What's going for it? I reckon that good, honest, Guardian-reading towns that have had enough of coalitions, Michael Gove and Every Little Helps should go the whole hog. You know the sort. Lewes, Hebden Bridge, Chorlton. Do the Passport To Pimlico thing! Declare independence! Totnes is getting close. It has its own currency. It's also stoking up a healthy grumpiness against the state of the nation in the guise of the arrival of Costa Coffee. Not that there's much armed insurrection on these genteel streets. The odd poster. A splash of graffiti. The odd tut. Otherwise all is as it should be. This is a magnificent town. Yes, it has inherited great bone structure: every kind of architecture tumbling picturesquely down the hill to the river. But it's what they've done with it that counts. Totnes began to attract what my grandmother would have called "alternative types" in the 1970s. I first encountered vegetarianism here on a family holiday in 1976. Dad was not impressed. These days, the lunatics have taken over the asylum and crafted a delightful, chain-lite, locally sourced, sustainable compound, whose very stones might bring Jeremy Clarkson out in hives. Totnes: the time has come. You have a castle; man the cannons!
The case against Who put that Morrisons there? Be nice to see more life after 5pm, Totnes. Here's hoping Costa Coffee isn't a Trojan horse. Not cheap, even for Devon.
Well connected? Rail: to Plymouth, two or three (or occasionally no) trains an hour (30 mins), and Exeter (30 mins). By car, 30-40 mins to both. Dartmoor and the beach both about 15 minutes' drive away.
Schools Primaries: the Grove is the stand-out school; "outstanding", Ofsted says. The town's secondary, King Edward VI Community College, is "satisfactory".
Hang out at… The Curator Cafe for a tub-thumping real coffee. Many other independent cafes to try before you need try The Enemy.
Where to buy Plump for the historic centre. South Street is grandest, but there are nooks of everything from 18th-century town houses to modern terraces. The suburban hills hide substantial detacheds; Plymouth Road for affordable 30s semis. East of the river in Bridgetown is cheaper.
Market values Big detacheds, £350,000-£500,000. Town houses, £250,000-£450,000. Detacheds, £240,000-£350,000. Semis, £190,000-£340,000. Terraces, £180,000-£280,000.
Bargain of the week Small, two-bedroom stone period cottage needing modernisation, £185,000, with Wood's.
From the streets
Elizabeth Miller "There's a great Friday market: organic fruit and vegetables, olives, chorizo and every kind of bread. The secondhand clothes stalls have real bargains, and there's a wonderful plant stall."
Sophie Pierce "Anything goes, whether you're a white hippy with dreads or a lady who lunches. It's a free-thinking place, where the transition movement started and thrives. The countryside is amazing, and it's ideally placed between the South Hams coast and Dartmoor. Top recommendations: the Friday market, the Barrel House, a café and bar with legendary club nights, and Willow vegetarian restaurant (its lentil soup on a Friday is particularly good)."
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