I have compiled this list of summer days out in Devon on a budget because I mostly find that the list of days out and activities I come across in other publications usually involve fairly expensive family tickets and often busy tourist hotspots that we just don’t enjoy.
We look for days out that provide us with wholesome fun that won’t break the bank. We’re a family of 6 so we like to keep it cheap, not complicated, and fun, and days like these have often been our favourite days out!
Therefore this list of summer days out in Devon on a budget guide is made up of places you can visit for free / cheaply / utilise memberships. I have included some of our favourite coastal areas, lidos, PYO and National Trust sites. We mostly try and take picnics with us, extra snacks, and sometimes squeeze two of these nearby places to make a full day.
What to do on a budget in Mid & East Devon
Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth
The donkey sanctuary is a great addition to our summer days out in Devon on a budget list, as it’s free admission to the sanctuary! We love visiting the donkey sanctuary as they have a roomy cafe with a view, serving a wide range of food, snacks, and drinks for when we fancy a break from making a picnic. They have a play park, donkey talks, and plenty of space to walk around and visit numerous donkey sheds. It’s the kind of outing that helps fill a day where you need to get out for a few hours to keep sane!
Running over the whole summer is the golden carrot trail. Follow the map to each spot for a chance to collect each of the orange carrots. But watch out for wrong answers, because they might lead you to a not-so-pleasant surprise! Find as many as you can before collecting a golden carrot to be redeemed for a prize!
Seaton Wetlands
Sidmouth, Devon EX10 0NU.
Turn left into Seaton Cemetery, and continue through to the Seaton Wetlands car park. The nearest postcode is EX12 2SP.
Again this made the list of summer days out in devon on a budget as it’s also free admission. There are plenty of fun play prompts around the nature reserve. The walk is flat and accessible but no dogs are allowed on the reserve. The island hide was popular with our kids for bird and duck spotting, as the views are wonderfully peaceful and we ate lunch alone in there! Seaton tramway has a stop at the reserve if you wish to extend your day out further. There is also a small on-site cafeand toilet.
Wildwood
Ottery St Mary EX11 1LU
An admission fee applies with Wildwood but we feel compared to other wildlife/farm parks that it’s really fairly priced. If you’re local a reasonable membership is also something to think about.
This is definitely one of our go-to days out when the weather is mixed and those days when being home might involve a bit of refereeing! The distraction from seeing the animals and the play equipment dotted around the park provide us all with a good dose of fresh air and sanity! Plus the animal talks are well worth hanging around for, we found out loads of interesting facts about the Wolves.
They have activities running in the Saxon village, animal talks, a maze, and much more!
Beer and Budleigh Salterton beaches
Our favourite beaches in East Devon are Beer and Budleigh Salterton.
Beer (pebble beach) has a real fishing boat cove charm to it and is ideal for taking out a paddle board
Budleigh (pebble beach) is again a great spot for paddleboarding. It has a lovely stretch of promenade, 2 reasonably priced cafes, a skatepark, and a nature reserve. Make sure you bring binoculars to look out for the local Beaver colony. As both these beaches are pebble beaches if you’re looking for a sandy one then head to the nearby busier beach of Exmouth.
Jacobs Ladder end of Sidmouth is perfect for paddle boarding and has a mix of sand and pebbles.
Crabbing Spots
A fun Devonshire childhood memory of mine has to be scrabbling over the rocks, crabbing with my bucket and line in hand. You will find some great crabbing spots across the county.
In East Devon; Axmouth Harbour and the rock pools at Seaton Hole Beach, as well as good crabbing on both sides of the River Exe, with two miles of sandy beach at Exmouth
Lidos to Visit
Clyst Hydon Set in a pretty village location in Mid Devon this quintessential British pool is very much one for a warm day. This pool is a refreshingly cold dip and we really enjoyed it in the heatwave last year! Complete with a small but fun slide in the main pool and a very small pool for babies. The pool is run by village volunteers, so it is wise to check if it’s open before heading there. They also serve mugs of tea, coffee, cold drinks, and chocolate biscuits!
