Top Things to do in South West England
10 Hidden Gems Things to do in South West England That You Shouldn't Miss
Discover the best top things to do in South West England, United Kingdom including Minack Theatre, Coleton Fishacre, Gwithian Beach, Sculpture by the Lakes, Kidz R Us, Cornwall Football Golf, Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, The Helicopter Museum, Lundy Island, Underground Passages.
Restaurants in South West England
1. Minack Theatre
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5,211 reviews
This open-air theatre is dramatically situated on the cliffs at Porthcumo, near Land's End, and hosts a season of plays and musicals from March to November.
Reviewed By SophisticatedLady17 - London, United Kingdom
Following a great scenic drive from St Ives past Zennor, St Just and Sennen Cove we arrived at the theatre. Luckily it was a stunning sunny day. The Covid precautions were well managed and the staff all had a friendly welcoming and positive attitude. The play was brilliant and the actors all very talented. The acoustics were amazing even when doing battle with a passing helicopter! The setting is magical - just make sure you have warm clothes and/or a rug as when the sun goes down, it does get a bit chilly.
2. Coleton Fishacre
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,786 reviews
Reviewed By JandAre
Third visit to this beautiful house. The grounds are magnificent and stretch down to the river. Unusual plants everywhere adding so much colour and interest. This is by far my favourite NT property - the warm feel of the house coupled with stunning views and beautifully designed and planted gardens surpass all the others.
3. Gwithian Beach
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 471 reviews
Reviewed By OldBear - Wigan, United Kingdom
A safe beach with RNLI Beach patrols on this and Godrevy Beach. It’s ideal for swimmers but more of a magnet for surfers and body boarders. Surf hire and surf lessons are also available. There are a few car parks, the closest being a National Trust which is free to NT members but the vehicles are crammed in with very little to to maneuver in parts. The beach is a five minute walk. There is also a grassed car park further up the hill which ideal for picnics , both locations provide nice views of St Ives Bay and nearby Godrevy Lighthouse and St Ives.
4. Sculpture by the Lakes
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,366 reviews
Beautiful 26 acre Sculpture Park & Gardens, with Gallery cafe. Due to deep water NO CHILDREN UNDER 14 years of age (including babies) and NO DOGS are allowed. Open Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm, hut bookings are from 10am to 4.45pm. Entry is £12.50 per person. The Gallery Cafe is now open serving tea, coffee, light meals, delicious cakes, cream tea's, ice creams etc., visitors can choose to eat inside, outside (at the newly created seating area), or take it out into the Sculpture Park using one of the picnic baskets provided, complete with rug. Visitors are able to enjoy the Gallery & Gallery Cafe without entry to the Sculpture Park. Described as one of the most beautiful & unique sculpture parks in the United Kingdom, Sculpture by the Lakes marries the soft beauty of nature's wild river landscape with the more formal presentation of monumental outdoor sculpture. It is that combination of art and landscape that inspires Sculpture by the Lakes.
Reviewed By matttJ1645KV
So so Tranquil.easy to find on Sat Nav.some beautifully thought out by some very friendly and approachable staff.going to go again as soon as.Alot of thought and sensitivity about and how each sculpture is placed.i highly recommend this venue for sculpture newbies.
5. Kidz R Us
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 466 reviews
Kidz R Us is an extraordinary youth theatre group, working with around 100 young people a year, aged seven and up. A not-for-profit arts charity, we aim to encourage the participation of young people in the performing arts and behind-the-scenes crafts, both for their own personal development and the benefit of the wider community. Production standards are high and since being formed in 1994, we have produced over 70 shows and won numerous awards. Kidz R Us was a finalist in the Best Arts Project category of the 2010 National Lottery Awards and is a recipient of the prestigious Queen's Award for Voluntary Service. Our Artistic Director, Phil Barnett, was awarded a British Empire Medal in the Queen's Birthday Honours List 2012, and we are honoured to have Sir Tim Rice as our Patron.
Reviewed By Crowytoes
Went to see Sleeping beauty.. Fantastic performance, staff amazing and so so helpful. A great venue and good disabled accessibility which we needed
6. Cornwall Football Golf
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,063 reviews
FootballGolf uses the same rules as golf but players kick a football into a hole. Think Crazy golf or adventure golf but supersized and kicking a football ball instead of using a golf ball and putter. There are hazards and obstacles along the way which make the game fun and enjoyable for everyone and a great outdoor activity. Players have to kick around, through, over or under various obstacles. The game of FootballGolf is suitable for anyone 5 years old to 80 years old. We have two 18 hole courses set over 18 acres with stunning surroundings.
Reviewed By Staycation_Converts - London, United Kingdom
Enjoyed the hillside course so much, we came back a couple of days later to do the park course. Great fun for all (even non-footballers), pretty views and really well-maintained and thoughtfully laid out site, with and a dedicated, friendly, welcoming team! We’ll be back again, to try to improve our scores!
7. Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,487 reviews
Timed tickets are required. Please book in advance from website. The Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden contains the largest group of Hepworth's works, permanently on display where she lived and worked from 1949 until 1975.
Reviewed By RedJock
Lovely little sculpture garden in the middle of St Ives with some amazing sculptures set in a lovely garden.
