South Devon Railway - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Buckfast butterfly farm with Dartmoor otter sanctuary is a wildlife centre in Buckfastleigh, Devon. It is an all-weather attraction run by a family who care for several types of otters. The butterfly farm is in a giant hot and humid greenhouse. There are usually a vast number of butterflies fluttering around. There are also several terrapins, Iguanas and Koi Karp. They also have an ant exhibit where you can see thousands of ants hard at work.

Buckfast Abbey is a modern Benedictine monastery in a peaceful setting on the verge of Dartmoor. . The monastery was surrendered for dissolution in 1539, with the monastic buildings stripped and left as ruins, before being finally demolished. The former abbey site was used as a quarry, and later became home to a Gothic mansion house.

Pennywell Farm is packed full of animals, activities, shows and displays. It’s the biggest activity farm in the South West and there’s something new happening every hour. It is a centre for the breeding of miniature pigs, a variant of the New Zealand kune kune breed.

Staverton is a delightful, unspoiled country station that has remained largely unchanged for 100 years. This is a good place to alight for a quiet walk beside the river Dart and, maybe, a refreshment break at the Sea Trout Inn (when Auto Trains are running, then one can alight from these special trains at Nappers Crossing. Staverton Station has limited free car parking available.

One of the best-preserved examples of a Norman motte and bailey castle in England. Climb to the top of the keep to enjoy stunning views over the town of Totnes and across to the River Dart. Or enjoy a picnic in the peaceful grounds under the shelter of age-old trees - there is plenty of space for families to relax on a summer's day.

Berry Pomeroy Castle, a Tudor mansion within the walls of an earlier castle, is near the village of Berry Pomeroy, in South Devon. Begun in around 1560 and ambitiously enlarged from around 1600, their mansion was intended to become the most spectacular house in Devon, a match for Longleat and Audley End. Never completed, and abandoned by 1700, it became the focus of blood-curdling ghost stories, recounted in the audio tour.