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Exeter - city in Devon, England

Exeter Cathedral Exeter is the county town of Devon and historically the administrative capital of the south-west peninsula. A historic mid-sized cathedral city with a good blend of arts, education, retail and history.

Understand

In AD 50 a Roman military base was built at a strategic crossing point on the banks of the river Exe, seven years after the Roman invasion of Britain. The settlement quickly gained in importance as the administrative centre for the Dumnonii tribe once the legionnaires left. Indeed, its Roman name, Isca Dumnomiorum, means "town of the Dumnonii (Devonian) tribe". Parts of the original Roman walls can still be seen today. The city continued to hold regional significance through the turbulent Dark Ages, being twice captured by the invading Vikings. Following the Norman Conquest, the inhabitants rebelled against William the Conqueror, who laid siege and subsequently built Rougemount Castle to ensure future compliance. During the renaissance period it developed into an economically powerful city through the wool industry, and a period of rapid growth commenced. Later, at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, industry was driven by water power from the River Exe. It remained a significant seaport (courtesy of its Ship Canal) until the age of steam, but there was no major industrialisation in the later 19th century. The city was badly damaged in an incendiary bombing raid on the High Street and surrounding areas in 1942, and although post-war reconstruction has been limited, a number of interesting buildings remain.

Now Exeter is the commercial and service centre for a largely agricultural hinterland, with a population of around 110,000. Good facilities for tourists exist, but tourism does not dominate; regularly voted among the top 3 cities in the UK for quality of life.

Get in

By plane

Aurigny, the flag carrier of Guernsey, flies from Guernesey to Exeter. Blue Islands serves the Exeter-Jersey route. Loganair, a Scottish regional airline, operates from Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Newcastle upon Tyne. Ryanair and TUI Airways operate flights from the Mediterranean.

Skybus flies from St Mary's on the Isles of Scilly (IATA: ISC) March-October, Monday to Saturday.

The bus to the airport is Stagecoach Bus 56 between Exeter St David's railway station and Exmouth. Buses run hourly till about 10PM and take 20 min, single fare £3. A taxi costs £10-20.

By train

Exeter is on the London Paddington to Penzance line, with a train roughly every hour from Paddington to Exeter through most of the day. Alternatively all Exeter stations (except St James's Park) are on the Riviera Line serving Starcross, Dawlish, Teignmouth, Newton Abbot, Torre, Torquay and Paignton.

Trains run daily every two hours to Exeter from Okehampton, taking 45 min via Crediton. This "Dartmoor Line" closed to passenger services in 1972, remaining in use for freight and as a summer heritage railway, but in Nov 2021 it re-opened for regular trains. It's expected the service will increase to hourly early in 2022.

  • Exeter St. Davids station, Bonhay Rd, EX4 4NT (a 15-minute walk or bus journey to the city centre), 50.7296°, -3.54354°. The main train station. The journey time from London Paddington to Exeter St. Davids is 2-3 hours, with the average being around 2 hours 30 minutes. National services are run to Bristol, South Wales, Birmingham, the north of England and Scotland; service to Bristol is approximately hourly. Local trains run to Barnstaple, Exmouth, and along the main lines.

Several smaller stations for local and regional trains exist, including Central, St Thomas 📍 and St James's Park 📍.

By bus

Park & Ride

Exeter has 3 park & ride bus stations: Honiton Road 📍, Sowton 📍 and Matford 📍.

Coaches

Exeter bus station 📍 is off Paris Street, a few minutes walk to High Street and the cathedral green.

National Express buses run 3-4 times a day from London Victoria (NX406, 503 and 504) via Heathrow Airport and Reading, taking five hours to Exeter, and continuing to Bodmin, Newquay and Penzance. Redwood Travel (on behalf of Megabus) runs the same route from Victoria daily.

