Add these to your Devon in autumn bucket list! 🍁😍
Want to know a secret? Autumn is one of the best times to explore Devon.
The summer crowds have gone, but the beaches stay beautiful. Charming fishing villages, sweeping bays and brooding moorland are atmospheric, especially when the leaves turn, and there are cosy country pubs all over the region.
As a local, here are some experiences I recommend putting on your Devon autumn bucket list:
Explore Clovelly without the crowds
Clovelly’s cobbled street plunges down the cliff to the sea, lined with whitewashed cottages and flower-filled windowsills.
In summer it’s often jammed with visitors, but autumn means quieter days when you can walk to the harbour without weaving through crowds!
Stop at the Red Lion for a drink by the water, then follow the South West Coast Path west towards Bucks Mills.
The clifftop path is edged with turning leaves and looks out over a restless grey sea. It’s absolutely idyllic.
See things to do in Clovelly here.
Sail over to Lundy Island for wild coastal walks
Off the coast from Ilfracombe, the semi-uninhabited (there are no permanent residents!) Lundy Island feels far more remote than its 19 km distance suggests! The summer day-trippers are gone by autumn, leaving windswept cliffs and open moorland almost to yourself.
Puffins have left by this time of year but you can often spot grey seals hauled out on the rocks and peregrines swooping along the cliffs.
The ferry crossing on the MS Oldenburg continues until the end of October – after which access is by helicopter (which is an experience in itself!). You can stay on the island year-round.
Take an off-peak break at North Devon Resort (and save 30%)
Book a stay at North Devon Resort between September and January and wake up to Devon without the hustle and bustle!
In autumn, you’ll find quiet paths and wide open stretches of sand instead of crowded beach towns. Plus the local aquarium, castle and adventure parks are still open, but without all the queues.
When the weather’s fine, it’s an ideal base for walking the South West Coast Path, cycling the Tarka Trail, venturing into Exmoor or spending a morning surfing at Woolacombe. If the weather’s not so hot, then enjoy plenty of local indoor activities. You’ll find the following in the vicinity of North Devon Resort:
- cosy pubs like The Thatched Inn in Ilfracombe
- chocolate workshops at Ilfracombe Chocolate Emporium
- Lynton & Barnstaple Railway and Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway
- Arlington Court, a National Trust property
- Ilfracombe aquarium
- The BIG sheep theme park
Check each website for up-to-date opening times.
Or, stay on site to use the indoor pool and sauna or book a session in the spa!
The resort has self-catering apartments, including family-friendly, pet-friendly, pet-free and easy-access options, so you can settle in and enjoy your stay.
Get 30% off stays of two nights or more at North Devon Resort between up until 31 January 2026 (T&Cs apply).
Flexible check-in and check-out dates.
Check out the off peak offer at North Devon Resort
Try the forest sauna in Haldon Forest
A few miles outside Exeter, Haldon Forest is one of the best spots in Devon for autumn colours.
The Discovery Trail runs past viewpoints where the canopy burns orange and gold. Or, you could try the Haldon Forest Park Run (warning, there are a few steep hills!) which is a free, timed run at 9am every Saturday.
Afterwards, you can warm up in You Can Sauna, a 10 minute walk from the main car park (the sauna also has free parking).
This wood-fired sauna is surrounded by ferns and has views over Dartmoor, with a plunge bath for cooling off.
It’s bookable in communal or private sessions, so you can have the whole space to yourself if you want!
Watch the red deer rut on Exmoor National Park
October is rutting season, when red deer stags battle for mates and their roars echo across the valleys!
It’s one of the most interesting animal experiences in the UK, and the best way to experience it is on a safari. Take a look at Red Stag Safari.
Pick pumpkins at Exeter Pumpkins
There are a few pumpkin patches in Devon, but one of my favourites is Exeter Pumpkins. This is an independently run patch near Exminster, close to the A38.
As well as the pumpkin patch, there are miniature steam train rides, face painting, inflatable slides and obstacles and kids games!
Ride the South Devon Railway through golden valleys
Steam trains chug between Buckfastleigh and Totnes along the River Dart, passing wooded hillsides that turn yellow and amber in late October.
