What to do and see in South Devon, England: The Best Things to do Good for Big Groups

March 8, 2022 Kelli Reichel

Discover the best top things to do in South Devon, United Kingdom including Britannia Royal Naval College, Coleton Fishacre, Orchard Organic Farm, Mamhead, Ashburton Swimming Pool, Salcombe Distilling Company, Slapton Sands, Buckfast Abbey, Buckfast Butterfly Farm and Dartmoor Otter Sanctuary, South Devon Railway.
Restaurants in South Devon

1. Britannia Royal Naval College

College Way, Dartmouth TQ6 0HJ England +44 1803 677565 [email protected] http://www.britanniaassociation.org.uk
Excellent
92%
Good
7%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 287 reviews

Britannia Royal Naval College

BRNC should be a key ingredient to any visit to the West Country. Tours of this iconic building will offer an informative narrative allowing you to appreciate the rich history, role and relevance of this building and the naval training conducted here today, providing you with a quality, value for money, informative visit. Public Tours start from a convenient pick-up point in Dartmouth town. In a manageable group size, you will be taken to the College by coach for a walking tour, which lasts approximately 2 1/4 hours.

Reviewed By capdellatraveller

We booked in advance for this guided tour, it costs £13 or £11.25 for seniors/students. It was a fascinating experience.. picked up by small coach, we had to present photographic ID as security is quite tight. You can take photos on the tour but asked to avoid identifying the cadets. We arrived on a special day, quite by chance, called HAVOC DAY. Groups of cadets running around the grounds on different routes, with full kit, hauling hefty telegraph poles. Some looked about to collapse, it was amazing to watch at close quarters. Our guide was an ex officer from the college & spent more than two hours with us, stopping at various points on the parade ground, in front of the captain's house, in the chapel & the museum, in the quarterdeck room & finally outside the college shop, where I bought a handsome navy umbrella as a momento of the day. This was one of our highlights while staying in Dartmouth. You only get to see a tiny part of the college but you will get a great impression of its architecture & history as well as a glimpse of the cadets & their training...

2. Coleton Fishacre

Coleton Fishacre Brownstone Road Kingswear, Dartmouth TQ6 0EQ England +44 1803 842382 [email protected] http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/coleton-fishacre
Excellent
83%
Good
14%
Satisfactory
1%
Poor
0%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 1,786 reviews

Coleton Fishacre

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. Orchard Organic Farm

Great Park. Stokeinteignhead, Newton Abbot TQ12 4QR England +44 1803 813705 http://orchardorganicfarm.co.uk/
Excellent
100%
Good
0%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 15 reviews

Orchard Organic Farm

Reviewed By RustyJ76

Amazing place to stay. Had the best week people that run it are lovely and very helpful. Very clean and a great set up.

4. Mamhead

Dawlish England
Excellent
85%
Good
8%
Satisfactory
8%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 13 reviews

Mamhead

5. Ashburton Swimming Pool

Love Lane, Ashburton, Dartmoor National Park TQ13 7DW England +44 1364 652828 [email protected] http://www.ashburtonpool.com/
Excellent
97%
Good
3%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 38 reviews

Ashburton Swimming Pool

Ashburton Swimming Pool is a beautiful outdoor heated pool that is open from May until September. It is 21 x 9m is heated to about 27C. The pool appeals to children and adults alike with various sessions and membership options available. It is found in the heart of the historic South Devon town of Ashburton, nestled on the southern side of the vast Dartmoor National Park. There is a lovely field for picnics and games next to the pool and a small cafe run by volunteers for drinks and snacks. There are also a wide selection of cafes, pubs and deli's in the town itself. The nearest parking is the public car park in the centre of Ashburton, which is about 5 minutes walk away. The pool is run by volunteers from the community and is a charity.

6. Salcombe Distilling Company

The Boathouse 28 Island Street The Victuallers Shop, Salcombe TQ8 8DP England +44 1548 288180 [email protected] http://www.salcombegin.com
Excellent
92%
Good
5%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 438 reviews

Salcombe Distilling Company

Home to our Victuallers shop, award winning Gin School, Distillery & Bar, Salcombe Distilling Co. is nestled amongst traditional boat builders on Island Street Salcombe. As one of the world's only distilleries directly accessible by boat, SDCo continues Salcombe's legacy of producing outstanding handcrafted products made with an unrivalled passion, care and attention to detail.

