Overview

Babbacombe Cliff Railway is a funicular railway, which links Babbacombe Downs with Oddicombe Beach. The journey only takes a couple of minutes but it's a fun way to travel and the views are lovely.

Transport & Parking

Babbacombe is near Torquay. The nearest railway station is Torquay. There are buses that stop nearby. There is a car park which is about 5 - 8 minutes walk away.

Access

There is step free access throughout. From the top the step free path to the railway is clearly marked with a wheelchair user symbol on the ground. There is the a notable slope with a handrail on the right hand side (descending). Both upper and lower stations have step free access. When the carriage arrives staff operate the doors. Inside the carriage is spacious, there are 4 seats, grab rails and handles. At the lower station there is another more steeper slope down to the beach. Initially exiting the railway there is a hand rail. However where it meets the road there is a sharp slope with no handrails. I walk with a crutch and on 1st seeing it I almost turned straight back to go up again. I ended up walking on the road so I could grab hold of the mess fencing for extra support. When mentioned it later to the staff at the railway I was told that the Council were responsible for the road. I feel that a handrail down to the beach would be a helpful addition for people with limited mobility. I also found it quite hard work walking back up due the gradient and lack of handrail. However, I'm glad I walked down from the railway to the beach as it was really lovely and peaceful. The railway has a fascinating, small visitor centre at Oddicombe Beach, which is step free and has seating.

Toilets

There is no toilet at the stations. However, there is an accessible toilet at Oddicombe Beach.

Staff

Staff were excellent, very friendly and were available at both stations to assist. Staff at the visitor centre were very welcoming and friendly.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

The Cliff Railway is a lot of fun to use and highly recommend. At the bottom is Oddicombe Beach, which has a small, flat promenade, there are a couple of cafes, shop and the Babbacombe Cliff Railway Visitor Centre. The visitor centre is step free and tells the fascinating history of the cliff railway. There is seating and videos to watch, I think the video had subtitles. There is a small shop in the visitor centre selling cliff railway themed gifts.

Photos