be arranged on tour.

Explore Dartmoor National Park on a leisurely scenic drive, crossing misty moorland to granite tors and windswept mires. Watch for wild ponies grazing near heathered slopes and step out at the iconic Postbridge clapper bridge for photos.

Your driver shares tales of stannary towns, Neolithic cairns, and folklore that lingers in boggy hollows. This optional excursion is at additional cost and bookable on tour, weather permitting.

Visit Torquay Museum to explore the dedicated Agatha Christie Gallery, featuring period photographs, first editions, and selected set pieces from celebrated screen adaptations. Exhibits trace her global journeys and the Devon landscapes that seeded plots and characters.

The collection adds dimension to the author beyond Poirot and Miss Marple, framing her craft within family life and archaeological expeditions. This optional visit is at additional cost and arranged locally.