Reviewed By GlamTourist - South West England, United Kingdom

An incredible ‘experience’ making our own Gin! Welcomed from the start with a Salcombe gin, very knowledgeable distillers helped with finding botanicals and more Salcombe Gin in the middle as well as at the end made the whole gin making experience brilliant! Plus we ended up with a bottle of our own made VERY drinkable gin. Can’t recommend highly enough!

7. Slapton Sands

Slapton, Kingsbridge TQ72TQ England
Excellent
59%
Good
34%
Satisfactory
4%
Poor
1%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 465 reviews

Slapton Sands

Naturist beach which is located on Slapton Sands, near Strete, south of Dartmouth. In 1944, it was the site of the World War II military exercise, Exercise Tiger.

Reviewed By BryanG256 - King's Lynn, United Kingdom

This has been on the Bucket List since I first read about it a few years back. As you travel towards the village you see the inland nature reserve & then a car park with the Sherman Tank that was extracted from the sea by Ken and placed here as a memorial to all the lives lost on that fateful day in Apr 1944 that should have been a practice for D-Day. Very moving indeed because as you venture across the road you see the wide open sandy beach which was so peaceful on our visit & it’s hard to imagine why lives were lost . I understand there is a 2nd tank on the other end of the beach.

8. Buckfast Abbey

Buckfastleigh, Dartmoor National Park TQ11 0EE England +44 1364 645500 [email protected] http://www.buckfast.org.uk/
Excellent
63%
Good
27%
Satisfactory
6%
Poor
2%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 1,466 reviews

Buckfast Abbey

We are delighted to be partially re-opening from Monday, 26th April 2021 and fully re-opening from 17th May, (subject to Government guidelines.) Our Gift Shop will be open during our partial re-opening and our Grange Tea Rooms will be open for a takeaway service. Toilets will also be open. During this period, our opening times will be 10am - 4pm Monday to Saturday and 11.30am to 4pm Sundays. The Abbey Church, Bookshop and Monastic Shop will remain closed during the partial re-opening time. We look forward to welcoming you and assure you that Covid safety measures are in place.

Reviewed By stormbringer55 - St. Albans, United Kingdom

What a lovely place . The air of tranquillity is amazing ,as is the Devon cream tea. Great visitor centre and good shops and a nice little Methodist chapel ,free parking and entry all go to make this a great place to visit . Just down the road from the steam railway another great place to visit.

9. Buckfast Butterfly Farm and Dartmoor Otter Sanctuary

Dart Bridge Road, Buckfastleigh, Dartmoor National Park TQ11 0DZ England +44 1364 642916 [email protected] http://www.ottersandbutterflies.co.uk
Excellent
74%
Good
17%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
2%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 1,966 reviews

Buckfast Butterfly Farm and Dartmoor Otter Sanctuary

We are a small, friendly and very different visit for all the family. Run by a small dedicated team we aim to make your visit educational and fun. You can enjoy and learn about our tropical butterflies in the specially designed habitat of which you become part. You not only see the butterflies but feel the rainforest atmosphere that they enjoy as you see their amazing life cycle unfold.In the Otter Sanctuary there are three species of otter to see, our native British otter, the playful Asian short clawed otters and the large North American river otters who love to show off. Our keeper is on hand to explain all about the otters to visitors, some are here for breeding, some for retirement, some just for fun and some because they are unsuitable to be returned to the wild.Make sure to bring your camera.

Reviewed By DaveWebbSouthMolton - South Molton, United Kingdom

A cheap, value for money attraction. We have been several times and always found all the staff there informative and very helpful. We particularly like the fact that it is left to be natural which is very important for otters as it replicates their natural environment. well stocked shop with a good selection of goods on sale including some gorgeous canvas photographs of the otters there. The keepers passion for the animals there excels during the otter feeding times and its obviously a love and passion rathe than a job - well done to all of them there for providing what can only be described as a great visit attraction for less than a tenner each!

10. South Devon Railway

Excellent
69%
Good
24%
Satisfactory
4%
Poor
1%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 1,257 reviews

South Devon Railway

The South Devon Railway is one of the West Country’s best loved tourist attractions and is the longest established steam railway in the region. The former GWR branch line runs along the stunning valley of the Dart between Buckfastleigh and Totnes on a 14 mile round trip. The steam trains offer a wonderful all day, all weather attraction for families and people of all ages. The railway also has a fascinating museum, gardens, riverside walk, locomotive restoration workshops, a gift and model railway shop, refreshment rooms and more. Free car parking at Buckfastleigh, just off the A38, midway between Exeter and Plymouth; Totnes is a 500 yard walk from the main line station.

ThingsTodoPost © 2018 - 2024 All rights reserved.