Harry Potter fan? Get down to Gandy Street in Exeter to find the inspiration for Diagon Alley, while mum and dad shop the quirky independents. Discover 16 galleries of displays at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum. Or take a guided tour of the Underground Passages to hear fascinating stories.
Take a self-guided heritage walk with a leaflet from Exeter Custom House or hear about Exeter’s turbulent history on a Red Coat Guided Tour. See the world’s longest stretch of unbroken gothic vaulting at Exeter Cathedral. Hire a bike or canoe from Saddles and Paddles on Exeter’s Quayside. Or find the South West’s first board-game café.
Discover four themed rooms and two exciting storylines at Locked in a Room, the ultimate family escape-room experience. Get younger kids down to Bear Town, a unique role-play experience in an immersive town setting. And make a day of it on the 60-plus rides and attractions at Crealy Great Adventure Park.
Visit Powderham Castle for themed events, fascinating castle tours, and a deer park safari. Meet dozens of donkeys for free at Sidmouth’s Donkey Sanctuary. Stretch your legs on the walking and cycling trails at Haldon Forest. Climb the walls at Clip n’ Climb. Or discover beautiful beaches at Exmouth and Dawlish Warren.
Go Ape at Haldon on the high ropes and zip slides. Get muddy at Quad World, with full tuition and protective clothing. Climb, and work that core, at Rock and Rapid Adventure Centre. Or get the most from the coast, sailing, surfing, swimming, wakeboarding, bridge-jumping or coasteering on Devon’s Atlantic beaches.
Taste top-quality ciders from the finest Devon apples at Sandford Orchards. Shoot a round at beginner-friendly Waterbridge Golf Course (no dress code). Sit by the lake in the sunshine and watch the geese at Shobrooke Park. Marvel at the magnificent Exeter Cathedral and explore Devon’s rich history at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum.
Enter a subterranean world of wars, sieges, plague, and pestilence when you visit Exeter’s Underground Passages. Learn about the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes grown on site during a tour and tasting of Swanaford Vineyard. And discover a shooting range in Newton Abbot with over 100 targets and three ranges.
Catch energetic comedy and drama productions at Exeter’s Northcott Theatre. Unearth historical treasures at Topsham Quay Antiques Centre. Create your own signature gin at Quayside Distillery. And discover quirky independent shops, bars, restaurants, and clubs in Gandy Street, the inspiration for Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley.
Croft House is a hugely entertaining home for hens and stags happy to swerve the bright lights and pack their wellies for a few days down on the farm. Get muddy meeting hens and geese, make friends with felines, and keep an eye out for foxes, badgers, deer, and the occasional owl. Do it all from the bubbly warmth of the wood-fired hot tub.
Stay out for the daily dip in the heated swimming pool, happy times hanging around in the hammock, and girl or boy talk around the firepit. Pick figs, quince, fruit, and gooseberries from the farm. Eat from the wood-fired pizza or barbecue. Then be King Stag or Queen Hen competing on the floodlit table-tennis table.
Come indoors for group TV around the 65-inch telly warmed by the cosy woodburner. Stock up from the farm shop, cook on the Aga, eat together in the farmhouse kitchen. Or get out and about for a spa day at Barton Court, with its heated pool, hydrotherapy spa, sauna, relaxation room, gym, and two treatment rooms.
Visit the coach house at Fursdon for Devonshire cream tea, locally sourced ice-cream, and scrumptious homemade cakes and bakes. Amp up the adrenaline on bikes at Exeter Quad Safari Centre or splatting your mates at UK Paintball. Hit the high ropes at Haldon Forest. Then close the day with a Pornstar Martini at Exeter’s Cocktail Club.
