Digital nomad culture has traditionally pointed people towards Lisbon, Bali, or Chiang Mai. But a quieter shift is happening closer to home: UK-based remote workers are increasingly choosing to relocate within the country rather than abroad, and Devon’s English Riviera is picking up more of that attention than you’d expect.
The numbers behind the shift
Remote and hybrid work is no longer a pandemic-era exception, it’s a structural change in how the UK works. Research from King’s College London and Stanford University found that British workers now spend an average of 1.8 days per week working from home, more than any other country surveyed in Europe, a trend covered in detail by Forbes Advisor UK’s remote work statistics roundup. With the legal right to request flexible working from day one now in force, more people than ever have the freedom to choose where they work from, not just how often.
That freedom is exactly what’s drawing people to towns like Torquay, Paignton, and Brixham.
What Torbay actually offers
Unlike a lot of “remote work friendly” locations that are really just marketing copy, Torbay has genuine, practical infrastructure for it:
- A proper coworking scene. Harbour Studios and M SPACE offer real desks, meeting rooms, and fast WiFi, not just a corner of a cafe.
- A strong independent cafe culture. Torquay’s cafes range from harbourside spots with sea views to quieter neighbourhood options in Torre and Babbacombe.
- Genuinely lower cost of living than London, Bristol, or most other UK cities, while still offering fast broadband and good transport links via Torquay and Torre train stations.
- A walkable town centre, meaning you don’t need a car to move between a working coffee, a coworking desk, and the coastline.
- A coastline that actually delivers. Torbay is nicknamed the English Riviera for a reason, more via VisitEnglishRiviera on the wider area’s beaches, walks, and attractions.
It’s not just Torquay
While Torquay has the most developed remote-work infrastructure so far, Paignton and Brixham are catching up, particularly for anyone who wants a quieter base with easy access to Torquay’s coworking spaces when needed. Our Paignton and Brixham directories cover verified laptop-friendly venues in both towns.
A practical note on connectivity
If you’re planning a longer working stay in the area, it’s worth checking broadband and mobile coverage for your specific accommodation in advance; Devon’s coastal geography means signal can vary more than in a flat city, particularly around Brixham’s harbour. Most of the coworking spaces and cafes listed in our directory have been checked specifically for reliable WiFi, which removes a lot of that uncertainty if you’re working from public venues rather than a private rental.
Getting started
If you’re considering Torbay as a base, whether for a few weeks or something longer, our full remote work directory is the fastest way to find somewhere that actually suits how you like to work, filtered by WiFi, cost, noise, and more, rather than relying on generic “nomad-friendly” claims.
Read next: our complete guide to the best places to work remotely in Torquay.
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