Devon - 87 Attractions You Must Visit

Arlington Court is a neoclassical style country house built 1820-23, situated in the parish of Arlington, next to the parish church of St James, 5 1/4 miles NE of Barnstaple, North Devon, England. Today, the house, together with the Chichester family's collection of antique furniture and an eclectic collection of family memorabilia, is fully open to the public.

A beautiful beach which is flourished with nice waves and beautiful white sands. This beach is part of the designated South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is great for families with young children who want to do a little swimming or paddling. Bantham also has a reputation as one of the best surfing beaches in South Devon.

A great picturesque cove tucked in between the rocks, famous for cowries and other exotic seashells. It is a great spot for some good old-fashioned rock pooling and its sand is perfect for those who prefer a quiet snooze in the sun. Barricane is a great place for swimmers and surfers alike but high tides restrict its usage.

Beer beach is a beautiful family friendly shingle beach surrounded by limestone cliffs. Beer Beach is close to Seaton town, and a great day out if you are based in Seaton. Once a smuggler's haven. Specially designed boats are launched from beach by skilled fishermen and mackerel fishing trips available.

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.

A majestic place with over 60 acres of beautiful gardens with their soft sweeping lawns, elegant water features, fragrant English borders and formal Gardens. There’s a miniature village, a large climbing camp and acres of informal gardens to explore and play in. There’s an educational nature trail where many birds can be seen feeding and heard singing, you can even learn to identify their calls.

Blackpool Sands is one of South Devon’s most popular family-friendly beaches. The beach is stony rather than sandy, and therefore not suitable for younger children or the building of sandcastles. It is also an ideal place to start or finish a walk along this beautiful piece of South Devon coastline.

Braunton Burrows, is one of the largest sand dune systems in the British Isles. At the heart of the North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. it is a UNESCO designated Biosphere reserve. The core area comprises an active dune system with geomorphological and successional processes. Other habitats include a rocky foreshore, mud and sand flats, saltmarshes of various types. It is home to an abundance of flowers, plants and wildlife.

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.

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.

Burgh Island is an iconic South Devon landmark, located directly opposite Bigbury on Sea beach. The island is accessible at low tide by a strip of sand which at high tide is completely covered, leaving a ride on the unique sea tractor as the only means of access. It is mainly known for two remarkable features: the fantastic, if expensive Art Deco-style Burgh Island Hotel and the unusual means by which the hotel gets its visitors to the island when the tide is high.

Burrator Reservoir is situated within Dartmoor, and the tranquil water and surrounding mixed woodland contrast sharply with the open moor and the rugged Dartmoor tors. The reservoir is popular with walkers, cyclists, and horse riders due to its wealth of footpaths and bridleways. Many of the trails lead on to Dartmoor so it makes an ideal starting point for longer trips.

Canonteign Falls is a stunning natural attraction in the heart of Devon that offers the perfect day out for the whole family Set in 90 acres of park and woodland. As well as the main waterfall itself there is also some smaller waterfalls, 7 lakes, 2 play parks, a cafe, a shop and giant bunnies. It is 220 feet high and is one of the highest waterfalls in England. It was created in 1890 by diverting a stream over the edge of a cliff.

Castle Drogo is situated high above the Teign Gorge. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens for self-made millionaire Julius Drewe. It looks ancient, but this remarkable building was only constructed 100 years ago, the last castle ever built in England. Set within 600 acres of park and formal garden, Castle Drogo is a modern interpretation of medieval themes.

Chambercombe Manor is a Norman manor owned by the Champernon family from around 1162. In the early 16th century it became the property of Henry Duke of Suffolk father of the ill fated Lady Jane Grey. Elizabethan furniture shares the interior with later Victorian decor. Lady Jane Grey is known to have visited the house. It was one of the iconic attraction and a worth visit.

A family-run park with a genuine passion for encouraging respect for animals and the natural world around them. Home to an abundance of exotic and indigenous wildlife and the very latest in Dinosaur animatronics. You can meet the wonderful Meerkats, Primates, Reptiles, Lions, Sea Lions and the largest pack of Hudson Bay Wolves in the UK.

Dartmoor National Park is a vast moorland in the county of Devon. Covering 368 sq miles, this vast national park feels like it’s tumbled straight out of a Tolkien tome, with its honey-colored heaths, moss-smothered boulders, tinkling streams, and eerie granite hills. One of the iconic attractions in this area and gives a new experience in the middle of nature.

Dartmoor Prison Museum reflects the heritage of HMP Dartmoor from Prisoner of War Depot to the present day. The museum attracts more than 35,000 visitors every year from all over the world. Some of the artifacts and documents on display will surprise you but will certainly enable you to form an opinion about prison life.

Dartmoor Zoo is a beautiful 30-acre zoo just north of the village of Sparkwell. It was opened in 1968 by Ellis Daw who ran it until its licence was revoked and it was forced to close in 2006. It has over 70 different animal species, including some endangered and critically endangered species. The zoo has a breeding program with common marmosets, tapir, slender-tailed meerkats, Kafue lechwe, and wallaby.

One of the most beautifully located fortresses in England. For over 600 years Dartmouth Castle has guarded the narrow entrance to the Dart Estuary and the busy, vibrant port of Dartmouth. It offers stunning views of the estuary and out to sea and offers a great family day out, whatever the weather. This fascinating complex of defenses was begun in 1388 by John Hawley, privateering Mayor of Dartmouth and the prototype of the flamboyant ‘Shipman’ in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.