A moorland National Park that goes on forever and miles of heritage coast topped and tailed by riviera coastline define the southwest county of Devon. You and your family will never tire of rolling hills dotted with thatched cottages, and dramatic coastlines with cliff-edged bays and elegant Georgian towns like Torquay straight from an Agatha Christie crime caper. With so many places in Devon to explore, we recommend you pack picnics for every day out. The hours will disappear exploring rock pools and smugglers’ caves. Another attraction is the dolphins somersaulting off sweeping beaches. Then there are the famous Devonshire teas – oven-warm scones, sticky strawberry jam and dollops of clotted cream. Need we say more?
Devon
A moorland National Park that goes on forever and miles of heritage coast topped and tailed by riviera coastline define the southwest county of Devon. You and your family will never tire of rolling hills dotted with thatched cottages, and dramatic coastlines with cliff-edged bays and elegant Georgian towns like Torquay straight from an Agatha Christie crime caper. With so many places in Devon to explore, we recommend you pack picnics for every day out. The hours will disappear exploring rock pools and smugglers’ caves. Another attraction is the dolphins somersaulting off sweeping beaches. Then there are the famous Devonshire teas – oven-warm scones, sticky strawberry jam and dollops of clotted cream. Need we say more?
VisitEngland Gold Award Winner: The 25 Boutique B&B
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Steps away from Torquay’s seafront is this year’s B&B & Guest House of the Year winner, with quirky yet stylish decor and oodles of home-baked treats.
VisitEngland Gold Award Winner: North Hayne Farm Cottages
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Offering exceptional farm holidays in the heart of Devon, the 2020 Gold award-winning Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year is ideal for families.
VisitEngland Silver Award Winner: Cary Arms & Spa
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Mixing a traditional English inn with the style and comfort of a boutique hotel, the 2020 Silver winner of Small Hotel of the Year guarantees a memorable stay.
Discover Salcombe’s rich maritime and WWII history
From its rich maritime and wartime history to Otto Overbeck’s ‘electrical rejuvenator’, Salcombe is filled with historic gems.
Location: Salcombe, Devon
Get the teenagers active on an action-packed family break
Enjoy a weekend of abseiling, cycling and horse riding and country walks with the whole family on the moor.
Location: Dartmoor, Devon
Discover 2,000 years of history for free on a guided tour
Discover one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in England on a free Red Coat Guided Tour.
Location: Exeter, Devon
Plunder the Markets of Totnes
Combining history, alternative therapies, and breathtakingly beautiful countryside, Totnes is a unique and charming market town.
Location: Totnes, Devon
Live a day in the life of a Tudor at St Nicholas Priory
Originally part of Exeter’s first medieval monastery, this splendid Grade I-listed building later became the Tudor home of a wealthy merchant family.
Location: Exeter, Devon
Head to The Cary Arms for a luxurious dog friendly getaway
The Cary Arms is the perfect location for a dog friendly getaway, and with one of the UK’s dog friendly beaches on its door step, dogs can enjoy a paddle all year round.
Location: Babbacombe, Devon
Follow Sherlock Holmes around Dartmoor
Visit the eerie place that inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to write Hound of the Baskervilles.
Location: Dartmoor, Devon
Rainy Day Activities: Scale the walls of Exeter’s Quay Climbing Centre
With over 200 climbing lines, training walls and an abseil tower, there are plenty of indoor activities to suit everyone.
Location: Exeter, Devon
Discover Devon's Literature Scene
Devon has provided inspiration for a host of literary greats down the centuries. Many of them lived in Devon, or stayed to be inspired for a time.
Location: Exmoor, Lynton & Lynmouth, Taw and Torridge estuaries, Braunton Burrows, Morte Point
Let Plymouth bring out your adventurous streak
Plymouth provides the perfect place for adventurers, with water sports, scuba diving, climbing walls, cycle paths, walks and boat trips.
Location: Plymouth, Devon
Look to the night sky on Exmoor
This National Park of diverse landscapes, woven together in a rich tapestry, provides inspiration day and night
Location: Exmoor, Devon/Somerset
Discover Ted Hughes' Dartmoor
Visit the village of North Tawton, follow the scenic Tarka Trail and soak up the sights and sounds which inspired one of England's greatest poets.
Location: Dartmoor, Devon
Take to the waters in South Devon
Salcombe’s sheltered estuary makes it the perfect British watersports holiday destination.
Location: Salcombe, Devon
August events: Grab your partner and ceilidh on down to Sidmouth Folk Week
The Regency town of Sidmouth on Devon’s Jurassic Coast celebrates a week of folk music, dance and song every August.
Location: Sidmouth, Devon
Discover Dartmoor's myths and legends
Let your imagination run riot as you visit locations of well known Dartmoor legends.
Location: Dartmoor, Devon
Take a trip on one of England’s last horse-drawn barges
Explore the Grand Western Canal on one of England’s last horse drawn barges, and enjoy spectacular views of the surrounding Devon countryside.
Location: Tiverton, Devon
Take the Pinkery Challenge at Exmoor’s Chains
There are few locations more stunning than Exmoor but if its wilderness you are after, then places don’t get much wilder than Exmoor’s Chains.
Location: Exmoor, Devon
Catch some waves at Woolacombe Beach
North Devon has some of the county’s most popular family beaches, including award-winning Woolacombe.
Location: Woolacombe, Devon
Walk alongside donkeys in Clovelly Village
Take a peek back in time as you wander the historical fishing village of Clovelly in North Devon.
Location: Clovelly, Devon
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