Enjoy anything from climbing to biking to kayaking at Adventure Okehampton. Explore Dartmoor’s western fringes with the friendly alpacas at Lydford Gorge. Or meet the largest collection of big cats in the region at Dartmoor Zoo (star of the moving book and film, ‘We Bought a Zoo’).
Wade into acres of furry fun at the Miniature Pony Centre at Bathworthy, which promises encounters with miniature Shetlands and their foals, miniature pigs, a Suffolk Punch horse, and even unicorns. Or if sheep and Dartmoor ponies are your thing, simply stand in the Moorend Manor gardens.
Beaches? Within easy reach are the soft golden sands, shallow bathing waters and secluded coves of the South Hams, including Salcombe, Mothecombe and Bovisand. For those appetites whetted by the secret door, Agatha Christie’s Burgh Island is reachable within an hour.
Head to Plymouth for the Hoe (don’t forget to finish your game of bowls), to try stand-up paddleboarding at Royal William Yard and to refuel at Barbican marina area. See the four distinct zones at the country’s largest aquarium at National Marine Aquarium. Then stay in town for cinema, theatres and tenpin bowling.
Yelverton Golf Course is just a two-minute walk away. It’s a Herbert Fowler-designed, pay-and-play moorland course with views over Cornwall. Navigate some of Devon and Cornwall’s finest scenery using gyroscope technology with Southwest Segway Adventure. Or bring out your inner primate at Tree Surfers in Gulworthy.
Take a kayak along the river with Canoe Tamar, keep the clay-pigeon population down with The Big Shoot at Newnham Park, or ride quadbikes with Fun in the Mud at Saltash. Have a go at rock climbing, caving, abseiling or orienteering with Crag2Mountain. Or enjoy Dartmoor’s moorland, forests and tors on two wheels with MTB Adventures.
Trot straight out onto Dartmoor without touching a road at Cholwell Riding Stables, or take to the trails on the big, heavy Clydesdale breed with Adventure Clydesdale. Ski and snowboard on the dry slopes at Plymouth Snowsports Centre. Or stay in town to ride the fastest indoor karts in the south west at Plymouth Karting.
Walk to historic Buckland Abbey, see a working watermill at Cotehele Mill, or combine your visit to Mount Edgcumbe House and its magnificent Grade I gardens with a cruise on the River Tamar. Enjoy a country house with views over the Teign Gorge at Castle Drogo or shop the independent boutiques and art galleries on Plymouth waterfront.