PYO Spots
Halberton Court Farm Shop – Halberton Tiverton, Devon EX16 7AW
Fossil Hunting In nearby Dorset
I know I’m cheating including Dorset in a summer days out in Devon on a budget guide but these beaches are so close to East Devon that I just had to feature them.
Charmouth Beach is perfect for budding geologists who fancy taking part in some Jurassic digging! This is an activity that we would much prefer to do in the cooler months when the beach is less busy but if you time it right you can manage to beat the crowds. Visit the fossil shop and the heritage center museum to extend your outing and learn about our exciting Jurassic coastline!
Another fab fossil beach is the Lyme Regis Fossil Beach (Ammonite Pavement). We avoided the busier Lyme Regis beach in favour of a pebble fossil beach, Again pick your time carefully, and don’t forget to observe the tide times. You won’t be disappointed as there are many ammonites, fools gold, and fossils to be uncovered.
We usually extend our learning with this book and encourage our children to create their own fossil fact files from what they’ve seen!
Riverway, Charmouth, Bridport, Dorset DT6 6LS
Monmouth Beach Lyme Regis DT7 3LE
National Trust Mid Devon
Killerton Knightshayes, Bolham, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 7R Dogs are allowed in certain parts of the parkland
Get ready for an action-packed summer of fun at Killerton. From 20 July to 2 September. Take part in the mid-week drop-in sessions: nature-based activities on Tuesdays, team games on Wednesdays, and circus skills on Thursdays.
With 6 different play areas to choose from. For those who want to burn off some steam, there’s frisbee golf and loose parts play to climb and build. Unleash your inner artist and get creative with arts and crafts equipment. What a performance – there’s even a mini theatre with dressing up. Head over to the nature zone to identify bugs, look for fairy houses and create your own mini-world. After all that, there’s a quiet zone, time to relax with sensory light bubbles, and even an outdoor library. Do also look out for their outdoor theatre dates – booking is essential.
Knightshayes Broadclyst, Exeter, Devon, EX5 3LE Dogs are allowed in certain parts of the parkland
Get ready for an adventure in the gardens – are you willing to take on the maze challenges? Or perhaps you want to explore the house? Or try out a craft activity?
Summer of Play runs between the 20 July and 2 September. The Mazes are located in the Formal & Woodland Garden.
Craft sessions will run in August, and dates and times will be updated on their website soon.
What to do on a Budget in Exeter and South Devon
RAMM in Exeter
Exeter Queen Road EX4 3RX
Entry to RAMM is free.
Explore fascinating exhibitions and modern amenities at Exeter’s world-class museum. Discover Devon and Exeter’s rich history and global connections, be delighted by colourful animals, birds, and insects, step into a world of innovative contemporary art, and travel the globe in their World Cultures galleries.
To keep little ones entertained you can follow the museum trails, immerse their experience with a sound journey (headphones provided) and/or pick up a free Beastie Bag from one of the museum receptions.
There are plenty of budget-friendly summer events that you can book, over on the RAMM website so check there for details on activities such as building a flying machine, fun LEGO brick motorised sessions, hot air balloon suncatchers, building a boat and more…
Haldon Forest
Bullers Hill, Kennford, Exeter EX6 7XR Open 7am-9pm
My kids love to ride their bikes on the various trails. There is also something fun in-store for little ones this year as the Gruffalo turns 25! Follow the interactive trail around Haldon Forest Park to help find the missing party items to give the Gruffalo a birthday to remember. Search for balloons, pine cones, apples and the Gruffalo himself, and complete fun activities and rubbings as you go along. Pick up your pack for just £4 from the Info pod, packed with fun things to do on your party adventure.
The Box
The Box, Tavistock Place, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AX. Open 10am-5pm Tuesday to Sunday
Plymouth’s award-winning museum, art gallery and archive with a 2022 European Museum of the Year Special Commendation. Join them this summer for their fantastic faces and figures exhibition with arts and crafts sessions running throughout the holidays.
