Glide along the Tiverton Canal on a horse-drawn barge. Enjoy a day out in the country that’s out of this world at The Milky Way, with its rides, coasters and outdoor play. Or sign up for live shows, outdoor fun, farmyard cuties and sheep racing at The Big Sheep. Exit through the gift shop.
Head to Woody Bay Station for the only steam railway in the UK where passengers travel in Victorian railway carriages designed in the 1890s. Book a guided walk with Exmoor Society Walks with themes such as Exmoor’s Night Sky, Night Bats, History and Murder/Treachery on the Moor.
Learn about beekeeping and honey at Quince Honey Farm in South Molton. Head to Devon’s wild north coast for surfing and swimming at Saunton Sands and Woolacombe. See the only black leopard in the UK at Exmoor Zoo. Or take a seagoing safari at Ilfracombe and spot dolphins, seals and lovely sunsets.
Open your mind to the past at Tiverton Castle. Read about secret passages and ghost stories, feel the weight of a cannonball, and check out the toilets that were once cleaned by kids. Or who can resist real-life diggers, dumpers and other full-size construction machinery on 20 different rides at Diggerland?
In 38 acres of prime Devon real estate, there’s plenty of scope for on-site activities. Get in touch with Devon Country Pursuits to set up archery and clay-pigeon shooting. Take a nature walk around the grounds with an ex-National Trust ranger and BBC Radio 4 contributor. Or how about Yoga with Charlotte or Qigong with Ollie.
Stay on site for canoeing and paddleboarding, or book a visit from Devon Distillery who’ll turn up in their restored 1973 VW pickup and help you make your own personalised bottles of gin. Or get out and explore on two wheels with Waterside Bike Hire or on four legs hacking over the hills with the Rose and Crown Stables.
Walk Dartmoor and Exmoor – it’s what the boot room’s for. Or potter around Knightshayes house, gardens and maze at Tiverton, 6400-acre Killerton House, or Ashclyst, one of the largest forests in East Devon. Wander lovely gardens at RHS Rosemoor or 300-year-old Bicton Gardens.
Get your rods and nets out for Four Ponds Fishery, Torridge Carp Lakes and Bulldog Fish Farm. Climb rocks, cycle and paddleboard with Exmoor Adventures. Get muddy with Quad World. Shoot a round at The Royal North Devon, the oldest golf club in England. Or play honesty-box tennis in Rackenford village.
