Family adventures in Devon

Devon is the only English county with two separate coastlines, and between them sits Dartmoor — 368 square miles of tors, rivers and wild ponies. That means three different adventures in one place: the surf-and-cliffs north coast, the sandy sailing south coast, and the moor in the middle for the days that need legends and letterboxes.

However many of these you tick off, capture each one as it happens — a photo, a voice note, where you were — with a family adventure log like PocketTreasures, and turn the best of them into a printed family photo book at the end of the year.

The best family adventures in Devon

Tor bagging on Dartmoor

Haytor and Hound Tor are the classics — short climbs to granite summits with scrambling for every ability. Add the Hound of the Baskervilles story for atmosphere.

Wild swimming at Salmon Leaps, Dartmoor

River pools below Castle Drogo, with small cascades to sit under. Cold, clean and completely addictive.

Bodyboarding at Croyde or Woolacombe

North Devon's beaches have some of the most reliable beginner surf in England, with lifeguarded zones all summer.

Letterboxing on Dartmoor

The original geocaching, invented here in 1854 — thousands of hidden boxes with stamps to collect. Start from Postbridge visitor centre.

Kayak the River Dart from Totnes

Tidal, gentle and wooded — paddle with the current down to Dittisham for crab sandwiches and the ferry back.

Steam train and ferry to Greenway

Agatha Christie's holiday home, reached by steam train from Paignton and boat up the Dart. The journey is the adventure.

A Beast of Dartmoor night walk

Rangers run dusk walks in summer — bats, owls, glow-worms and just enough spookiness.

When to go

June and September for the coasts; Dartmoor is spectacular (and boggy) year-round — winter tor walks on crisp days are among the best in England. School summer holidays book out early.

Make it last longer than the drive home

The difference between a day out and a memory is what you do in the 30 seconds after it happens. Log the photo, say one sentence about it into your phone, and let PocketTreasures turn it into a story your children will read back for years. See all our 40 UK family adventure ideas for the full national list.