Valleyside Escapes

There is much to do directly from this site: keep kids entertained with model trains and mini-train rides at Devon Railway Centre, or you can shop for cuddly toys and tuck into bistro dishes at Bickleigh Mill (both five minutes’ walk), a working Georgian water mill. And hikers, the Exe Valley Way walk is accessed from Bickleigh village too. If you fancy a potter around a couple of stately piles, Knightshayes is a Victorian gem with parkland walks, while pastel-coloured Killerton (both 15 minutes’ drive) is home of an 18th-century costume museum and glorious Devon views. For a taste of city life, Exeter (20 minutes) offers up an ornate medieval cathedral, museums and lots of quayside pubs and restaurants. Want to explore further afield? Well within an hour’s drive, you can be hiking, cycling or pony trekking over moorland in either Dartmoor (40 minutes) or Exmoor (half an hour) national parks. If you fancy a day on the beach, there are long breezy walks to be had on the shingle at Budleigh Salterton (45 minutes) and lots of rockpooling options at Sidmouth Town Beach (50 minutes).