Fans of crime and mystery novels will love visiting Devon and spending their time following in the footsteps of the queen of crime, Agatha Christie. You’ll want to head to the English Riviera, specifically Torquay and the surrounding area, whether you’re in town for a week or a few days, you’ll find plenty of things to do to quell your inner fangirl.

 

Take a trip on the steam railway


Feel like a character from one of Christie’s books, or even Christie herself by booking a nostalgic steam train trip. The Dartmouth Steam Railway will take you from Paignton to Churston, which isn’t far from Greenway Halt which is where Christie’s home can be found.

greenway

Image by National Trust - Greenway House

Speaking of Greenway...


Greenway House, Agatha Christie's former home, is now run by the National Trust. She once described it as: the loveliest place in the world and contains many of her personal items as well as having a fabulous garden.

Walk the Agatha Christie Mile


This is a good place to start your Agatha Christie tour of the English Riviera. The Agatha Christie Mile is signposted around Torquay and takes in some of the places she visited and helped inspire her stories. Devon is also home to the Agatha Christie Literary Trail which features some of the iconic spots from her novels, including Burgh Island, Greenway House and her childhood home.

A visit to Torre Abbey


The Torre Abbey and the museum hosts a range of activities and events connected to Christie and you’ll also find references to her and her work in the gardens, especially with the more potent plants that are grown on the grounds which includes poisons and antidotes, many of which feature in her novels.

torquay marina

Head to the beach for a little reading


The English Riviera is full of beautiful beaches to enjoy, so what could be better than settling in on the warm sand and feeling a sea breeze while getting stuck into a crime novel? Perhaps you could re-enact one of the many photographs taken of Christie and her family doing the same thing while there?

 

As one of the region’s most famous former residents, you’ll find plenty of other Agatha Christie related events and activities going on around the English Riviera, including murder mystery events, staging of her plays and of course, the annual Agatha Christie Festival.