Dartmoor
Hound Tor
A few of our budget-friendly Dartmoor activities include a walk up Hound Tor or neighbouring Haytor
It’s a real blow the cobwebs away walk up to Hound Tor and the medieval village. Great views, lots of scrambling over rocks and fun geocaching to be had.
The postcode for parking is TQ13 9XG with a 1/2 Mile walk across the Moor to the Tor. For more detail, head to our post on family walks in Hound Tor and Haytor.
Spitchwick
A fantastic place for cooling off in the river. Take a picnic and really make the most of a wonderful River Dart setting.
Spitchwick Newton Abbot TQ13 7NT
The House of Marbles
The Old Pottery, Pottery Rd, Bovey Tracey, Newton Abbot TQ13 9DS
A fun way to spend an hour. Take a visit to the House of Marbles (free to enter) to discover all about glass blowing, marble making, and giant marble runs, and pick and mix your own marbles with pocket money.
Salcombe
I cannot compile a list for the summer without including Salcombe. Salcombe is one of the reasons we moved to Devon, we love that we can reach there in just over an hour. In the summer it’s obviously busy but it never puts us off.
We enjoy the bustling vibrant harbour where kids can get their hair braids and glitter tattoos for the summer holidays, there are regular small boat/ferry trips running, or you can simply soak up the atmosphere and watch the sailing boats across the beautiful estuary. It’s a perfect place for kids to spend their pocket money on sweets, fudge, friendship bracelets, and coastal knick-knacks.
There is a National Trust garden in Salcombe to explore as well as a gorgeous stretch of the SW coastal path. Once you’ve enjoyed the town you can take the river taxi across to the wonderful NT beach of Mill Bay or South Sands.
Brixham Harbour and Berry Head Walk
Brixham Marina Car Park
Head to Brixham Harbour located on the southern side of Tor Bay which boasts one of the largest fishing fleets in the UK, plus a thriving fish market to support it.
Over 100 fishing boats land and sell their catch at the local fish market on the quayside. A visitor viewing platform is strategically placed so visitors can watch the busy comings and goings of the fishing fleet, made up of large beam trawlers and the smaller day boats.
We spotted a bottle-nosed dolphin called Dolly, near the small lighthouse at the end of the harbour wall. Extend your visit and walk to Berry Head a National Nature Reserve. This stunning headland, with its iconic lighthouse and Napoleonic Fort, is surrounded by water on three sides and offers exceptional views across Torbay and beyond.
Cockington Village and Country Park
Torquay TQ2 6XA
Cockington Country Park is a beautiful mix of picturesque well-ordered garden landscapes, open parkland, rural countryside and substantial woodland. Tucked amongst this 450-acre country park are three, pretty ornamental lakes, a historic Manor House with craft centre and studios, a chocolate box village, delightful thatched cottages and a quaint 11th-century church. Lovely for a historic wander!
Pay and display car parks at the village centre (take cash)
Slapton, Torcross, Beesands, Hallsands, and Start Bay Lighthouse
Another of our favourite spots in South Devon. Slapton Ley is the largest natural lake in southwest England. Although it is only separated from the sea by a narrow shingle bar, it is entirely freshwater. The lake is surrounded by reedbeds, marshes, and woodland habitats.
It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and was declared a National Nature Reserve (NNR) in 1993. The nature reserve is open daily and there are no entrance fees. Slapton Ley TQ7 2QP Adjacent to Slapton Ley lies Torcross where you can enjoy a swim in the sea, visit the old-fashioned sweet shop and take a walk on the pebble beach at Torcross. There are also a couple of eateries serving fish and chips plus a lovely farm shop just up the road at Stokenham.
If you’re looking for an even quieter spot then Beesands and Hallsands are well worth a visit for a coastal walk. The atmospheric ruined fishing village of Hallsands stands as a testament to the power of the sea and the danger of over-exploiting natural resources.
