Best Day Trips From Exeter for Groups of Friends

The Day Trip as Friendship Maintenance

Here is something nobody tells you about adult friendships: they do not survive on goodwill alone. You can love your friends deeply and still go months without seeing them, because everyone is busy, everyone is tired, and the group chat is easier than actually leaving the house. The intention is always there. The follow-through is the problem.

Day trips fix this. Not the grand, overplanned kind that require spreadsheets and a committee vote — the simple kind. A train to the coast. A drive to a pub on the moor. A wander around a town you have never been to. Day trips create shared experiences without the commitment of a holiday, the expense of a big night out, or the planning stress that kills so many good ideas before they happen.

And if you live in or near Exeter, you are genuinely spoiled for options. Devon has two coastlines, a national park, and more pretty towns than you can visit in a year. The problem is not finding somewhere to go — it is picking one and actually going.

This is our guide to the best group day trips from Exeter, from quick morning outings to full-day adventures. For each, we have included how many people it suits, approximate costs, how to get there, and what to bring. Consider this your permission slip to text the group chat and say: "Right, we're doing this. Saturday. No excuses."

Quick Hits: Two to Three Hours

Exmouth Beach

Best for: 2–10 people | Cost: Under £10 per person | Getting there: Train from Exeter St Davids, 30 minutes

Exmouth is the easiest day trip from Exeter, and sometimes the easiest option is the best one. The train takes half an hour, it runs regularly, and when you arrive you are a five-minute walk from two miles of sandy beach. This is not a pebble beach or a dramatic cliff — it is proper sand, safe swimming, and enough space for everyone.

Exmouth marks the start of the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that stretches for 95 miles along the Devon and Dorset coastline. The cliffs here are ancient — some dating back hundreds of millions of years — and you can walk along them on the South West Coast Path for as long as your legs will carry you. For groups, the best option is to keep it simple: train down, walk along the seafront, fish and chips on the beach, walk back. No car required. No advance booking needed. Just go.

What to bring: Sunscreen, a towel if you fancy a swim, and cash for the chip shop.

Topsham Food Crawl

Best for: 2–6 people | Cost: £20–£50 per person depending on where you eat | Getting there: Train from Exeter, 16 minutes

If your group bonds over food, Topsham is the answer. This small estuary town just four miles south of Exeter has a Michelin-listed restaurant (The Salutation Inn), a Bib Gourmand seafood spot (The Galley), a 16th-century riverside inn (The Globe), and an award-winning farm shop complex (Darts Farm) with its own restaurant, terrace bar, and estuary views.

The format that works best for a group is a food crawl: coffee at Route 2, a browse along Fore Street, lunch at The Galley or The Globe, and a drink at Darts Farm's Terrace Bar to finish. We have written a full guide to eating your way through Topsham if you want the details. The short version is: it is genuinely one of the best food destinations in Devon, and it is sixteen minutes from Exeter by train.

What to bring: An appetite and a willingness to share plates.

Half-Day Adventures: Four to Five Hours

Dartmoor Pub Walk

Best for: 3–8 people | Cost: £15–£30 per person (transport and pub lunch) | Getting there: Car (30–45 minutes) or 359 bus to Moretonhampstead

A walk on Dartmoor followed by a pub lunch is one of the best things you can do in Devon, full stop. The combination of wild landscape, fresh air, and a proper meal by a log fire is hard to beat, and it works for groups of all fitness levels — you just choose your walk accordingly.

The classic option is to park at Haytor and walk up to the rocks (about 20 minutes from the car park), take in the views across Devon and Cornwall, then head down to the Rock Inn in Haytor Vale for lunch. The Rock Inn is a traditional 18th-century coaching inn originally built to house quarrymen working at the nearby Haytor granite quarries — the same quarries that supplied granite for the construction of London Bridge. Today it serves excellent food, real ales from the local Dartmoor Brewery, and has the kind of atmosphere that makes you want to stay all afternoon. If you enjoy walks like this, our guide to walking routes near Exeter has more ideas.

What to bring: Proper footwear (the moor can be boggy), a waterproof layer, and cash for the pub.

Haldon Forest Cycling

Best for: 3–6 people | Cost: £20–£35 per person (bike hire plus refreshments) | Getting there: Car, 15 minutes from Exeter

Haldon Forest is 3,500 acres of woodland sitting on the Haldon Ridge, just fifteen minutes from Exeter. It has purpose-built mountain bike trails for all abilities, from the gentle Discovery Trail (wide, surfaced paths with rest stops and views over Exeter and Dartmoor) to the red-graded Ridge Ride for anyone who wants something more technical.

Forest Cycle Hire operates from the park and has over a hundred mountain bikes for hire, including electric bikes for anyone who wants the experience without the suffering. The trails wind through beautiful woodland, and there is a café at the centre for refuelling afterwards. It is the kind of activity that feels like a proper adventure but only takes half a day, and it works brilliantly for mixed groups — the green and blue trails are genuinely accessible to anyone who can ride a bike.

What to bring: Comfortable clothing you do not mind getting muddy, and a change of top for the café afterwards.

Full-Day Adventures: Six Hours Plus

Dartmouth Food Trip

Best for: 4–8 people | Cost: £40–£70 per person | Getting there: Car (1 hour 15 minutes) or bus

Dartmouth is one of the most beautiful towns in Devon, and one of the best for eating. This historic harbour town on the River Dart has narrow streets lined with independent shops, a 14th-century castle, and a food scene that punches well above its weight.

