34 Things to Do
8 7
Explore one of the finest gardens in Britain at The Garden House, near Yelverton. Originally a private family home, The Garden House is now run by the Fortescue Garden Trust, a small charity committed to building on the
legacy of the Fortescues. Take a stroll around the 10 acres of stunning gardens, including the Cottage Garden area, Acer Glade, Walled Garden and Jubilee Arboretum, opened by HRH The Countess of Wessex in 2013. Seasonal delights throughout the year include a snowdrop festival; magnificent Wisterias, Azaleas and Rhododendron displaying in early summer; herbaceous summer borders of the Walled Garden; and the incredible autumn colour through the Acer Glade. After a leisurely stroll enjoy a homemade lunch or cream tea in the café or pick up a plant for your own garden at the plant sales.
www.thegardenhouse.org.uk
9
Spend a day out at Occombe – a farm attraction outside Paignton which has recently been transformed to create a
special place to play, watch and learn. The kids can go wild in the nature-themed Indoor Play Barn with cliff faces to scramble, slides to soar down, a shipwreck to clamber over and even a woodland with musical trees. Animal lovers can cuddle up to bunnies
and guinea pigs and outdoors there’s an animal trail with cheeky goats, bouncy sheep and a couple of pretty Shetland ponies too. Run by local charity Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust there’s lots of opportunities here to learn about farming and local conservation and with a well-stocked shop and café on site you can taste the best of local produce. The charity cares for over 1,700 acres of natural and wild spaces in Torbay with lots to inspire, enthuse nature lovers of all ages.
www.countryside-trust.org.uk/occombe
10
Step back in time at Agatha Christie’s holiday home at Greenway, dubbed ‘the loveliest place in the world’. The house has been maintained in an atmospheric 1950s fashion, when Agatha and her
family would relax here, reading her latest murder mystery to their guests. The house is filled with ceramics, Tunbridgeware, silver, and books, including first editions of her novels. There are also archaeological artefacts from the Middle East where Agatha accompanied her archaeologist husband on excavations. In the library a frieze was painted in 1944 when the house was requisitioned by the US Coastguards as part of the preparations for D-Day. Part of the joy of a trip to Greenway is the journey there which can be taken by car, foot, ferry or kayak.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/greenway
Visit a local historic castle. Climb to the top of Dartmouth’s 600-year-
old castle for breath-taking views out to sea and see how the town could be blocked in wartime by a heavy chain across the estuary. Leave the car in town and take the little ferry which lands a minute’s walk away from the castle entrance. And afterwards visit the Castle Tea Rooms for a cream tea with a view. Or check out Totnes’ classic Norman motte and bailey castle and find the tree donning graffiti left by prisoners of war during the Second World War. And just outside Totnes stands the majestic Berry Pomeroy Castle, a 15th century mansion that was never fully completed, and abandoned by 1700. Over the years its ruins have been the focus of great ghost stories and pilgrimages for ghost hunters. See
www.english-heritage.org. uk for details of all three castles.
geograph-1966918-by-Neil-Theasby
© English Heritage
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