Family Days Out From Totnes: A Parent’s Guide

Totnes is a surprisingly good base for a family holiday in the South Hams. The town itself has enough cafes, an indie cinema and a riverside park to fill an afternoon with children of any age, and within a 30-minute drive you have steam trains, a working farm with handleable piglets, two castles, an arts estate, a stretch of the South Devon coastline, and the Dartmoor edge. This is a parent’s guide to the best family days out from Totnes, organised by what works for which age group.

For toddlers and primary-age children

Pennywell Farm, Buckfastleigh. A 10-minute drive from Totnes, Pennywell is the standout for under-tens. It is built around a 30-minute activity rotation that runs through the day: piggy races, small animal cuddles, ferret-watching, bird-of-prey demos, tractor rides. Most animals can be handled with supervision, which is the main reason small children love the place. The famous miniature Pennywell pigs are a draw on their own. Open daily 14 February to 1 November 2026, then Christmas events on selected dates. Allow a full day. Parking is free.

South Devon Railway, Buckfastleigh to Totnes. The seven-mile heritage steam line runs along the Dart and is brilliant with younger children, who tend to be transfixed by the steam, the whistle and the smell of coal. The round trip takes about 90 minutes including a stop, and the Buckfastleigh end has engine sheds, a butterfly sanctuary and a picnic field. Family tickets in 2026 are about £56 for two adults and up to three children. Under-fives free.

Dartington Estate Deer Park trail. A free walk through the wider Dartington estate, with a real chance of seeing fallow deer. The trail is about three miles and pushable with an off-road buggy. Park at the main Dartington car park and ask for the deer park map at the Heritage Centre.

For older children and teenagers

Totnes Castle. A real Norman shell keep that you climb up to from the High Street. Older children love being able to run the full circuit of the wall-walk and look out over the town. Allow an hour. Adult tickets around £6.50 in 2026, children about £4, free for English Heritage members.

Berry Pomeroy Castle. A ten-minute drive east of Totnes, Berry Pomeroy is the more dramatic of the two local castles, a half-ruined Tudor mansion in a deep wooded valley. It has the reputation of being one of the most haunted castles in England, which works well for teens. There is a free audio tour, a small cafe and woodland walks. The setting is properly atmospheric, with the ruins rising out of the trees.

House of Marbles, Bovey Tracey. A 25-minute drive towards Dartmoor, this glass and marble factory is free to enter, has working glassblowers you can watch, a giant marble run that is genuinely mesmerising, and a museum of historic toys and games. Great for nine-year-olds and up, and surprisingly compelling for adults.

Dartmoor walks. The eastern edge of Dartmoor is 20 minutes from Totnes. Haytor is the famous one (an easy clamber up granite tors with huge views), and Hembury Castle iron-age fort, near Buckfastleigh, is gentler. Pack waterproofs. Always.

Wet weather backstops

Devon rain is a fact of life, and a good parent has a plan B. From Totnes, the best wet weather options are:

• The Barn Cinema at Dartington. Indie programming, comfortable seats, plenty of family-friendly afternoon screenings in school holidays.
• House of Marbles, Bovey Tracey. Almost entirely indoors and free.
• Plymouth’s National Marine Aquarium. 45 minutes by car, the largest aquarium in the UK. A full day for any child who likes fish.
• Buckfast Abbey exhibition and church. Free, dry, and surprisingly engaging for children who enjoy big spaces.
• The Totnes Pavilion and Civic Hall. Often runs holiday workshops and family theatre in the Friday/Saturday market space.

Beaches within an hour

If the sun does come out, the coast is closer than you think. Slapton Sands (25 minutes) is a long shingle beach with the freshwater Slapton Ley behind it. Blackpool Sands (35 minutes) is a privately run sandy cove with a cafe, paddleboard hire and lifeguards. Bigbury-on-Sea (45 minutes) is the classic photogenic beach, with Burgh Island and the Pilchard Inn out across the tidal causeway. For rock-pooling, head to Stoke Gabriel on the Dart estuary or to Wembury further west.

Practical parent tips

• Buy an English Heritage family pass if you plan to do Totnes Castle, Berry Pomeroy, and any other heritage stops. It pays back fast.
• Book trains and farms in advance in school holidays. Walk-up tickets are usually fine but can sell out on bank holidays.
• Eat early. Totnes restaurants get busy from 6pm; with small children, 5pm at the Bull or Pie Street is your friend.
• Bring layers. A sunny morning at Pennywell can turn to a rainy afternoon at Buckfast Abbey in the space of two hours.
• Use the Park and Walk. Steamer Quay is the long-stay car park of choice if you are based in town; it gives you a pretty riverside route back to Fore Street.

The pleasure of basing a family holiday in Totnes is that you genuinely do not need to drive far. From the bottom of Fore Street you can reach a Norman castle on foot, a steam train in ten minutes by car, a working monastery in fifteen, and a beach in under an hour. For a wider plan of the weekend in town, see our piece on A Perfect Weekend in Totnes next.