Exeter St Davids is where most long rail journeys from North Devon really begin. Trains to London Paddington, Bristol, Birmingham and the North leave from here, and from Barnstaple the only rail link is the Tarka Line, with a change at Exeter on every trip.
A taxi takes you straight to the station forecourt in a little over an hour. It suits early departures before the first useful Tarka Line connection, Sundays, days when the line is shut for engineering work, and anyone travelling with luggage, children or a tight connection they cannot afford to miss.
When a taxi beats the Tarka Line
The Tarka Line is a good railway, but it runs roughly once an hour and it is a single line, so one late train can knock on to the next. If your mainline train is the one that matters, missing the connection at Exeter can cost you an hour or a non-transferable advance ticket.
A direct car removes that risk. We work the pickup time back from your mainline departure, with time to get through the station and onto the right platform, and the fare is agreed before you travel rather than added up from separate tickets.
Choosing the road: A377 or M5
There are two sensible routes. The A377 follows the Taw valley through Umberleigh and Crediton and is the shorter of the two. The A361 and M5 is longer but faster at quiet times, and it avoids the slow sections on the valley road.
We choose on the day according to the time and the traffic, not by habit. Either way, the price stays as agreed.
Coming home: late trains and missed connections
The most useful time to have a car booked is the return. If your train from London or the North arrives late into Exeter, the last Tarka Line service to Barnstaple may already have gone, and there is nothing after it until the morning.
Give us your train details and we will meet you at Exeter St Davids whatever time it gets in. If the train is delayed, we adjust rather than leave.
Engineering works and replacement buses
The Tarka Line is closed for engineering work from time to time, usually at weekends, with replacement buses that take longer than the train and have little room for luggage. On those days a direct taxi to Exeter is often the only way to make a planned mainline connection.
If you know your travel date falls on a closure, book early: those days are busy for us too.
What is included
- One fixed fare, agreed when you book
- Pickup timed to your mainline departure
- Return trains met, including late arrivals
- Estates and 8 seaters for luggage and groups
- Available when the Tarka Line is not running