Break the journey at Staverton, a tiny rural halt with a footpath leading to an old stone bridge.
When you reach Totnes, warm up in the cafes on the historic high street before heading back through the autumn dusk.
See more about South Devon Railway here.
Feast at the Dartmouth Food Festival
Every October (24th – 26th in 2025), Dartmouth’s streets fill with stalls selling cider, cheeses, chutneys and baked goods from across Devon and Cornwall. Chefs run cookery demos in the harbour tents and local restaurants host special tasting menus.
It’s one of the South West’s biggest food festivals, yet it feels relaxed compared to summer!
Between tastings, walk along the embankment to see autumn light glinting off the River Dart and the hills beyond.
See the trees turn beside Roadford Lake
Close to the Devon–Cornwall border near Lifton, Roadford Lake is ringed by mixed woodland that bursts into colour every October. The 8.5 km Lakeside Trail runs past inlets where the water mirrors the trees, and red squirrels are sometimes seen in the conifers.
There’s a watersports centre and café, but the far side of the reservoir is often empty and quiet.
Here, you can watch cormorants drying their wings on half-submerged branches while leaves drift across the surface. The walk is flat and well surfaced, making it ideal for an easy full-circuit stroll.
Follow the clifftop path between Beer and Branscombe
This East Devon stretch of the South West Coast Path is one of the county’s most dramatic short hikes. Starting from Beer’s shingle beach, the trail climbs sharply up white chalk cliffs, passing hedgerows bright with hips and haws.
Autumn sun lights the red sandstone at Branscombe, where the village’s thatched cottages sit between wooded combes. There’s another sauna at Branscombe if you fancy it!
On the way back, there’s a high route through Hooken Undercliff, a tumbled landscape of fallen rock now cloaked in dense woodland.
Watch starling murmurations at Slapton Ley National Nature Reserve
As autumn progresses, tens of thousands of starlings gather to roost in the reedbeds around Slapton Ley, a freshwater lake behind Slapton Sands in South Devon.
Arrive just before dusk and stand on the lane between the beach and the lake.
The flocks swoop and twist together in shifting patterns, a low roar rising from their wings as they whirl overhead. Bring binoculars and a torch for the walk back!
See my guide to Slapton Sands.
Stroll through historic streets in Totnes
Totnes is busy in summer but comes into its own in the autumn
The medieval high street climbs steeply from the river. It’s lined with merchants’ houses now housing independent shops.
By October, the plane trees on the Rotherfold scatter yellow leaves across the cobbles. Browse the Friday market for local cheese and chutneys or visit Totnes Castle to look out over the patchwork of red rooftops and wooded hills beyond.
Here are the best things to do in Totnes.
Hike on Woodbury Common
East Devon’s Woodbury Common is often overlooked, but its open heathland turns spectacular colours in autumn. Bracken flushes bronze, heather fades to russet, and low sunlight catches on the gorse.
Start at the car park by Woodbury Castle, an Iron Age hillfort surrounded by old oak trees, then loop across the ridge for sweeping views towards the sea at Budleigh Salterton.
Here are some more walks in the area.
Browse the antique shops of Ashburton
Tucked into the southern edge of Dartmoor National Park, Ashburton feels made for autumn. It’s well known for its antique stores and is loved by shoppers and browsers alike.
Close to Dartmoor sites like Haytor, it’s ideal for a varied Dartmoor day trip. If you’re visiting on a Sunday, I can highly recommend Carpenter’s Arms in Ilsington for a roast!
Watch seals haul out at Morte Point
Autumn is peak season for grey seals along the North Devon coast.
At low tide, they haul out on the secluded coves around Morte Point, a rugged headland west of Woolacombe. From the coastal path, you can watch them basking on the rocks or bobbing just offshore. Bring binoculars to avoid disturbing them.
The walk from Mortehoe village takes about two hours as a circuit, passing sea cliffs, heathland, and old wartime lookout posts. The headland catches the full force of the Atlantic, so wrap up. It can feel wild even on still days!