South Hallsands, TQ7 2EY
You could finish off exploring this area of South Hams by visiting the Start Point Lighthouse at the end of the headland. This impressive lighthouse has guided vessels in passage along the English Channel for over 150 years. The walk up to Start Point Lighthouse is one of the best coastal walks in South Devon, along the South West Coast Path. The dramatic cliffs and stunning coastal landscape are breathtaking – and can be done as a short walk or part of a longer trek across the SW Coast Path.
Start Point, Kingsbridge, Devon, TQ7 2ET
Bantham and Mill Bay Beach
There are so many amazing beaches in South Devon that it’s a tough call to pick just two!
Mill Bay is slightly trickier to reach as the road to the small car park is very narrow. You can reach the beach by paring at the top of the hill and walking down the lane or alternatively by river taxi in Salcome and then either walking across the sand at low tide or again walking down the road. There are toilets and a pop-up cafe in the summer months. It’s a perfect beach for all the family. It’s sheltered, has a great river-digging area for young children, good for paddleboarding and snorkeling. Again it just has a nice vibe to it.
Mill Bay car park, East Portlemouth, Devon, TQ8 8PU
Bantham Beach is also fab for all the family. At the end of a long narrow lane (with passing places) is a large car park with toilets and good pop-up eateries. The beach has lifeguards present and a surf school. Our older children learned to surf there and we recommend their junior lessons. At low tide, you can walk to Bigbury on Sea if you feel adventurous or just relax and enjoy some golden sand with a few rock pools to keep the littles even more entertained.
Bantham Kingsbridge TQ7 3AN
Crabbing Spots
In South Devon; Brixham harbour, Salcombe – Kingsbridge Estuary, Dartmouth harbour, and the dam at Stoke Gabriel are just some of the good crabbing spots.
Lidos to Visit
Exeter and South Devon have a great choice of Lidos to visit.
Topsham Pool A firm favourite with our kids! This pool is heated making it a safe bet for an outing on most days in the summer. They run a fun inflatable session so check out their timetable for more details.
Buckfastleigh Outdoor Pool and Skatepark – what a perfect combination for tweens and teens!
Moretonhampstead – edge of Dartmoor
Kingsteignton Outdoor Pool – Newton Abbot
Chudleigh Swimming Pool – Newton Abbot
Shaolstone Seawater Pool – Brixham
Ashburton Pool – Newton Abbot
PYO Spots
Oak Tree Gardens – Totnes
Thornes Farm – Crediton, Exeter
Pips Pick Your Own – Yealmpton, Plymouth
Strawberry Fields Lifton – PL16 0DH – plus sunflower picking
National Trust
Buckland Abbey Yelverton, Devon, PL20 6EY
Learn how to play, dance and sword fight like a medieval knight at Buckland Abbey’s Knight Academy! Visitors are invited to play games with medieval origins such as tennis, football and skittles. Learn all the key sword moves a Knight would need to know as well as all the dance moves! After that, you can build your own castle in our loose parts play area – giving it the best defences. After all this training you can relax in the Book Nook, reading or creating poems on the poetry board.
Storytelling will take place in the Abbey throughout the summer (please check back for times) and archery demonstrations will take place on the Abbey lawn on 30 July, 13 and 27 August. And why not join Naturemake on 7, 11 and 14 August and make your own enchanting miniature summer camps, adventurous characters, or maybe even woodland animals and fairies (additional charge, from £5).
Saltram Plympton, Plymouth, Devon, PL7 1UH
Take part in their fun summer of play sessions available in the tent. They’re also running ‘Wild Wednesdays’ with activities such as seed growing, bug hunting and pond dipping to do.
North Devon
Lynton & Lymouth Cliff Railway
Open 10am-6pm Tickets £3.50 per adult £2.20 per child and £1.00 for dogs
This multi-award winning and famous Lynton and Lynmouth funicular Cliff Railway opened in 1890 and is the highest and the steepest totally water-powered railway in the world! This historic funicular Cliff Railway is a silver award winner in Devon’s Large Visitor Attraction of the Year 2020 and holds the Green Tourism ‘Gold’ award for sustainable tourism & several heritage and transport awards. The Cliff Railway is in the heart of Exmoor National Park and connects the twin towns of Lynton and Lynmouth providing stunning coastal views that will be the highlight of any visit. This working heritage railway is grade II listed, the UK’s only fully water-powered railway and one of just three examples left in the World!
