Devon is a scenic coastal and rural county in South West England with historic towns, national parks, and popular seaside resorts, accessible by rail and bus.
Holnicote Estate is a historic country estate in Somerset within Exmoor National Park featuring extensive natural landscapes, historic villages, walking trails, and a hotel-operated hunting lodge. The estate includes notable hills such as Dunkery Hill and Selworthy Beacon, ancient monuments, and a National Trust-managed nature reserve.
Princesshay is a modern shopping centre in Exeter featuring over 60 stores, cafes, and restaurants, with a notable attraction of medieval underground passages offering guided tours. It combines retail and historical interest in an indoor setting.
Overbeck's Garden at Sharpitor is a Grade II registered Edwardian garden in Devon featuring a subtropical collection of plants, themed garden areas, and a historic house housing a museum with maritime exhibits and unique displays like a secret door and musical box.
7 Oct, 14 Oct…
Join Overbeck’s gardeners for a guided walk through the garden, with insights into its unusual plants, gardening techniques and coastal setting. The tour is intended for everyone from keen gardeners to casual visitors.
Salcombe is a picturesque resort town in Devon known for its historic maritime heritage, sailing activities, sandy beaches, and charming waterfront, attracting tourists with its natural beauty and cultural events.
A la Ronde is an 18th-century, 16-sided historic house near Exmouth, Devon, notable for its unique octagonal design, intricate Shell Gallery, and beautifully crafted interiors. The site includes Grade II listed gardens and the adjacent Grade I listed Point-in-View chapel. Owned by the National Trust, it offers a blend of indoor and outdoor historic experiences.
7–11 Oct, 13–18 Oct…
An exhibition about the 18th-century Grand Tour and the travels of Jane and Mary Parminter, whose journey through Europe influenced A la Ronde. Visitors can see travel souvenirs, pages from Jane’s diary and an original board game to play.
Exmouth is a historic seaside resort town in Devon known for its long sandy beaches, marina, watersports, and status as the western gateway to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. It offers Victorian architecture, walking and cycling routes, and a vibrant town centre with leisure and cultural amenities.
The Old Bakery, Manor Mill & Forge in Branscombe is a National Trust property featuring a historic thatched bakery, a restored working watermill, and England's only thatched forge, with a tea room and blacksmith selling ironwork.
Cotehele is a Grade I listed medieval and Tudor manor house in Cornwall with extensive historic gardens, a working restored mill, and riverside quay, offering both indoor and outdoor historic experiences. It features original Tudor interiors, chapels, and has been used as a film location.
7 Oct–15 Nov (another 37 days)
Visitors can follow a sensory trail around the garden, moving through interactive installations inspired by the picture book and animation ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ as they search for the bear.
Saltram House is a well-preserved Georgian country house near Plympton, Devon, featuring exquisite interiors by Robert Adam and a fine art collection including works by Joshua Reynolds. The estate includes expansive gardens and parkland, offering both indoor and outdoor visitor experiences.
23 May–1 Nov (another 23 days)
A display at Saltram brings together two companion portraits by Joshua Reynolds and explores the story of ‘Jersey’, an enslaved boy depicted in one of them. Visitors can encounter historical research and conservation insights through audio, scent and touch.
Gallox Bridge is a 15th century narrow stone packhorse bridge in Dunster, Somerset, crossing the River Avill. It is a Grade I listed building and scheduled monument, managed by English Heritage, and notable for its historic architecture and rural setting near Dunster Castle.
10 Oct, 17 Oct…
A guided tour takes visitors through Dunster Castle’s Victorian kitchen and larders, with stories about the cooks, maids and other staff who worked there.
Berry Pomeroy Castle is a Tudor mansion ruin within a late 15th-century castle in South Devon, known for its picturesque romantic ruins and reputed hauntings. It is managed by English Heritage and open to the public as a historic site with extensive outdoor exploration.
Coleton Fishacre is a historic Arts and Crafts style country house with 24 acres of rare, exotic gardens running down to the sea in Devon. Owned by the National Trust, it offers visitors a combination of beautifully preserved interiors and scenic outdoor garden walks along the coast.
