Despite its countless charms, Exeter, this sleepy cathedral town on the river Exe, remains a complete mystery to most outsiders.

And though it’ll never be exactly hip, well, that’s kind of a massive draw for the 127,000 people who call it home.

9 reasons you should move to Totnes, Devon immediately

Here’s a few reasons why modest, understated, but always achingly pretty Exeter will always be Devon’s only worthwhile city.

Suck it, Plymouth.


1. It’s right by the coast

Hey neighbour (Picture: Getty)

In 20 minutes or so you can be gazing wistfully out to sea.

And sure, perhaps, ‘The English Riviera’ is a rather a grandiose umbrella term for homely Torquay, Paignton and Brixham.

But a bracing stroll along the nearby Jurassic Coast – where countless fossils have been, and continue to be, discovered – underlines why this russet-coloured stretch of shoreline is perhaps the loveliest in England.



2. It’s properly embedded in the countryside

Majestic rolling hills, ancient woodland and brooding, windswept moors are only the half of it.

Exeter is surrounded – nay, was built on – authentic, welly-wearing working farmland.

So if you’ve ever sneakily fancied joining the ruddy-cheeked, quilted-Barbour set, this is a good place to do it.

3. Yet it’s remarkably well-connected

Not that London is the be-all-and-end-all, but you can get there in under three hours by train.

You’re on the M5, which whisks you anywhere in the country hassle-free, except on Bank Holidays when it’s all caravans and stressed middle-aged people.

Exeter Airport was, inexplicably, voted the happiest in the entire world just last month.

Even the broadband is nifty, thanks to visionary early investment and the support of Exeter Science Park.

4. A sense of history

The city centre us dominated by an 800-year-old gothic cathedral – a ravishing fairy-tale structure that’s well worth a pious mooch around in your lunch break.

Despite much of town being tragically razed by the Luftwaffe, plenty of adorably higgledy-piggledy alleyways and meandering medieval byways remain intact.

Special shout out to the house that moved, a Tudor merchant villa that was artfully shunted 70m down the road during a visionary 1960s project to improve traffic flow in the city.

5. Very cool, and usefully uncool, shops

Don’t miss Toot Garook for groovy furniture, one-off items of clobber or fun quirky accessories.

Mantis make stonkingly cool jewellery, Roly’s Fudge make – you’ll never guess – fudge.

All that good stuff, alongside handy high-street stalwarts such as Primark, Topshop and (whisper it) John Lewis.

6. A very respectable music scene

Muse, they’re alright (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

Thom Yorke from Radiohead went to uni here.

Muse are from just up the road, and played several formative gigs at the excellent Cavern.

Chris Martin also hails from Exeter. What?

7. There’s a gloriously disreputable drinking scene

There’s a watering hole to cater for every taste and pocket.

The Imperial is a ginormous ‘spoons, situated in an incongruously fancy Victorian orangery.

Stable Pizza in town is a lively, flirty spot where you can perch in a groovy rooftop caravan.

Best of all, The Waterfront on the quay is date-night fancy with decent wines, posh pizzas and live music.

Go west, is what we’re saying.

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