Things To Do

Our recommendations for days out and places to eat in Devon and Cornwall within a 30 mile radius of the old station

National Trust Cotehele House, Gardens and Grounds

National Trust Cotehele House, Gardens and Grounds

(pronounced ‘COAT HEEL’),

We recommend visiting the National Trust website to plan your visit

Cotehele house, river quay, watermill, estate workshops, glorious woodland and gardens are highly recommended. It’s especially worth a visit at Christmastime to see the famous dried flower garland (you need to book your viewing slot in advance of your visit)

With more than 1000 acres to explore around Cotehele alone it’s a rambler, dog walker and nature lover’s paradise. There are some wonderful walks around this area too, the Cotehele circular walk (featured on National trust’s website) or the iwalkcornwall Cotehele to Calstock walk along the river is highly recommended

There is a national trust gift shop and gallery on site worth visiting too, they always have interesting pieces and local artwork

  • Parking £3 per day or free to National Trust members
  • Dogs are not allowed in Cotehele House but they are allowed (on a lead) in the grounds, the visitor facilities, the Barn restaurant and the Edgcumbe tea room
Hotel Endsleigh, Milton Abbot

Hotel Endsleigh, Milton Abbot

Highly recommended for lunch, dinner, cocktails, drinks, coffee/tea or afternoon tea

The gardens extend to over 100 acres and were created by Sir Humphry Repton, one of our favourite places locally for all of the above… and our special occasion meals. We also love to stroll around the beautiful extensive gardens and woodland, it’s a real treat. Booking Essential

  • Free parking
  • Dog friendly
Pentillie Castle

Pentillie Castle

Stunningly located this award winning local castle estate set on the banks of the Tamar river is well worth a visit. It’s an exquisitely beautiful house, with stunning gardens and grounds set on the banks of the Tamar River. Across the year they hold many events including afternoon tea, dinners, tours and summer theatre. It’s always worth checking their website to see what’s happening. Christmas time is lovely at Pentille with all sorts of festivities including wreath making workshops and carols in the courtyard

  • Free Parking
  • Dog friendly
The Bedford Hotel

The Bedford Hotel, Tavistock

Reputedly where afternoon cream tea was invented, why not treat yourself to a Devon cream tea? On this side of the border they put the cream first, in Cornwall it’s done the correct way, obviously it should be jam first! Or… Why not try both ways? It actually tastes different so you can be the judge of which you prefer…

It’s another good place for breakfast, lunch or dinner with a decent menu. Booking recommended

  • Free Parking
  • Dog friendly
Brentor Church, Brentor

Brentor Church, Brentor

Brent Tor is one of the most impressive rock outcrops in Dartmoor with St Michael’s Church perched at its top, it makes a distinctive and famous silhouette on the Dartmoor skyline and is a clearly visible landmark on the horizon viewed from Old Luckett Station

The tor is unusual as it is one of the few on Dartmoor not to be made of granite. In fact, it is formed from basaltic lava which flowed some 350 million years ago into a shallow sea that covered the area during the Lower Carboniferous and Devonian periods. As the lavas flowed out into the sea some solidified into globular masses known as pillow lavas. Others were broken up by explosive contact with the sea water

This lava formed a mound on the sea floor which was then eroded by sea currents with the resulting debris being washed down the slopes of the mound. Debris of this nature can still be seen loose on the southern slopes of the tor

Beautiful 360 degrees views. Highly recommended for photographers, romantics, walkers and dog walkers

  • Free parking
  • Dog friendly
National Trust Buckland Abbey

National Trust Buckland Abbey

We recommend visiting the National Trust website to plan your visit

A beautiful medieval abbey nestled in the Tavy valley on the edge of Dartmoor

There’s over 700 years of history to discover in the great barn, house and garden

In the 13th century the abbey was home to the cistercian monks who built both the abbey and the great barn, they lived and farmed the estate for 250 years until the dissolution

Henry VIII sold Buckland to the Grenville family who went on to sell it to Sir Francis Drake. It’s now a house with a combination of furnished rooms that tell the story of how the two seafaring adventurers – Sir Richard Grenville and Sir Francis Drake – changed the shape of the house and the fate of the country…

In the 1940s, Buckland Abbey was gifted to the National Trust by a local private landowner after it was put up for public auction by the Drake family

Visitors can now experience more than seven centuries of history as they explore the rooms of the Abbey, the Buckland estate, the meadows, the orchards and enjoy the lasting peace and tranquility the monks created more than 700 years ago, it’s a fascinating and highly recommended place to visit

  • Ox yard cafe on site for food and drinks
  • Free parking
  • Dogs not permitted inside the abbey but are allowed to walk in the grounds and woodlands
The Garden House

The Garden House

We recommend visiting the website to plan your visit and check the events calendar for workshops, talks, festivals and tours

Known as “one of the finest gardens in Britain” a must for any garden enthusiast, plant lover or for those who like to spend time in inspiring and beautiful gardens. The gardens extend to around 10 acres and provide year round interest

There is a lovely cafe serving drinks, snacks, lunch and afternoon tea and also a plant centre where you can purchase plants – there are usually less common and interesting varieties of plants available

  • Free parking
  • Dogs are not permitted in the gardens
National Trust Lydford Gorge

National Trust Lydford Gorge

We recommend visiting the National Trust website to plan your visit
The deepest river gorge in the South West with 30m high waterfall
There are four walking trails: The Devil’s Cauldron Trail, The Waterfall Trail, The full Lydford Gorge Trail and The Railway Path – all are recommended

It’s a wonderful place to visit and beautiful at any time of year

  • Free parking
  • Dogs are permitted on a lead only
Port Eliot House and Gardens, St Germans

Port Eliot House and Gardens, St Germans

We recommend visiting the website to plan your visit and to check the upcoming events calendar

You can arrange a tour of the house and gardens, there is also a cafe and shop a range of events take place here across the year

The House at Port Eliot has been lived in for over 1000 years and believed to be one of the oldest continually inhabited dwelling in the UK and full of the accumulated treasures of such a long history

The many varied rooms includes works by Sir Joshua Reynolds and Van Dyck as well as a vast mural by South West England’s most celebrated 20th century artist, Robert Lenkiewicz

Once home to Augustinian monks and having survived confiscation by Charles I, Port Eliot is a unique treasure trove with the rare distinction of being a Grade 1 listed house with Grade1 listed gardens
The earliest written reference to Port Eliot is in a 9th century Cornish liturgical fragment kept at the Bodleian Library in Oxford. It refers to Ecclesia Lnanledensia, which is considered the pre-Christian name of this place

The exact date of the foundation of St Germans priory is uncertain; probably it belonged to the Brito-Celtic age, and possibly even to the time of the great Germanus himself, who is likely to have been directly or indirectly the founder of the House

  • Ample Parking (anything from free upwards – depending on the event)
  • Dog friendly (depending on the event)

Royal William Yard, Plymouth

Royal William Yard blends Plymouth’s historic naval past withaward-winning design. Home to a stunning collection of Grade I listed buildings, the yard has been reanimated to offer something new to experience on every visit, making it one of the best places to eat, shop, relax and play in the heart of the South West.

It’s a much-loved, destination, with a mix of bustling restaurants, bars and shops, water sports and even a marina, sitting alongside a lively artistic community, with a packed calendar of events, and so much to see and do.

Surrounded by water, Royal William Yard offers breath-taking views over Plymouth Sound and across to Cornwall – a vibrant hub for locals and tourists alike.

Highly recommended – visit the website for up and coming events and to plan you visit.

Dog friendly