Dartmouth Castle is a historic artillery fort in Devon, built from the 14th century onward to protect Dartmouth harbour with significant gun batteries and fortifications. Now managed by English Heritage, visitors can explore both indoor historic buildings and outdoor gun platforms, enjoy scenic views, and learn about its military history from medieval times to World War II.
12 Oct (next Monday)
Join a Greenway Gardener for a walk around the garden to learn about tree safety management, tree decay fungi, structural defects and the ecological importance of trees.
King Doniert's Stone is an outdoor historic site featuring two granite cross-shaft fragments from the 9th century with intricate interlace decoration, an ancient inscription commemorating a Cornish king, and an underground rock-cut chamber possibly related to ancient mining or worship. The site is freely accessible with parking and open during daylight hours on Bodmin Moor near St Cleer.
The Yarn Market in Dunster, Somerset, is a historic Grade I listed octagonal building from the early 17th century, originally built to support the local wool and cloth trade, featuring a unique central pier with timber roofing and marked by Civil War history.
8–9 Oct, 15–16 Oct…
A guided tour takes visitors through Dunster Castle’s Victorian kitchen and larders, exploring the work and stories of the cooks, maids and other staff who kept the castle running.
Coleridge Cottage is a 17th century historic cottage in Nether Stowey, Somerset, where poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge lived and wrote some of his famous works. Now a National Trust writer's home museum, it features period rooms, a garden with wildflowers, and serves as the starting point for the Coleridge Way walking trail.
Tropiquaria Zoo in Somerset is a small zoo and tropical house located in a historic Grade II listed former BBC transmitting station. It features a tropical hall, aquarium with rare fish, and outdoor animal enclosures, along with play areas and a café, offering a diverse wildlife experience for families.
Castle Drogo is the last castle built in England, located in Devon. It is a Grade I listed country house designed by Edwin Lutyens, featuring a mix of medieval and Tudor revivalist architecture. Visitors can explore the castle's interiors, formal gardens, and enjoy facilities including a café and shop provided by the National Trust.
7 Oct–1 Nov (another 23 days)
An exhibition at Castle Drogo revealing unusual objects kept in the house’s collection, including items requiring special storage and large objects displayed in custom-built frames.
Antony House is an early 18th-century Grade I listed historic house museum in Cornwall, featuring fine 18th-century furnishings and a notable art collection. It is complemented by Georgian landscaped gardens and a large woodland garden with walking paths, offering both indoor and outdoor visitor experiences.
7–8 Oct, 13–15 Oct…
Visitors follow clues through Antony’s house and gardens to find ingredients for an enchanted potion. Halloween costumes are encouraged.
Torpoint is a planned town on the Rame Peninsula in southeast Cornwall, notable for its ferry link to Plymouth, historical roots, and naval training connections offering a scenic riverside visit.
Killerton is an 18th-century Georgian country house in Devon with extensive gardens and an estate including ancient hill forts and Roman sites, open to the public under the National Trust with historical costume displays indoors and scenic outdoor walks and landscapes.
7 Oct–13 Nov (another 35 days)
Explore an outdoor trail featuring 30 Pikachu cards illustrated by different artists, discover facts about the character and design a Pikachu trading card.
Sandymouth Beach in Cornwall is a long sandy beach with cliffs, rock formations, and strong surf, popular for surfing and managed by the National Trust. The site offers a café, toilets, and seasonal lifeguard patrols, appealing to beachgoers and surfers.
Dunster Working Watermill is a restored 18th century watermill in Dunster, Somerset, featuring working overshot wheels to grind organic flour, set within the grounds of Dunster Castle. Visitors can explore the historic mill machinery indoors and enjoy the surrounding outdoor area including the castle grounds and a cafe.
5 Oct–2 Nov (another 24 days)
An exhibition marking 50 years of the National Trust at Dunster Castle, featuring golden objects from the castle’s collection, including its rare gilt leather hangings. Visitors can also learn about the castle’s gift to the Trust and view a film presenting a virtual gallery of the hangings.
