Devon is famous for cream teas, here are some of our favourite places to enjoy an afternoon tea this summer.

Coastal café

Lynmouth Bay Café can be found tucked away just off the seafront in the North Devon coastal town. Cakes, scones, sandwiches, all are made on site by the owners. Enjoy warm scones and try them with clotted cream and an Exmoor delicacy, whortleberry jam. There’s an Exmoor cream tea too – with golden syrup replacing the jam. Enjoy in the little courtyard garden or have a takeaway tea and head out onto the moors.

All aboard!

How about afternoon tea on the train? South Devon Railway offers dining experiences on select Sundays throughout the year. Take the 15.45 from Buckfastleigh and sit in an historic British Railways dining carriage while enjoying a trip by heritage locomotive along the beautiful Dart River valley. A selection of sandwiches and cakes are served at your seat in this one and a half hour special experience.

Cream tea home

The Bedford Hotel in Tavistock is apparently where the Devon cream tea was invented. The hotel formed part of the town’s Benedictine abbey and when it was being restored following damage by Vikings, workers and monks were rewarded with bread, clotted cream and jam. Follow in the tradition with a cream tea, perhaps with a glass of prosecco, or go for the Duchess of Bedford full afternoon tea with sandwiches and cakes.

Picture perfect

It couldn’t be much more idyllic than relaxing over afternoon tea in a thatched cottage in a beautiful Dartmoor village. The Primrose Tearoom in Lustleigh is justifiably very popular and is a quintessential English tea experience. It offers a ‘china service’ afternoon tea which you can eat alongside the cake-laden dresser, or you can have a takeaway option either to enjoy in the cafe garden, or take to a moorland beauty spot.

Manor house tea

Take tea in the opulent surroundings of the Great Hall of a Grade I-listed manor house which has a history going back to the Domesday Book. Afternoon tea at Boringdon Hall near Plymouth (pictured) is a special occasion, beautifully served and with all the savoury and sweet treats you’d expect, from cucumber sandwiches and macarons to fresh scones and clotted cream – with an added glass of Laurent-Perrier champagne if you wish. There are vegan and gluten free versions as well.