Jail, rail and gin
Kids can meet thousands of animals at Plymouth Marine Aquarium or Paignton Zoo. Get a bad night’s sleep after a creepy trip to Bodmin Jail. Or ride the Bodmin Railway on a Steam and Cream event. Grown-ups can go back in time at Tintagel Castle or the Mayflower steps, back a nag at Newton Abbot or tour the Plymouth Gin distillery.
Country kids
Kids love animals and there are over 4000 at Plymouth Marine Aquarium, including turtles, sharks and a giant Pacific octopus. For land-based animals, head to Paignton Zoo to experience the savannah, the wetlands and the tropical forest, or to Newquay Zoo for 100 rare animals plus activity trails, face painting and dragon maze.
Visit the costume collection and toy room at Lawrence House Museum, or bring the history of Cornish smuggling alive at the Jamaica Inn Museum. For a seriously creepy day out, try Bodmin Jail Museum, home to cold, dank cells, an execution pit and a ghost walk guaranteed to give you the creeps.
Blow away the bad dreams on the Launceston Steam Railway, a narrow-gauge rattle through the unspoilt Cornish countryside, or Bodmin and Wenford Railway, for a delicious Steam and Cream (teas) event. Or just dig the soft white sands of Widemouth Bay, Bude, Polzeath or Daymer Bay.
At Trethorne Leisure Park, enjoy over an acre of outside play, an animal barn and the chance to hand-milk the cow or hold guinea pigs and rabbits. Or head to the Milky Way Adventure Park to ride the Cosmic Typhoon rollercoaster, meet aliens in the Clone Zone and take on the Time Warp death slide.
For the grown ups
Visit Lydford Gorge, the South West’s deepest, complete with 30-metre waterfall, immerse yourself in history, myths and stunning scenery at Tintagel Castle, with its links to the legend of King Arthur, or check out 800 years of history at Launceston Castle or a magnificent Victorian country house at Lanhydrock.
See the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, where the Pilgrims left England in 1620 to settle in North America. Stroll through an enchanting 65-acre garden at RHS Rosemoor. Take a guided tour of Exeter or Truro cathedrals. Or see the Francis Drake connections at Buckland Abbey or the remnants of monastic life at Buckfast.
Wander the narrow lanes of Lostwithiel, pottering in and out of ancient antique shops, take a distillery tour at Plymouth Gin or sample traditional Cornish real ale at Penpont Brewery in Launceston. Or shop yourself silly in independent shops and big-brand chains beneath Launceston’s castle.
Taste the West Country in every bite at food festivals at Plymouth, Exeter and Truro. Back a winner at Exeter or Newton Abbot racecourses. Enjoy real ale and top banter at the Bell Inn in Launceston. Or dance yourself dizzy after dark at Plymouth’s Switch, Pryzm or OMG.