Greenway House is a historic Georgian estate on the River Dart in Devon, once home to Agatha Christie. Visitors can explore the house, riverside gardens with diverse plants, and the Barn Gallery showcasing local art, with connections to Christie's literary legacy.
Totnes Castle is a well-preserved Norman motte and bailey castle in Devon, England, featuring a 14th-century stone keep on a commanding hilltop above Totnes. It is managed by English Heritage and offers a historic outdoor experience showcasing medieval architecture and fortifications.
9 Oct, 23 Oct…
Visitors can drop in to the House Kitchen at Greenway to learn or practise crochet and help make squares for a community Christmas tree. Participants can also take a patchwork pack to crochet a square at home and return it for Greenway’s Christmas display.
Cleeve Abbey is a medieval Cistercian monastery in Somerset featuring some of the best-preserved monastic buildings in England, including cloisters, a refectory with a wooden vaulted ceiling, medieval tiled floors, and historic wall paintings, open to public visits under English Heritage.
7 Oct–1 Nov, 7–8 Nov…
Explore Dunster Castle’s refreshed display of seventeenth-century gilt leather hangings depicting Antony and Cleopatra. The display presents new research and examines the hangings’ craftsmanship and place in art and culture.
The Hurlers is a group of three prehistoric stone circles located on Bodmin Moor near Minions in Cornwall. Visitors can explore these ancient outdoor monuments along with nearby standing stones called the Pipers, managed by the Cornwall Heritage Trust and recognized as a Scheduled Monument.
Restormel Castle is a well-preserved Norman shell keep castle near Lostwithiel in Cornwall, notable for its unusual circular design and historical significance. Visitors can explore the outdoor ruins and enjoy its scenic riverside setting with a picnic area, maintained by English Heritage.
14 Oct, 21 Oct…
A friendly weekly group walk at Lanhydrock, offering gentle exercise, time outdoors and the chance to chat with others. The walks follow a slow-to-medium-paced route over varied paths, including some hills.
Watersmeet House is a National Trust property in Devon featuring a historic fishing lodge with a tea room and shop, nestled at a river gorge confluence and serving as a gateway to extensive woodland and riverside walks. The site includes a notable area of ancient oak woodland designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Buckland Abbey is a 700-year-old Grade I listed former Cistercian abbey in Devon, converted to a historic house museum notable for its connection to Sir Francis Drake. Visitors can explore the unique architecture, museum collections, and extensive grounds including historic barns and gardens.
10 Oct–1 Nov (next week)
October half-term at Buckland Abbey features a nautical theme, with visitors invited to look out for sea monsters including the Kraken, leviathan and Sirens.
Launceston Castle is a historic Norman castle ruin in Launceston, Cornwall, England, featuring extensive medieval stone fortifications including a motte, keep, high tower, gatehouses, and curtain walls. Serving as the administrative center of the earldom of Cornwall and later a county gaol, it is now a publicly accessible heritage site managed by English Heritage with archaeological remains and scenic views over the former deer park.
Launceston is a historic market town in Cornwall, England, known for its Norman castle, heritage railway, and rich cultural and historical heritage. It offers walkable town center attractions, including Georgian architecture, museums, and active cultural events.
Exmoor Zoo is a conservation centre in North Devon, specializing in rare and smaller animals with a focus on conservation breeding programmes. It offers outdoor animal exhibits including rare carnivores and birds, alongside visitor facilities including the African Café. The zoo provides an engaging family-friendly experience in a scenic national park setting.
7 Oct, 14 Oct
Join the gardeners for a short talk on a different garden theme each week, covering what is looking good, gardening tips and the work carried out by the team. Talks meet at the garden entrance and may include a gentle stroll around the garden.
Fyne Court is a National Trust nature reserve and visitor centre in Somerset, featuring historic estate grounds with woodland, ponds, meadows, and remnants of a 19th-century country house. Visitors can explore outdoor natural habitats as well as indoor visitor facilities including a café and shop.
6 Oct, 13 Oct…
Toddler Tuesdays is a term-time session for under-fives and their carers, with nature play, stories, crafts and gentle walks.