National Express buses run five times a day from Birmingham via Bristol to Exeter, taking four hours. These all originate from further north: NX336 from Edinburgh via Glasgow, Preston and Manchester, NX338 from Leicester, NX324 from Sheffield via Derby, NX530 from Newcastle via Middlesborough, York and Leeds, and NX532 from Blackpool via Preston. They continue from Exeter to Paignton, Plymouth, Newquay and Penzance.

Get around

The central area of the city is fairly small, so it is easy to get around on foot.

Most buses within the city are operated by Stagecoach, who also operate buses to most regional destinations. Some regional routes are operated by small independent operators.

Cycle paths of varying quality run through the city. The most scenic route runs along the canal towpath.

See

Exeter Clock Tower

Do

The Lady Chapel of Exeter Cathedral

  • Take a free guided tour with the City's volunteer Redcoat guides - tours leave the Cathedral Green or the Quay and last 1–2 hours
  • Crealy Great Adventure Park, Sidmouth Rd, EX5 1DR (8 miles E of Exeter. From M5 jcn 30 follow A3052; bus 52A or 52B from main bus station), 50.705554°, -3.416076°, +44 1395 233200. Jun-Aug daily 10AM-5PM, from Sept outdoor rides only Sa Su. Adventure park mainly aimed at younger children, with indoor and outdoor slides and rides. Accommodation includes cabin lodges, glamping and camping. Adult £21, others by height 2018-06-13
  • The canal and river offers opportunities for watersports and cycling. Bikes and canoes can be hired from Saddles and Paddles, No. 4 Kings Wharf, The Quay, EX4 2AN, who offer good advice and the local bike route maps. A series of cycle paths exist on either side of the river. Along the west river bank, the village of Starcross and the beach of Dawlish Warren are easily reached, and Dawlish, Teignmouth and the south west coastpath can also be reached via this route. On the east bank, the gastronomic town of Topsham, Lympstone village, and seaside resort town Exmouth can be reached.

Watch

Cinema

Theatre

Sport

  • Exeter City FC, St James Park EX4 6PX (off B3212, next to St James Park railway station), 50.7307°, -3.5208°, +44 1392 411 243. City were promoted in 2022 and now play in League One, the third tier. The 8830-seat St James' Park stadium is a 10-minute walk northeast from the city centre. 2022-05-08
  • Exeter Chiefs Rugby Union Club, Sandy Park Stadium, Sandy Park Way, EX2 7NN (3 miles east of city at jcn 30 of M5 with A379), 50.709411°, -3.4685°, +44 1392 890890. Exeter Chiefs play in the English Premiership, the top tier of English Rugby Union. Sandy Park, opened in 2006, has a capacity of 12,800. There are plans to enlarge this beyond 20,000 to meet the stadium requirements for later stages of European rugby tournaments. 2018-06-13
  • Exeter Racecourse (Haldon racecourse), EX6 7XS (8 miles south of city, off A38), 50.641111°, -3.558056°, +44 1392 832599. This is a National Hunt ie jumps racecourse, with regular meetings during the winter season. Perched on top of the Haldon hills, it's the highest racecourse in the UK, at 260 m. There's a caravan & motor-home park within the course. 2018-06-13

Learn

Work

  • The largest employers are the Devon County Council, the University of Exeter, and the Met Office.
  • Employment agencies cluster around the west end of the High Street.
  • The Job Centre is at Clarendon House, Western Way
  • Exeter Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) is at Wat Tyler House in King William Street

Buy

  • The High Street is mostly taken up by national clothing and electronics chains.
  • Larger concentrations of independent shops can be found in the streets just off the High Street. Fore Street has a number of good outdoor goods shops. Gandy Street and the Cathedral Green offer a similarly eclectic range of retailers. Magdalen Road, a few minutes walk from the city centre, offers award-winning butchers and fishmongers as well as handmade jewellery and gift shops.
  • A major redevelopment of Princesshay and surrounding streets has brought many new or redeveloped shops and restaurants including an Apple store.
  • Princesshay, 9 Catherine St, EX1 1QA, 50.7245°, -3.52775°. 2017-10-27
  • Mall-type shopping developments in the city include the Guildhall and Harlequins.
  • Guildhall Shopping Centre, 40 High St, EX4 3HP, 50.72343°, -3.532558°, +44 1392 201910. M-Sa 8AM-7PM; Su 10AM-5PM. 2017-10-18