8. The Helicopter Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 576 reviews
The Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare is the largest dedicated Rotorcraft Collection in the world, with over 80 helicopters displayed inside the museum's iconic hangar! Favourites include two of the Queen’s Royal Flight helicopters, the world speed record holder G-LYNX (400 km per hour!), the Vietnam Veteran Huey and the Hind Russian Gun Ship. Explore the old airfield's restored Pilots Block where you will find the ‘Weston Aviation Exhibition’ telling the story of Weston-super-Mare’s famous aviation past. Outside on the old taxiway visitors will be wowed by the 30 foot ‘Bristol Bloodhound’ Missile - the rockets of which were made just down the road in Banwell shortly after WW2. You don’t have to be an aviation buff to enjoy the museum and there’s plenty for kids to do - interactive zone, film theatre and ‘Play Copter’ are all family favourites! Regular open cockpit days give you a chance to climb aboard, have the controls explained to you by an expert and pose for a photo!
Reviewed By dawnlW5459EQ - Lincoln, United Kingdom
A lovely museum who have put a fantastic one way system in place to help social distancing, if you gift aid you ticket you get a free return within the year
9. Lundy Island
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 498 reviews
Located off the coast of Devon, this granite outcrop lies between England and America and is famed for its marine reserve.
Reviewed By macstan1 - Stradbroke, United Kingdom
Our friends suggested that we might like a couple of nights on Lundy Island, to seek out some puffins and incorporate it with my birthday. I decided it would be safer for me to travel to the top of the island by land rover and my husband and friends would walk. It is a very steep climb and I made the right decision as it would have ruined my time there, as I’m ok on flattish ground. But at least I was first at the inn and opened a tab, so when the others arrived they had a lovely cold lager to greet them, so I didn’t feel so bad about my ride up. As it was very hot, and we did some exploring, as our cottage would not be ready for about 4 hours. I love it there, the coast line is stunning and we did spot 3 seals in the water below but a long way off. The air is so fresh and all you can hear are the birds and animals, very little else. A place that is good for your soul. Our cottage was a 50s style, basic but clean. But quite quirky in its own way - must add it has a brilliant shower, small but really good. The staff are friendly and always seem to have a smile. Please remember there is no TV, or radio unless you took your own but I don’t know if it would work. And very little internet- and to be honest for a little while it really is quite nice. But we did without and it really wasn’t a problem. And we did get to see the Puffins, lots of them. It was wonderful. You need a good pair of walking shoes/boots and good binoculars and take a picnic if you can,but leave nothing behind. It’s unspoilt let’s keep it that way. We were very lucky with the weather, hot the first day but overcast on the second and I was grateful for that, as walking in the sun isn’t really for me. Even enjoyed the mist late that evening when leaving the inn to go home. But woke up to yet another glorious day. Even the boat trips both ways were perfect and to finish our couple of days off we saw Dave the single dolphin on the way back to Ilfracombe. (Apparently he has been kicked out of the pod, for some reason) so goes it alone. But wonderful to see him in his right habitat. All in all, a great visit, and we will go back one day - when fitter I hope ????????
10. Underground Passages
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 613 reviews
In light of the advice from the Government about COVID-19 the Underground Passages are closed to the public until further notice. Dating from 14th century, these medieval passages under Exeter High Street are a unique ancient monument: no similar system of passages can be explored by the public elsewhere in Britain. The Passages have long exercised a fascination over local people, with stories of wars and sieges, plague and pestilence! Their purpose was simple: to bring clean drinking water from natural springs in fields lying outside the walled city, through lead pipes into the heart of the city. The pipes sometimes sprang leaks and repairs to buried pipes could only be carried out by digging them up as we do today. To avoid this disruption the passages were vaulted and it is down some of these vaulted passageways that visitors are guided.The Passages are dark and narrow with a fascinating history. Visitors can experience interactive and educational exhibits in the Underground Passages Heritage Centre and watch a short video presentation before their guided tour.
Reviewed By JakeCox
Top of our list of things to do (along with the brilliant Royal Albert Museum - see other review) were the famed underground passages of Exeter's interesting past. We booked out tickets for the next tour, beginning in about 45 minutes' time, browsed a few nearby shops and then made our way back and downstairs ready for the tour to begin. In the room downstairs there is plenty to keep you occupied and interested as you wait for everyone in the tour group to gather. Next you go through to a room where there are lockers for your belongings and are shown a short video explaining the history of the tunnels as well as a brief introduction from the tour guide. Kitted up with hard hats you begin the journey through the passages of varying height and width, occasionally pausing as the guide gives very informative pointers on the history surrounding the area you're currently in. As a man exceeding 6 foot in height I found myself ducking a lot and being thankful for the hard hat but this is to be expected and didn't infringe upon my enjoyment at all. The stops are always timed for areas where the ceiling is of comfortable height so don't worry about being stuck doubled over for any significant length of time. You're also able to leave the tour at any point (provided you notify the guide of course) if you become claustrophobic so if that's an initial concern then see how you go at least. Later on in the tour you're given the choice of two routes. One path leads you back through a comfortable height tunnel, the other through a very low tunnel. Needless to say I chose the former. If you're below 6 feet tall and have no back or knee issues then you'll be fine - it's only a short route. If in doubt though, take the comfortable route and wait for the others to emerge; some muddy-handed if they had to steady themselves through the low tunnel! Great fun and our tour guide Alex was excellent. Defninitely recommend this.
