Tuesday 15th September 2026
The 11.30 from Paignton
Back by popular demand! We have been inundated with requests to bring back this ever-popular and very special event.
Back by popular demand! We have been inundated with requests to bring back this ever-popular and very special event.
We are thrilled that, in partnership with Festival Friend the Dartmouth Steam Railway and Riverboat Company, we can offer this exciting and fun day out to the beautiful historic town of Dartmouth.
Guests ride aboard the very steam train that Poirot rode in both The ABC Murders and Dead Man’s Folly, before enjoying an hour-long cruise on the River Dart, followed by some free time in Dartmouth before returning to Paignton by steam train.
The Agatha Christie Festival has reserved a carriage exclusively for our guests to use, so you can travel with friends, old and new, and maybe dress up for the occasion! Included in your ticket price will be a commemorative newspaper.
And Mrs McGillicuddy will be pleased to know that on this steam train journey, there will no mysterious murders to see!
Timetable for the Day
| Time | Description |
|---|---|
| 11.00am | Arrive at Paignton Station |
| 11.30am | Depart Paignton. The train will chug along a remarkably picturesque route past Goodrington Sands with its colourful beach huts, up over two of Brunel’s loft viaducts above Broadsands and then through Churston Station before running alongside the River Dart. This is the very route that Agatha Christie would have taken when visiting Greenway for the holidays. |
| 12.00pm | Arrive Kingswear. It is a short walk (5 mins) to the ferry dock. |
| 12.10pm | Foot ferry to Dartmouth (10 mins). There are 2 foot ferries this year to meet demand and to ensure that we catch the 12.30 cruise. The cruise departs next to the foot ferry arrival point. |
| 12.30pm | 1-hour round cruise. The cruise takes you to the mouth of the river passing Kingswear and Dartmouth Castles, up to Dittisham village, past the Britannia Royal Naval College and offers beautiful views of Agatha Christie’s holiday home, Greenway. |
| 1.30-3.50pm | Free time in Dartmouth to go shopping and have some lunch. Dartmouth has a variety of independent boutique shops and a large selection of cafes, bars and restaurants. The Royal Castle hotel on the quay was used as a location for the 1984 film, Ordeal by Innocence, and featured as the Royal George in the short story, 'The Regatta Mystery'. Alternatively, you could head back to Kingswear early and see the Agatha Christie mural in the Steam Packet Inn. |
| 3.50pm | Foot ferry to Kingswear. Please allow at least half an hour to get across the Dart. |
| 4.25pm | Train to Paignton. |
| 5.00pm | Arrive back in Paignton. |
For more information: click here