Eat

As well as the selection listed here, there are the national chains eg ASK and Pizza Express on Cathedral Green, and Zizzi's in Gandy Street. The suburb of Topsham, 5 km south on the river estuary, also has a good range of restaurants.

Budget

  • The Plant, 1 Cathedral Yard, EX1 1HJ, +44 1392 428144. M-Sa 8:30AM-5PM. Café with a good choice of vegetarian and other snacks and light meals. 2018-04-17
  • Dinosaur Café (Mediterranean food), 5 New North Rd, EX4 4HH (At the clock end of Queen Street), 50.72763°, -3.53560°, +44 1392 490951. M-Sa 10AM-9PM. Small family-owned Turkish and English cafe. All sorts of meze dishes, which are truly delicious. Large portions and inexpensive compared to similar restaurants. Also a bookshop, and something of a legend for University folk. £15 for three courses without alcohol 2018-04-17
  • Gandhi, 7/8 New North Road EX4 4HH (At roundabout head of Queen St), +44 1392 272119. Daily noon-2PM & 6-11:30PM. Traditional Brit Indian, inexpensive. 2018-04-17

Mid-range

  • Al-Farid, 3 Cathedral Yard EX1 1HJ, +44 1392 494444. Daily noon-11:30PM. Moroccan. 2018-04-17
  • Hour Glass, 21 Melbourne Street EX2 4AU, +44 1392 258722. Tu-F noon-2:30PM & 5PM-11PM; Sa noon-midnight; Su noon-10:30PM; M 5-10:30PM. Wood-panelled pub with real ale & traditional fare. 2018-04-17
  • The Fat Pig, 2 John St, EX1 1BL (turn off Fore St by Taunton Leisure), 50.72084°, -3.53402°. M-F 5-11PM, Sa noon-midnight, Su noon-5PM. Central yet rustic atmosphere, they even rear their own pigs. 2018-04-17
  • On The Water Front, Southern Warehouse, 4-9 The Quay, EX2 4AP (On riverside just S of centre), 50.71834°, -3.53017°, +44 1392 210590. Daily 10AM-11PM. Italian, in 19th-century brick warehouse, the pizzas are huge. 2018-04-17

Splurge

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

Stay safe

Exeter is very safe compared to other cities in the UK. There is a slight likelihood that you will be asked for money by homeless people at some point, but most of them are not aggressive and will simply move to the next person if you tell them, 'No, sorry.'

Cope

The local newspaper is the Express and Echo, published weekly. It is a good source for local events listings. The Exeter Flying Post offers alternative editorial views.

Go next

One of the main pulling points for the city is the ease in which one can get out of the urban environment and into the countryside. Exeter is a convenient gateway to Dartmoor, Plymouth and the rest of Devon and Cornwall.

  • Beaches: the nearest are at Exmouth and Dawlish Warren, but the whole of the south-west peninsula is within reach.
  • Scenic towns: Lyme Regis to the east, Totnes and Dartmouth to the south
  • Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks
  • Countryside: The Devon countryside offers rolling hills, fast-flowing rivers, and countless picturesque villages and small towns
  • Other major towns in Devon: Torquay and Plymouth city.

Exeter

exeter.gov.uk
Postal code:EX1-EX6Date Time:Please wait...Timezone:Europe/LondonPopulation:124,180Coordinates:50.73, -3.53

Devon

2nd-order administrative division

England

Primary administrative division

United Kingdom

gov.uk
Population:66.5 MDial code:+44Currency:Pound (GBP)Voltage:230 V, 50 Hz