Digital detox: How to slow down in South Devon

A new generation of holidaymakers has emerged between signal refugees and selfie hunters: People who want to consciously switch off - but don't want to give up everything. According to an Ofcom study, adults in the UK spend an average of 3 hours and 46 minutes a day on their smartphones. A growing number of travellers are longing for a break from the constant digital fire. But how can you enjoy a change of scenery while enjoying nature without being completely offline? South Devon provides just the right backdrop for this balance. 

More sea, less effort: planning for pure freedom

It's easy to lose track of time behind Dartmoor's wafts of mist, between the winding roads of Totnes or in the rolling green hills around Salcombe. That is exactly what is intended. But anyone who has ever tried to book accommodation in a dead zone or find their way to the next coastal walk without the internet knows that a complete digital detox is not always romantic. To ensure that slowing down doesn't turn into stress, preparation - or clever technology - can help. If you want to stay flexible while travelling, you can easily find the right tariff for your trip with an eSIM search tool and don't have to search for a prepaid shop at the train station. The official South Devon travel guide recommends planning rural routes and small-scale accommodation online in good time anyway, as spontaneity can quickly become a logistical challenge here.

The mobile phone network in the region is often weak outside of larger towns - a supposed disadvantage that can turn out to be a blessing. If you plan your route in advance, save maps offline or prepare hikes in advance, you can immerse yourself completely on site: in the sound of the waves beneath the cliffs of Thurlestone, in the salty smell of the sea air near Bantham or in the muffled pounding of your own footsteps on the ancient paths of the South West Coast Path.

Offline for a day: Tips for South Devon

If you want to slow down in South Devon, you'll find the perfect backdrop: varied, spacious and full of quiet wonders. This daily plan shows how consciously avoiding digital distractions can be transformed into pure relaxation.

A day full of rhythm - without a clock

Early in the morning, before the first tourists set off, it is worth travelling to the Start Point lighthouse. There, where the rugged coastline challenges the sea and the horizon is lost in cold blue, the day begins with a silent spectacle: the sunrise over the English Channel. Without a camera, but with a steaming thermos of tea on your knees, this is one of those rare moments that you don't have to remember - because they simply stay with you.

Then it's off to Stokeley Farm Shop, a charming farm shop with a breakfast that doesn't need Wi-Fi: freshly baked sourdough bread, yoghurt from the neighbourhood, honey from Kingsbridge. Instead of Google reviews, there are recommendations from the woman behind the counter - it doesn't get more honest than that.

You reach Bowcombe Creek at around 11am, where kayaks and SUP boards are ready and waiting. Simply hop in the boat and head out into the calm waters of the Kingsbridge Estuary. No course, no watch - just gentle paddling, the sound of water on the bow and the gentle fluttering of a kingfisher in the reeds. Offline has rarely been so meditative.

At lunchtime, the grounds of Sandridge Barton Vineyard beckon: on the green slopes above the Dart, there's a picnic basket with artisan goat's cheese, chutney and fresh bread - plus a glass of white wine with a view. The best thing about it: the moment tastes exactly as it is - without any filters.

In the afternoon, we head further inland - to Holne Moor in Dartmoor National Park. Away from the main paths, the moorland is quiet and vast: heather, hidden springs, weathered stone walls and - if you're lucky - a small herd of ponies. No reception here means: full presence. Every step sounds under your hiking boots, every gust of wind tells you something about the eternal change of this landscape.

At around 17:30, you reach Totnes, a place that feels like a creative biotope. In ‘The Curator Café’, you encounter mindfulness in action instead of marketing language. Here you drink herbal tea instead of cola, talk to strangers and eat scones that contain more butter than many a day's ration. The WLAN stays off - voluntarily.

We finish off with a walk along Bantham Beach. The golden sand, the view of Burgh Island, the last sun of the day slowly sinking into the west - nobody needs a smartphone here.

Conclusion: slow down, experience - without any reception

South Devon shows that true relaxation is not about retreating from the world, but about consciously immersing yourself in what is right in front of you. A day without a permanent connection, but full of impressions - from the first sunlight over Start Point to the last glow on the waves of Bantham Beach - is not timed, but lived through.