With a slight undertone of anxiety, as the news flooded with the burgeoning Coronavirus situation, we headed Southwest for Part 2 of our journey. A four-hour trip on a series of trains and buses to the borough of Torbay.

Alia and Stephanie on the train to Torbay

Out the train window as we finally approached the coast!

Arriving tired and a little bedraggled, we checked into our cute and quaint AirBNB on Seaway Road, right off the oceanfront. Torbay is made up of three traditional British seaside towns: Torquay, Paignton and Brixham. It has a predominantly white population and a seasonal economy reliant on tourism. With the bright red of the Permian sandstone cliffs, the extensive coastal hiking trail system, and expanse of wild moorlands of the nearby Dartmoor National Park; we could see why it was known as the English Riviera.

Doorstep Arts shared with us that because of the seasonal economy of the area, they see a lot of youth coming from disadvantaged economic backgrounds and talked about the severe lack of creative opportunities in Torbay and surrounding towns. With this, their goal is to help bridge that gap by creatively engaging their young people, helping to foster their growth while creating opportunities for exposure to the arts that would not locally exist otherwise.

We closed off our evening with a mini adventure across the street to the locally famous London Fryer for some comfort food: Fish and Chips classic, complete with the very English “Mushy Peas” as the required side.

The English Riviera- March 8th