For a group food trip, the format is this: arrive late morning, wander the harbour and the cobbled streets, have lunch at one of the waterfront restaurants — Rockfish is a reliable choice for fresh-off-the-boat seafood, while The Angel offers fine dining with river views — then walk off your meal with a stroll along the waterfront or a trip to Dartmouth Castle. If the weather is good, there are boat trips from the harbour, kayaking on the river, and paddleboarding for the adventurous.

The Dartmouth Food Festival in October is the culinary highlight of the year and well worth planning a group trip around, but the town is excellent for eating at any time.

What to bring: A camera, comfortable walking shoes, and someone in the group who is willing to drive (or look into the bus options via Totnes).

Salcombe Boat Day

Best for: 4–8 people | Cost: £50–£80 per person | Getting there: Car (1 hour 30 minutes)

Salcombe is Devon's most glamorous coastal town — pastel-coloured houses climbing up from a stunning natural harbour, sandy beaches accessible only by boat, and a sailing culture that gives the whole place a relaxed, nautical atmosphere.

For a group, the best way to experience Salcombe is on the water. Whitestrand Boat Hire rents self-drive boats by the hour or the day — no experience needed, they carry up to eight passengers, and you can explore the harbour, creek, and surrounding beaches at your own pace. The South Sands Ferry runs every half hour and is met by the famous sea tractor — an amphibious vehicle that trundles into the water to collect passengers, which is entertaining even if you are a grown adult.

For something more structured, Salcombe Cruises offer 90-minute guided harbour tours, and the Kingsbridge Salcombe Ferry runs a scenic 35-minute trip through the estuary. Either way, budget for lunch at one of the harbourside restaurants before heading home.

What to bring: Layers (it is always windier on the water), sunscreen, and a waterproof bag for your phone.

North Devon: Croyde and Woolacombe Surf Day

Best for: 4–10 people | Cost: £30–£60 per person (including surf lesson) | Getting there: Car (1 hour 30 minutes)

If your group has any interest in surfing — or even if nobody has ever stood on a board before — a day at Croyde or Woolacombe is one of the most fun things you can do in Devon. Woolacombe has been voted one of the top beaches in the world, with three miles of golden sand and waves suitable for all levels. Croyde, a short drive along the coast, is known for more powerful waves and a laid-back village atmosphere.

Woolacombe Surf Centre and Croyde Surf Academy both offer group surf lessons for beginners, with boards, wetsuits, and instruction included. A two-hour group lesson typically costs around £30–£40 per person, and it is the kind of experience that gives a group something to laugh about for years. Even if nobody manages to stand up, you will have fun trying.

After surfing, the walk between Woolacombe and Croyde along the coast path takes about an hour and passes through some of the most dramatic scenery in North Devon. Finish with fish and chips in the village and a quiet sit on the beach before the drive home.

What to bring: A change of dry clothes, a towel, and zero expectations about your surfing ability.

The Social Case for Day Trips

We talk a lot about how food brings people together, but day trips do something slightly different. A shared meal creates intimacy. A shared adventure creates a story. And stories are what friendships are built on — not the grand, dramatic kind, but the small, funny, "do you remember when" kind that come up again and again over the years.

The friends you see most are not always the friends you love most. They are the friends who make it easy — who say yes quickly, who do not overcomplicate things, who understand that the plan does not need to be perfect. Day trips are the same. The best ones are not the ones with the perfect itinerary. They are the ones where someone texted the group chat on a Thursday evening, and by Saturday morning you were all on a train.

If your group has been stuck in a cycle of cancelled plans and good intentions, pick one trip from this list and commit to it. Set a date. Book the train tickets. Do not wait for the perfect weekend — there is no such thing. The best fish and seafood in Devon will not eat itself, and the moor is not getting any closer to your sofa.

More Day Trip Ideas From Our Other Guides

If this list has whetted your appetite, we have covered several of these destinations in much more detail elsewhere. Our Exmouth day out guide walks you through the best beaches, bars, and eating spots in the town. The Sidmouth guide covers the Regency architecture, Jurassic Coast walks, and where to eat on the esplanade. Budleigh Salterton is a quieter alternative that rewards a slower pace.

For those who prefer to stay closer to Exeter, the best gardens and country estates guide covers everything from National Trust gems like Killerton (just seven miles away) to the free gardens at Dartington Hall near Totnes. And our Dartmoor social guide goes deeper into the moor's pub walks, wild swimming spots, and the best places to eat after a hike.

One destination we have not mentioned above but which deserves a note: Teignmouth and Dawlish Warren. Both are reachable by train from Exeter in under half an hour, and the coastal railway line itself — hugging the sea wall between Dawlish and Teignmouth — is one of the most scenic train journeys in England. A return ticket costs under ten pounds, and the combination of beach, Victorian seafront, and fish and chips makes it a perfect low-effort group outing.

For bank holiday weekends when you want something a bit more structured, or summer events and festivals to build a day trip around, those guides will keep you busy.

Make It Happen

Devon is one of those places where you can live for years and still discover new corners. Every town on this list is within 90 minutes of Exeter, and most are less than an hour. The barriers are never really about distance or cost — they are about inertia, about the gap between wanting to do something and actually doing it.

So here is your nudge. Pick a trip. Text a friend. Go. And when you are back in Exeter and looking for the next thing to do together, come and join us for dinner.