The quaint historic estuary port of Topsham has a cosmopolitan atmosphere with an eclectic cluster of specialist shops and fine restaurants, plus wonderful sunsets above the estuary. Once a thriving port and shipbuilding centre, Topsham still retains a strong maritime flavour.
Distinctive buildings include elegant 17c Dutch-style merchant houses in The Strand like the attractive Topsham Museum. Whilst currently closed, the museum's Riverside Garden is always open and its plants include some collected by the Veitch family of nurserymen.
Good food is a Topsham speciality with many historic pubs, and award-winning restaurants including The Galley Restaurant Topsham, with panoramic views of the Exe Estuary.
Topsham shopping also offers a vibrant mix of boutiques, galleries, gifts, fine wines and foods, and antiques including several floors to browse at the former Customs House on the quay. On Topsham's outskirts, you will also find Darts Farm, a treasure trove of delicious local produce and lifestyle shopping.
Further along, the narrow Goat Walk beside the Exe estuary offers wonderful views and sunsets. These estuary mudflats and Bowling Green Marsh RSPB Reserve are home to a vast array of water-birds including avocet, dunlin, little ringed plover, and little egret. Topsham has several town trails to embark on, the perfect way to explore the area and learn something you didn't know about this fascinating town.
Topsham's charming passenger ferry deposits passengers (and bikes) across the Exe for pleasant walking and pub lunches at two idyllic waterside pubs, the Turf and Double Locks. You can also take short or long cruises to discover the wildlife of the Exe estuary or to Exmouth's sandy beaches.
To find out more about visiting Topsham, visit www.lovetopsham.co.uk/