A SUNsational Summer for Devon

1. 20 Reasons to get out and about for a Devon day out this Summer

Devon is buzzing with life and adventure in the summertime and there are hundreds of special events and activities happening right across Devon throughout the whole of the Summer. So, now that school is out, why not delve into Devon and enjoy some fun-filled family days out?

There are so many things to do in Devon this Summer and the top visitor attractions have got so much lined up, everyone’s going to be spoilt for choice. There’s six weeks of non-stop family fun and entertainment going on!

Take a trail – Kids love to follow a trail and there are quite a few around at various attractions this Summer. For instance, you could head for Exeter Cathedral’s  welcome desk to pick up a lovely one.  There’s a new set of mini doors for you to hunt out while exploring this magnificent building. Follow the map and seek out the tiny doors and you might even take home a prize! Or at The Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth you can follow the ‘Adoption Guess Who Trail’.

Head for one of Devon’s top theme parks and take the plunge on a water ride or get soaked in a splash zone.  For those adrenalin junkies, take a ride on one of Devon’s top rollercoasters or toboggan runs, drive a digger or climb amongst the trees at River Dart Country Park’s high ropes challenge, row to their pirate ship in the lake or try out the water zorbing.

See a spectacular High Dive Show – Head for Crealy for the amazing Hydro High Dive Show. Hold your breath as the Crealy Brigade fight the fires and leap from the heavens. Prepare to be amazed as you watch the show unfold and you see the comedy cast perform synchronised dives from heights of 80ft into the pool below. If that’s not enough, you can enjoy over 60 other rides and attractions around the park.

Pack a picnic and mess about on a river or head for one of Devon’s award-winning beaches like Blackpool Sands. Put your toes in the sand and take a dip in the clear, cool enticing Devon waters. Visit Torquay where there’s a family picnic taking place at Torre Abbey on Sunday 28^th July. Make sure you spend some time exploring the house and beautiful gardens.

Attend a Bubble Weekend – Head to the Big Sheep on 3 & 4^th August and be mesmerised as the Big Sheep team and willing visitors blast bubbles all around the park. Get bubble blowing tips to help you make bigger and more exciting bubbles. Also, at The Big Sheep is a special Magic Weekend with Magic Martin on 27 & 28^th July.

Go on a themed adventure – See the delight on your child’s face when you take part in one of these themed adventures. At World of Country Life in Exmouth there will be Minion Mondays, Pirate Fridays and Wild West Wednesdays. Or climb aboard the magical Fairy Tram whilst the braver enjoy the Dinosaur Adventure or Pirate Tram, all at Seaton Tramway.  There is another themed adventure at Powderham Castle at their Pirates and Parrots week.

Become a conservation superhero – Join Becky Falls to celebrate animal’s superpowers. Learn more about amazing creatures and how you can become a conservation superhero. There will be animal encounter shows and meet-the-keeper sessions too.

Meet one of your child’s favourite characters. For instance, Marshall from PAW Patrol will be visiting the Big Sheep on 25^th August and Titan the Robot and Roary, the baby interactive dinosaur, will be at Woodlands Family Theme Park on several dates as well as Fizz Pop Science is back for some more incredible slime making.

 Get lost in a maze? If you have ever fancied this or bouncing on giant pillows, then now’s your chance! This can be done at several of Devon’s attractions this Summer.

Enjoy some outdoor theatre, set in the beautiful grounds of a stately home or historic building. This year, Killerton, the National Trust property near Exeter, will be staging A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Gangsta Granny.  More outdoor theatre is on at Torre Abbey with Wind in the Willows, the Comedy of Errors and Mister Magnolia. While Powderham Castle stage a production of Much Ado About Nothing.

How about enjoying the magic of outdoor cinema? Watch a film classic or join in the fun sing-a-long film favourites that will be showing at Torre Abbey – A Star is Born, The Greatest Showman and Moulin Rouge amongst others. Or head underground at Kents Cavern for some Cave Cinema at their Underground Film Festival from 24^th-31^st August.

Animal lovers can head for one of Devon’s top farm parks where you can cuddle and feed the adorable little creatures.  Pennywell Farm has six weeks of summer fun with lots of NEW entertainment including Magic Martin, Mr Phil, Elfic the Jester and Poco Drom who will be there on selected dates in addition to all the half hourly activities on offer.

Take part in a new state of the art Piggy Pilates experience – attend one of Pennywell Farm’s NEW Piggy Pilates Experiences, followed by coffee and continental breakfast and of course, piggy cuddles.

Take to the water – take a day-trip boat cruise this summer from Exmouth to Sidmouth with Stuart Line Cruises or join them onboard for one of their NEW and popular Fish and Fizz Cruise evenings. A perfect way to spend a Friday evening cruising along the peaceful waters of the River Exe enjoying a glass of prosecco and a generous portion of fish and chips from Krispies, just voted UK’s best fish and chips!  In Plymouth on Saturdays in August you can also step onboard one of the National Marine Aquarium’s unique boat trips and explore the famous Plymouth Sound. Or see the British Firework Championships 14^th & 15^th  August  with unrivalled views from the Aquarium on their late night openings.

Take a ride on a Vintage Big Red London Routemaster Bus – Travel to Plymouth to the firework championships from Buckfastleigh on South Devon Railway’s vintage big red London bus. Forget about the traffic and having to find a parking space and arrive early enough to enjoy all the pre-show entertainment.

Attend an exhibition – the BFG in pictures is at Torre Abbey for the rest of the Summer. It is the first major exhibition of artwork by Quentin Blake for Roald Dahl’s enduring tale.

 Dive into Anglo Saxon culture at Wildwood Escot’s Living History Weekend 10^th & 11^th August. when the amazing folk of Westencynn, from The Vikings Reenactment Society will be invading the Saxon Village giving you an authentic taste of Viking and Saxon costume, craft and combat. See battle re-enactments and see the early medieval crafts being made at the Saxon forge, you can even chat to the smithy.  There’s more living history at Powderham Castle, where you can step back into the 17^th Century from the 5^th-9^th August.

Attend a workshop – Head for Canonteign Falls on 23^rd August to attend their Graffiti workshop and while there see England’s highest waterfall set in 90 acres of ancient woodland.

Summertime is festival season and there are several live concerts on across Devon when tribute acts and top performers will all be taking centre stage.  Head for Bicton Park for Queen, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran and Adele tribute nights. There are several ‘Beer and Ale’ festivals too. Head for South Devon Railway’s Rails and Ales Festival 23-26^th August with cider too and the trains will be running throughout this Bank Holiday weekend.

Get crafty and join the ‘Kit Construction Tuesdays’ at Pecorama in Beer or try the weekly summer holiday craft workshops at Canonteign Falls where you can take part in cross stitch and stencil stamping as well as enjoying the beautiful surroundings.

Chris Murray, Chairman of Devon Association of Tourist Attractions, said “Devon is going to be absolutely buzzing with fun-filled family days out this Summer. There will be no shortage of ideas of what to do and where to go to have a top Devon day out full of enjoyment and excitement. Devon continues to be a number one holiday hotspot and a great place to live.”

To find out when and where all this and more is taking place, check out the details on the website at www.devonstopattractions.co.uk