Start with Buckfast Butterflies and Dartmoor Otter Sanctuary: the sights of Buckfastleigh
Visitors to Buckfastleigh can choose from 5 museums, 2 attractions and an abbey or priory. Mapped inside Buckfastleigh’s built-up area are 3 places to visit, and within 5 km of its edge another 8. Walking distance covers 2 of them, all within 1 km of the middle. If you have a day, head to Exeter Cathedral, 32 km away.
Top of the list in Buckfastleigh
Behind Buckfast Butterflies and Dartmoor Otter Sanctuary on the list are 2 museums, an abbey or priory and a heritage railway.
Abbey or prioryBuckfast Abbey500 m outside town, to the north
Heritage railwaySouth Devon Railway3.7 km outside town, to the southeast
CastleHembury Castle1.6 km outside town, to the northwestEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
The map view
The map stretches to South Devon Railway, 5.2 km away.
The dashed line is Buckfastleigh’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
What kind of places
Count 6 museums or galleries and 2 other attractions.
Green: inside Buckfastleigh. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
All of them, one by one
After the 3 in town come 8 more within 5 km of its edge.
The 3 inside Buckfastleigh come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
83 listed buildings and 1 scheduled monument are on Buckfastleigh’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Buckfastleigh →
Further away
Exeter Cathedral, at 32 km, heads the 12 day trips.
CathedralExeter Cathedral32 km northeast
Castle · English HeritageTotnes Castle8.4 km southeast
Castle · English HeritageBerry Pomeroy Castle11 km east
Historic house · National TrustCompton Castle13 km east
Historic house · National TrustGreenway House18 km southeast
Castle · English HeritageDartmouth Castle22 km southeast
AttractionKents Cavern20 km east
CastlePowderham Castle29 km northeast
MuseumRoyal Albert Memorial Museum32 km northeast · 340K visitors a year (2012)
ZooPaignton Zoo16 km east
Historic house · National TrustCastle Drogo24 km north
FortDrake's Island30 km southwestPlaces well known beyond Buckfastleigh (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Asked about places to visit in Buckfastleigh
What are the main attractions in Buckfastleigh?
The best known inside Buckfastleigh’s built-up area are Buckfast Butterflies and Dartmoor Otter Sanctuary, Pengelly Trust Museum and The Valliant Soldier Museum & Heritage Centre. In all, 3 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 8 more within 5 km.
Does Buckfastleigh have a museum?
6 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Buckfastleigh: Pengelly Trust Museum, The Valliant Soldier Museum & Heritage Centre, Monastic Way Exhibition and Field System.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Buckfastleigh?
None within 5 km. The nearest well-known one on our list is Totnes Castle (English Heritage), 8.4 km southeast.
What are the best-known days out near Buckfastleigh?
Within 40 km: Exeter Cathedral (32 km), Totnes Castle (8.4 km), Berry Pomeroy Castle (11 km), Compton Castle (13 km).
Where are Buckfastleigh’s historic buildings listed?
Buckfastleigh has 83 listed buildings. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Buckfastleigh when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (15)
- Buckfast Abbey: Necrothesp, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- South Devon Railway: Geof Sheppard, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hembury Castle: Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Exeter Cathedral: Rüdiger Wölk, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Totnes Castle: Pymouss, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Berry Pomeroy Castle: J Morley (Smalljim), CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Compton Castle: Smalljim, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Greenway House: Brian, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dartmouth Castle: Troxx, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Kents Cavern: Jcg2006, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Powderham Castle: raymond cocks, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Royal Albert Memorial Museum: Pymouss, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Paignton Zoo: Lewis Clarke, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Castle Drogo: Antony McCallum, http://www.wyrdlight.com, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Drake's Island: Janipewter, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.