There are public car parks and street parking in both Lynton and Lynmouth. Lynmouth has significantly less parking and gets busy in peak seasons. It’s much better to park in Lynton and use us as the most beautiful park-and-ride option in the UK to reach the village of Lynmouth below. Lynton Car Parks are at Bottom Meadow, Cross Street and the Valley of the Rocks. Lynmouth Car Parks are at Upper & Lower Lyndale, The Esplanade and Watersmeet.
Ilfracombe Aquarium
Ilfracombe harbour EX34 9EQ
A small but jam-packed seaside aquarium!. Explore the aquarium as it journeys from the source of an Exmoor stream downriver to the lake, pond, estuary, rockpool, harbour, coast, and out to the marine reserve at Lundy. The guides were very informative and we all really enjoyed the experience for a fraction of the cost of a large city aquarium!
Clovelly
Clovelly Village admission charges apply but I have included this as a budget day out, as we feel it’s really fairly priced, plus there is enough to explore to make this a whole day out. If you’re staying nearby you can return for free within a 7-day period. We visited in autumn when it was quieter as I can imagine it does get busier in the summer months. It’s a fascinating fishing village perched on a 400ft cliff that really takes you back in time. We found that there was plenty to see and do for the day from exploring the harbour, and the cobbled streets, seeing a waterfall to meeting the donkeys to arts and crafts activities.
Clovelly Visitor Centre, Clovelly, Devon EX39 5TA
Saunton Sands and Woolacombe Beach
The coastline of North Devon really seems pretty unspoiled and wild in places. With rock pools, sand dunes, and surf galore. These are just two that we’ve visited and enjoyed.
Crabbing Spots
In North Devon; head to the rockpools of Westward Ho! or Combe Martin. Try the harbours of Appledore or Ilfracombe and you should hopefully find a nibble on the line!
Lidos
National Trust
Combesgate Beach, Woolacombe
The rockpools of Combesgate are teeming with life – fish, crabs, sea snails, star fish and anemones. Join our Beach Rangers on multiple dates in July and August to seek them out and learn about their lives. Booking is essential.
Woolacombe
July 24th, 31st and Aug 7th,14th,21st,28th
Join the Rangers as they take you down to Morte Point, learning tales of notorious smugglers and wreckers, the role of Morte Pointe in WW2 and spotting a few local residents (Atlantic seals) along the way. You will also get to learn a little more about how the National Trust now looks after and cares for this dramatic landscape. Tractor Trailer rides are suitable for all and last around 45mins.
Tractor trailer rides cost £8 per Adult, £4 for children 3 yrs + and free for children under 2 if sitting on an adults lap. Please book by calling Morthoe Museum on 01271 870028.
Heddon Valley, Near Parracombe, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 4PY
As members, the NT is a great way of getting out for the day and running off energy in open spaces. This butterfly trail sounds fab if you’re in the Barnstaple area this summer. Pass through the Heddon Valley National Trust visitor hub and follow the woodland trail to find all their butterflies. The trail winds through woodland as it makes its way through the beautiful Heddon Valley.
Normal admission charges apply to the venue. Check admission prices
Arlington Court, near Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 4LP
Race through the hay maze avoiding the sea creatures, find the sandpit boat, explore the sensory play area, get creative with colouring in the craft corner and more.
Arlington, near Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 4LP
We hope that this summer days out in Devon on a budget guide provides you with some inspiration to fill some days out over the coming summer holiday weeks. All that we have left to say is ‘Happy Holidays!’ and if you need any more inspiration then do check out our arts and crafts section on the blog for home days. We will post some of our days out and activity ideas as always over on my Instagram page and do check out the blog posts below!
100 things to do this Summer Holiday
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