Devon family holidays and breaks

Take the Family is a travel agency specialising in active, adventure and luxury holidays. Your personal travel advisor will create the perfect Devon holiday for your family, with expert advice and dedicated support throughout.

Devon for family holidays

This southerly county has all the ingredients for the perfect family holiday – one in which you can recapture those halcyon days of the past, spending hours idling in a boat à la Swallows and Amazons or lazily eating ice cream on a harbour wall, watching the world go by.

Book a Devon family holiday with Take the Family and discover that the whole county lends itself to outdoor adventures, with pristine sandy beaches and many a great pier for crabbing. There’s 138km of coastline including all the inlets and creeks any wannabe pirate could hope for, so plenty of activities are based in, on or around the water, from the simple toddler-friendly pleasures of shrimping and paddling to teen-pleasers such as boating, water-skiing, swimming, canoeing and wind-surfing.

Venturing inland, time slows down as you uncover beautiful winding lanes, green rolling fields, twee but thriving villages, castles and National Trust properties. Explore animal conservation centres, adventure parks, famous Dartmoor and its ponies, and the cosmopolitan and historic city of Exeter.

As a specialist family travel agency, we can tailor-make the perfect family break in Devon, perhaps combing two or more destinations. Contact one of our travel advisors now and let's discuss your dream trip.

For more about Devon family holidays, scroll down.

Things to do with kids in Devon

Best Devon Beaches for Families

• Hit up some of our favourite beaches in Devon including Bigbury on Sea with its great surf school, Mattiscombe (worth the walk to get there) and Bantham. All are big, sandy and perfect for all ages.

• Discover plenty of other wonderful beaches all along the south and north coasts; most are very tidal and you’re advised to get a local tide timetable from a newsagent.

Dartmoor with Kids

• Roam around what is one of England’s great untouched portions of wilderness, for hiking, canoeing on the River Dart, horse-riding, rock-climbing or just plain yomping. The River Dart Country Park is a good place to start.

• Tour the Dartmoor Prison Museum.

• Take kids impressed by the fact that real soldiers play on Dartmoor to Castle Drogo and Okehampton Castle.

• Enjoy the Haldon Forest Park near Exeter, which includes walking and cycling trails and a treetop adventure course.

The South Coast of Devon with Kids

• Discover the English Riviera, chock a block with beaches, cafés and restaurants. Though it’s busy in summer, it’s all the more fun for that – teens gravitate to each other on the piers and young children bond over buckets brimming with crabs. At Torquay, don't miss Babbacombe with its model village and clifftop railway down to Oddicombe Beach.

• Savour countless villages and the many opportunities to step back into the past. See how the other half lived at Cockington Court & Country Park then let off steam in the gardens. At Brixham, step aboard a replica of Drake’s Golden Hind and visit the Heritage Museum.

• Check out Paignton, with some great beaches, the country’s largest outdoor waterpark, Splashdown Quaywest, and the Woodlands Family Theme Park.

• Cuddle piglets and enjoy tractor rides at Pennywell Farm.

* Joint a guided trip in a 12-seater canoe between Totnes and Dartmouth.

• Drive real JCBs at Diggerland Devon and enjoy the rides at the Crealy Theme Park & Resort.

• Don’t miss small but bustling Dartmouth, packed with enticing cafés and shops and a great place to get on the water, with boat hire, car and passenger ferries (including to Dartmouth Castle and to Agatha Christie’s estate, Greenway House), cruises between Dartmouth and Totnes, and sailing schools.

• Explore trendy Salcombe – a great place to amble around before taking the little five-minute ferry to East Portlemouth Beach.

• Catch a steam train ride: the South Devon Railway chugs along the River Dart between Totnes and Buckfastleigh.

• At lovely Berry Pomeroy Castle, scare yourselves silly with ghost stories – it’s said to be one of the most haunted castles in the UK. Powderham Castle is also worth a visit.

Oddicombe Beach

Eating in Devon

Food in Devon is at its best when focussed on regional produce, such as seafood, locally reared meat (including ostrich) and organic veg. It's also spiritual home to the cream tea, and has some fantastic local ice cream and yoghurts, and great home-made jams. There are also some great beach cafes, some using organic produce, at spots including East Portlemouth and Bigbury on Sea.

On the beach in Devon

When to go to Devon

The best time to visit Devon is between Easter and October. July and August are busy but generally not unbearably so, and there are always hidden corners to discover for yourself.

Devon has a mild climate but can be rainy. Generally, in the summer months the rain doesn't last for too long, but come prepared for wind and rain at any time of year.

Winter in Devon can be dramatic, especially on Dartmoor and along the coast.

Canoeing in Devon

How to get to Devon

It’s around five hours by car from London or Manchester to south Devon. Within the country, roads are being improved all the time.

Devon is about two and a half hours from London Paddington with Great Western trains. Cross Country runs services into Devon from the north-west, north-east and Scotland. If you’re coming from far away or are very short of time, you might consider flying to Exeter from Edinburgh, Newcastle or Manchester.

If you don’t drive here, we recommend car hire if you want to explore Devon with kids in any depth.

Devon

Langstone Cliff Hotel

Woolacombe Bay Hotel

Soar Mill Cove Hotel