Torbay

We're off to Torbay for a few days and the weather forecast is a bit iffy so anyone recommend any family activities around there? Taking the toddler as well so will need to be family orientated.

Already been told football's a definite no-no   so I can't persuade Kaz to sit in the FIL family zone with me and the little 'un.

You can get joint tickets for Paignton Zoo and Living Coasts, but it's not cheap ...

And of course there's Pennywell Farm, home of these little cuties:

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Just come to Plymouth on Saturday, shuffle the missus and kids off to the Life Centre and you can go to the fansfest........you might even get an invite to the directors box for the game !!!  

Paignton station is pretty good, steam trains and a large model railway (last time I was there)

pepsipete wrote:

Paignton station is pretty good, steam trains and a large model railway (last time I was there)

It was only steam trains running on the railways then pete

You can go to the model village to see what Brent Plymouth will look like

You could go to the South devon railway at buckfastleigh, its there classic vehicle gala weekend. You can catch the steam trains to Buckfastleigh or have a ride on the sit on miniature railway and have a look at the smaller model garden railway with a Thomas the tank going round for the wee ones.

Then there is the butterfly farm on site and if you catch the train to totnes you can visit the rare breeds farm. All for 20 quid not a bad day out

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Thanks guys. I think the steam train and a visit to the Totnes rare breeds farm or Pennywell look on the cards.

Do what the locals do, a bit of begging, shoplift some picnic ingredients and white lightening then go and get into a fight whilst arguing with yer missus down the seafront.

If you're going to Buckfastleigh, the Butterfly farm and Otter Sanctuary is worth a half-day. It's right next to Buckfastleigh Train station

Argyle Fans' Trust wrote:

If you're going to Buckfastleigh, the Butterfly farm and Otter Sanctuary is worth a half-day. It's right next to Buckfastleigh Train station

I saw that. You can get a 3 in 1 ticket with the steam train, rare breeds farm and Butterfly and Otter farm which looks good value. Also looking at Woodlands which isn't too far either. Saturday weather looks good but Sunday is going to be very wet so I'll have to work out what will be the best plan of action.

Don't go to the Babbacombe model village- bit of a rip off and I personally thought it was crap.

Chemical Ali wrote:

Don't go to the Babbacombe model village- bit of a rip off and I personally thought it was crap.

Cheers CA, i'll give that a miss then.

Yep - butterflies, otters & steam-train is good. Years ago my kids enjoyed all that - the otters especially. If you time it right you can see them being fed & even feed them yourself. And there was an underwater viewing window.

Woodlands is expensive
3 in 1 deal is pretty good, as it fills a day nicely
Model village is pretty crap but kids love it
Penny well is a good day out if weather holds

I think the ferries around Torbay are relatively cheap and I can imagine Jock re-enacting that pissed up woman's piracy attempt "I'm captain sparrow" in Dartmouth-

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The model village at Babbacombe seems to have been stuck in a timewarp. We took the kids a couple of years ago and I swear it was exactly as it was 30 years ago when I was last there! For me though that's the charm of the place - it's almost uber-retro. The gardens are immaculate and your lad would love it, foreshore.

If you get any half-decent weather there are two superb chippys up on Babbacombe Downs, and it's a great place to throw a blanket down and have fish n chips on the big grassy areas up there.

The funicular railway down to the beach at Oddicombe is another thing your lad would love and you get a great view of the cliff that has landslided on to the beach, and the houses at the top that are literally collapsing down over the cliff!

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Argyle Fans' Trust wrote:

If you're going to Buckfastleigh, the Butterfly farm and Otter Sanctuary is worth a half-day. It's right next to Buckfastleigh Train station

not to mention the home of Scotlands favourite brew    

Mapperley, darling wrote:

Argyle Fans' Trust wrote:

If you're going to Buckfastleigh, the Butterfly farm and Otter Sanctuary is worth a half-day. It's right next to Buckfastleigh Train station

not to mention the home of Scotlands favourite brew    

Yeah, Buckfast Abbey is actually pretty impressive and again, if the weather aint too bad, the gardens are nice.

And they sell the most stunning tomato & chilli chutney in the touristy shop.

Put non a scouse accent and spend the day pretending to be a local.

Dartmouth Steam railway, can get round robin ticket for train to kingswear boat trip round Dartmouth then heritage bus back to paignton.
beware that they only have one Steam engine there atm so some trips maybe diesel hauled.

Thanks everyone. Lots to mull over, plus there's always the holiday park entertainment  

They have prize bingo, karaoke and Search for a star  

If you go an see the otters, make shore you go tooled up. The otter army, so nearly crushed in the nineties, has regrouped behind the safety curtain of these 'sanctuaries' aka TRAINING CAMPS and are massing for a spring revolt 2014. They would have you believe that they ain't up ter nuffink but I'm more than aware of what those river rats are up to. Turn yore back fore one moment an they'll be swimming raind the Maginot line and plundering Gaul fcol. Trust me on this.

Ps Quay West. Watery fun minus fookin otters