Newton Abbot or Exeter
Stover Country Park · Photo: Roger Cornfoot
A day that costs little more than parking: a lakeside country park with a treetop boardwalk, free giant marble runs at lunchtime, then play and a storybook trail in a big forest park.
Nature & gardens · 10:00–11:45 (1h45m)
Lakeside loop and the aerial walkway; pick up a children's activity sheet at the Stover Centre.
A free Devon County Council country park of woods, heath and a lake near Newton Abbot, with an aerial walkway through the trees and a bird hide. Children's activity sheets are available from the rangers' centre.
Photo: Roger Cornfoot
Food stop · 12:10–13:40 (1h30m)
Free entry - lunch at the Old Pottery restaurant or a picnic, then the giant marble runs.
Photo: Chris Allen
Nature & gardens · 14:10–16:30 (2h20m)
Play areas and the 'Room on the Broom' family trail; toilets by the car park.
A large Forestry England forest just off the A38 near Exeter with play areas, a 'Room on the Broom' family trail, cycle hire, a wildlife hide and Go Ape. Easy to combine with a city morning.
Photo: Roger Cornfoot
South WestLyme Regis
Learn about Mary Anning and Jurassic sea monsters in Lyme Regis, then head to Charmouth's free fossil centre and join a guided hunt on the beach.
Lyme Regis Museum → Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre
South WestShuttaford Barns, Holne
Base yourselves in a converted barn in a quiet Dartmoor valley with a games room for wet evenings, then spend a day around Buckfastleigh: piggy cuddles and tractor rides at Pennywell Farm, lunch at Buckfast Abbey, steam engines at Buckfastleigh station and otter feeding time at the sanctuary next to the steam railway. Everything is within 15 minutes of the barn.
Shuttaford Barns → Pennywell Farm → Buckfast Abbey restaurant → South Devon Railway, Buckfastleigh station + 1 more
South WestBath city centre
Start early at the Roman Baths before the queues, then let off steam in Royal Victoria Park, which has one of the best playgrounds in the city.
Roman Baths
