Devon Yurt

Days out in Dartmoor National Park (10 minutes’ drive) cover many options. Families can follow gentle walks in National Trust-owned Lydford Gorge (15 minutes), or hike uphill to the neolithic remains at Nine Stones Circle (25 minutes) and the standing stones at Fernworthy (50 minutes). Take self-guided tours of the art deco Castle Drogo (40 minutes) and its landscaped parkland, or have a look around the former home of Sir Francis Drake at Buckland Abbey (25 minutes). If a day at the beach is requested, surfers can head north to Widemouth Bay (40 minutes) on the North Cornwall coast, while coasteering is popular at Port Isaac (50 minutes) and there’s a brace of family-friendly sandy expanses plus a tidal swimming pool at Bude (45 minutes). If the weather isn’t behaving, consider visiting the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth (45 minutes), or keep any restless kids of all ages occupied with a session on the indoor climbing walls at The Climbing Hangar.