Remote work has stopped being a temporary pandemic habit and become a genuine, lasting shift in how the UK works. According to the Office for National Statistics, more than a quarter of working adults in Great Britain now work a hybrid pattern, splitting their week between home and other locations. For many of us, “other locations” increasingly means somewhere with better coffee, better views, and better WiFi than the kitchen table.
If you’re one of the growing number of people working remotely from Devon, or planning a working trip to the English Riviera, Torquay has quietly become one of the best small towns in the South West for it. Here’s a complete breakdown of where to go, depending on what kind of day you’re having.
When you need a proper desk
Some days call for more than a cafe table. If you need dual monitors, a meeting room for a client call, or somewhere to leave a laptop set up overnight, Torquay’s coworking spaces are worth the membership. Harbour Studios sits right on the harbourside with genuinely excellent views, while M SPACE offers a quieter, more affordable studio setup in the centre of town. Both are covered in detail in our guide to Torquay’s coworking spaces.
When you just need a coffee and a corner
Most working days don’t need a full office setup, just a decent WiFi connection and somewhere you won’t feel rushed. Torquay has a strong independent cafe scene, and we’ve personally checked each one on our cafes list for the things that actually matter: WiFi reliability, plug socket access, and whether staff mind you staying for a few hours. Lighthouse Continental Cafe Bar, right on Victoria Parade, is one of the few venues where WiFi reliability was specifically confirmed by customer reviews, not just assumed.
When budget matters
Not every work session needs to come with a coffee purchase. Torquay Library on Lymington Road is a genuinely underused option, offering free WiFi, desk space, and a properly quiet environment, with reviewers specifically noting it as “a good place to visit if you work from home.” If you’re travelling on a tight budget or just don’t want your daily coffee spend adding up, our free to sit and work tag rounds up every option like this.
When you want a change of scenery
Sometimes the point of working remotely is the view, not just the WiFi. Torquay’s harbour, plus quieter spots like Babbacombe and Meadfoot, offer some genuinely stunning sea view workspaces if you want your working day to feel a little more like a holiday. Hotel lounges are worth considering here too, several offer spacious, professional settings with good WiFi that rival any coworking space. More on that in our hotel workspaces guide.
Why Torquay specifically
Devon isn’t the first place people think of for remote work, and that’s part of the appeal. According to VisitEnglishRiviera, Torquay sits on a genuinely dramatic stretch of coastline with a working harbour, sandy beaches, and a compact town centre where everything is walkable, meaning you can move between a morning at a coworking desk and an afternoon coffee overlooking the sea without needing a car. Combine that with a lower cost of living than most UK cities, and it’s easy to see why more remote workers and digital nomads are treating Torbay as a genuine long-stay option rather than just a holiday spot.
Getting started
If you’re new to the area, start with our full Torquay directory, which lists every verified remote-work-friendly venue in the town, filterable by WiFi, cost, noise level, and more. We update it as we verify new venues, so it’s worth bookmarking if you’re planning to make Torquay a regular part of your working rotation.
Looking for options beyond Torquay? Check our guides to remote-friendly spots in Paignton and Brixham too.
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