Visiting Dartington
Shop
Before your visit
Read on for information on our opening times, how to get here and how to get around the estate, and information on accessibility for all our services and attractions.
Please note that we operate a cashless system across the estate: parking, accommodation, restaurants, shops and bookings.
Opening hours
Information & tickets
Welcome Centre: Open Mon – Sat 8am-6pm and Sun 8am – 2pm . Contact info@dartington.org or (during opening hours) 01803 847000.
Box Office: Open daily from 1.30 – 8pm (or 1.30 – 7pm if phoning us). Contact boxoffice@dartington.org or (during opening hours) 01803 847070.
Food and drink
The Green Table: Click here for latest opening times >
The White Hart: Click here for latest opening times >
Montreal Style Bagels: Open daily, 9am-8pm
Shops
The Cider Press Centre, Welcome Centre Shop and Dartington Shop in Totnes: Click here for opening times and parking info >
Attractions
Grade II* Listed Gardens: Get opening times and book tickets >
Estate footpaths and trails*: Open dawn ’till dusk – click here for ideas for walks >
Maps
The bigger picture
A map with everything in our estate and Gardens
Conferences
Map with meeting rooms and facilities
Dartington’s a big place
Read our guide to walking around the estate
We’re dog-friendly
Click below for details on designated dog areas and the bird nesting (on-lead) season
Getting here
by car
From the A38: Take the exit signposted to Totnes, Dartmouth and Kingsbridge via the A385. After 5 miles, the estate’s Upper Drive entrance is signposted on your left, just before Dartington village.
From Totnes/the coast: Follow the A385 though Totnes and Dartington village until you see the signposted entrance to the Upper Drive on your right. Please note that the Lower Drive entrance between Totnes and Dartington is closed at night.
Car parks are located at the core estate (near to the Hall and Gardens) and at The Cider Press Centre (click here for parking info for The Cider Press Centre).
Our modest parking fees provide vital funds for on-going maintenance of the estate’s roads, footpaths, buildings, and grounds – we appreciate your support in this.
Charges – all 9am-6pm
- 1 hour – £1.50
- 2 hours – £2.40
- 3 hours – £3.50
- 4 hours – £4.70
- All day – £6.00
Our car parks use automatic number plate recognition. Please purchase your parking session on arrival via a parking machine (please note our machines are cashless) or via the RingGo app (please note that you may incur additional transaction fees when using the RingGo app).
Our parking machines do not provide tickets, but you can print a receipt during your transaction if required. You do not need to display anything on your dashboard.
Your payment is registered against your number plate and in the event of non-payment or incorrect entry of details, a parking charge notice will be issued by Total Parking Solutions.
If you need to top up your parking time, you can do that at any point during your stay.
If you have any queries about our parking system – please email our car park administrator at: carparking@dartington.org
Parking is free for motorcycles – look for the designated motorcycle parking areas (core estate only).
Annual Parking Permits are available to Dartington Members – click here for more info ⇒
Electric vehicle charging points: The core estate car park has two 7kw units and two 22kw units. The Cider Press Centre car park has three 7kw units and one 22kw units. All units are available on a pay-as-you-go basis via the evcharge.online app.
by bike
The Sustrans National Cycle Route 2 path runs along the edge of the Dartington Hall estate, from Dartington village to Totnes*, which intersects with the lower Dartington drive that leads uphill from Totnes to Dartington Hall. Once at Dartington, 8 covered bike ‘parking spaces’ are available in the main car park and 5 further uncovered spaces can be found behind the East Wing. Please bring your own secure bike lock.
by bus
165, Totnes to Dartington Hall/Broadhempston. Stops at The Cider Press Centre and the central estate (Hall and Gardens). See the timetable here.
88, Totnes to Newton Abbot via Ashburton and Buckfastleigh. Stops at The Cider Press Centre. See the timetable here.
Gold Bus, Torquay to Plymouth via Totnes. Stops at The Cider Press Centre. See the timetable here.
All three services can be boarded in Totnes on Coronation Road (by the Royal Seven Stars Hotel), and opposite the train station.
There are coaches from London (Victoria Coach Station) and other major cities.
More information and timetables: www.traveline.info or call 0871 200 2233.
courtyard room guests
On arrival, guests can check in at our Welcome Centre. Drivers should park in the main estate car park (see ‘By Car’).
Our Guest Services Assistants will welcome you to Dartington and provide you with a Parking Permit for the main car park.
Attending a conference? A map of our meeting rooms can be found above.
by train
The nearest rail station is at Totnes (on the main Paddington – Penzance line), approximately 1½ miles from Dartington (approx. 35 min walk/10 min taxi ride). There is a taxi rank at Totnes Station.
See the ‘on foot’ tab for details on how to walk to the estate from the station.
To catch a bus from the train station, cross the main road at the pedestrian crossing. From here you can catch the 165 (stops at The Cider Press Centre and then continues up to the Hall and central estate) or the 88/Gold service (stops at The Cider Press Centre).
on foot
The Dartington estate can be reached via various footpaths from all directions, but it’s worth highlighting that it is connected to neighbouring Totnes by a handy path.
To access it, walk through Totnes Rail Station’s main car park to the opposite end from the main road. You will soon locate the footpath to Dartington. Follow the path to the banks of the River Dart and turn left. The path continues with the river on your right and leads round to a large weir. Continue along the riverside path to reach a lane. Turn right along the lane, cross Bidwell Brook and you’ll have a choice of continuing to The Cider Press Centre (via a marked path on your left) or continuing straight on to the main estate.
It’s worth noting that while the whole route is pushchair-friendly, the final climb to the main estate is substantial.
Accessibility information
Keeping the estate open and accessible for all is of utmost importance to us. Please select a topic below for further information, and if have any queries not covered above please contact us.
There are ‘free’ blue badge parking bays located at the White Hart restaurant, Shippon Studios and at Meadowbrook car park (near The Cider Press Centre). They are on a first come, first served basis and cannot be booked.
All other blue badge spaces are within main car parks and parking in these spaces requires payment (see the ‘getting here by car’ section above) or a valid membership with a parking permit.
For those staying at our hotel, parking is free to all in any of our main car parks. Two dedicated disabled bays are also available with an access ramp directly to hotel reception. Both hotel wings are on the same level, so all rooms are hypothetically accessible, but we recommend you contact Guest Services (see our hotel pages for details) to ensure your stay is as comfortable as possible.
A disabled toilet facility is available for public use at our Higher Close building (point 8 on our core estate map).
Our gardens are fully accessible, with a wheelchair-friendly entrance and a step-free route that can be followed. Guide dogs are permitted.
We also offer the hire of a Tramper, in partnership with the Countryside Mobility Scheme – find out more here.
Our cinema has accessible seating areas available. To book these, you will need to contact our Box Office team directly – please see the contact details at the top of this page.
All permissive paths are marked clearly on our estate map (see Maps, above).
When using any of the trails on the Dartington estate, we ask walkers to follow the Countryside Code. The government’s website on the new Countryside Code can be accessed here. Please keep dogs on a lead at all times. Please also note some of the paths are uneven and can become slippery during damp or wet weather and so it is advisable to wear stout shoes if you are planning to walk around the estate.
Please note that at periods throughout the year these paths may be closed at short notice. Groups of 10 or more walkers wishing to walk on our estate should complete an application form so we can help advise you of planned work or other impediments to your route. Please click here for a copy of the form.
Please contact us via campsite@dartington.org with any accessibility enquiries to help us ensure you have the best possible stay.