Totnes Devon
Totnes is the most independent and most characterful small town in Devon, a medieval market town on the River Dart whose combination of a Norman castle, fine Elizabethan architecture, the remarkable colonnaded Fore Street and a contemporary culture of independent shops and alternative businesses gives it a vitality unusual among Devon market towns. The town has attracted a creative and unconventional population that has made it disproportionately famous for its size. Totnes Castle, with a near-complete round keep on one of the finest Norman mottes in England, overlooks the town and provides the best views of the Dart estuary from any accessible point. English Heritage manages the castle and its combination of architectural quality and historical associations makes it an excellent complement to the town's other attractions. The Elizabethan House Museum on Fore Street occupies one of the finest surviving Elizabethan town houses in Devon. The River Dart below Totnes provides boat trips to Dartmouth and excellent riverside walking, and the Totnes to Buckfastleigh steam railway provides a heritage rail experience through the Dart Valley. The combination of the medieval heritage, the Elizabethan townscape, the river setting and the contemporary independent character makes Totnes one of the most rewarding and most distinctive small towns in the West Country.