Heritage Excursions

Arlington Court 

Arlington Court is a complete family estate and home to the National Trust’s Carriage Collection. The intimate Regency house contains treasures for all tastes, from model ships to shells, all collected by the Chichesters.  The 19th-century picturesque garden is a perfect place to explore, picnic or play.   The Carriage Museum in the stables has a vehicle for every occasion from cradle to grave with working horses to keep the story alive.

Athelhampton House and Gardens

Athelhampton House has been a family home since it was built in the reign of King Henry vii in 1485 by Sir William Martyn. This beautiful Tudor Manor was built on the site of an even earlier structure dating from the Saxons, as a result the sense of history is tangible. One instinctively feels as though you are amidst layers of history, indeed a visitors book from the 19th Century has an entry written by the author Thomas Hardy, who was a regular visitor, referring  to it as "this ancient place". more

Lyme Regis: 50min
Portland: 35min
Poole: 30min
Torquay: 1hr 55min

Barbican

Various antique shops, jewellers. Historic quarter famous for being the start point of many voyages of discovery. Mayflower Steps, located on the Barbican, commemorating the point where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail for America in 1620. There is a full list of all those who made the journey in the Mayflower, on the side of 'Island House', located in Southside Street, the Barbican.

Boconnoc House

Boconnoc House and its surrounding estate is one of the most beautiful locations in hidden Cornwall. Located just outside Lostwithiel and only 35 minutes from Fowey. Visit the gardens filled with azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons, the restoration of Boconnoc House, 15th Century Church, the Deer Park, view the location of the filming of Poldark, The Three Musketeers and My Cousin Rachel.

Bovington Tank Museum

Bovington Tank Museum in Dorset houses the world's finest indoor collection of armoured fighting vehicles dating from the earliest tanks developed to the latest battle tank of the British Army, the Challenger.

Britannia Royal Naval College

Buckland Abbey

Caerhays Castle

Castle Hill Filleigh

Cerne Abbas Giant

180ft chalk figure carved into the hill side. There has been much speculation regarding his origin and some believe he is 1500 years old and may represent the Roman God Hercules. More information.

Chambercombe Manor 

This eleventh century Manor house is set in three acres of beautiful gardens and surrounding woodland, and is said to be haunted. The property is steeped in history and legend, and is mentioned in the Doomsday Book. You can have guided tours of Chambercombe Manor and visit Lady Jane's garden tea room for lunch, dinner, snacks or a cream tea.

Corfe Castle

Corfe Castle, both as a village and a castle, is located on the A351 between Wareham and Swanage in Dorset. The area is popularly known as the Isle of Purbeck. Visitors, for some part of the year, can also enjoy a steam train ride on The Swanage Railway which presently runs from the Norden Park & Ride just outside Corfe Castle to Swanage without the hassle of finding parking in Swanage itself. There is also a station at Corfe Castle. More information.

Crownhill Fort

Crownhill Fort has great importance today, as the last of this country’s true castles and the most important of the great Victorian forts built to defend Plymouth from attack by land as well as sea. Of all Plymouth’s forts, only Crownhill has survived in anything like its original form.

Dartmouth Castle

Defender of Dartmouth for 600 years - Dartmouth Castle stands in a superb waters side location, guarding the entrance to the Dart estuary. Magnificent battlement views and a fascinating history make the Castle the perfect venue for a great day out. One of the most advanced fortifications of medieval times; this is the first Castle to have been built specifically for guns.

Dartington Hall & Dartington Cider Press

Rich in history and set at the heart of a country estate, Dartington Hall was originally built in 1388 for John Holland, Earl of Huntingdon and half brother to Richard II. The gardens surrounding the Hall are wonderful and have been created around the original medieval tiltyard, where knights in shining armour once competed against each other for the amusement of the assembled company.

Dorchester

Dorchester is Dorset’s county town and offers varied shopping and a popular weekly market, with Prince Charles's internationally renowned Poundbury which can be found on the western side of the town. The celebrated literary author, Thomas Hardy (1840-1928), spent many years of his life in Dorchester and the surrounding area - his fictional 'Wessex' - and his legacy remains in the region today.

Dunster

One of the prettiest villages in Britain. Deep in National Trust country and on the fringes of Exmoor National Park it has many mediaeval buildings, a working water-mill built in 1680 and is overlooked by the dramatic Dunster Castle. Nearby are the chocolate-box thatched villages of Selworth and Allerford. More information and port distances. More information.

Flambards Undercover Museums

Meander through the cobbled streets, 50 life-size shops, houses and businesses together with all the attendant trades.  This recreation of victorian life is truly outstanding.

You can also take a walk through history and experience the life-size recreations of Britain in the Blitz.  The sights, the sounds and the smells vividly depict the hardships endured together as a nation, the community spirit of defiance as well as the day to day living including air raids and rationing during World War 2. more

The Garden House

The Garden House is centred on an enchanting walled garden around the romantic ruins of a medieval vicarage. Beyond the walls lie vistas of colour from Spring to Autumn in a pioneering ’naturalistic’ style inspired by great natural landscapes of the world. ’A beauty so ancient and so fresh’ The Times. More information and port distances.

Hartland Abbey and Hartland Point

Personal tour by Lady and Sir Hugh Stucley of this historic family home circa 1157. The abbey contains pictures, furniture and porcelain collected over many generations, fascinating architecture and recently uncovered murals depicting family involvement in mediaeval history. Gardens designed by Gertrude Jekyll and recently discovered Victorian Fernery and 18^th Century Walled Gardens.

Hele Corn Mill 

The Hele Corn Mill is a unique working watermill in on the outskirts of Ilfracombe, a stone's throw away from stunning Hele Bay.  Guided tours are given by the family who run the mill, and visitors will enjoy learning about the history of the mill, from how flour has been made over the centuries, to some of the mishaps which have befallen the millers.  A highlight of the tour is the 1920s National engine which is in full working order and can be demonstrated for you during your tour.  Currently, the Blackstone mill is used to create whole grain flour which is available in the gift shop.  Opposite the mill is the charming tea room, where you can relax and enjoy traditional cream teas, a refreshing glass of homemade cordial or a slice of homemade cake. 

Hillsborough Fort 

Hillsborough is a Local Nature Reserve in Ilfracombe, and is known locally as the sleeping elephant. It is also the site of an Iron Age Hill fort on a Promontory at approximately 115 metres above sea level. The Ordnance Survey Map of Britain in the Iron Age shows the Hillsborough fort. The South West Coast Path runs over Hillsborough and provides stunning viewpoints from which to see the rugged coast line, and marine mammals such as seals and porpoise. There are a network of paths on Hillsborough providing the perfect opportunity to explore.

Kents Cavern

Kents Cavern is one of the most important Palaeolithic caves in Northern Europe and the oldest recognisable human dwelling in Britain. It holds beautiful and spectacular geological formations and significant prehistoric finds, some over 700,000 yrs old.

Lanhydrock House

One of the most fascinating late 19th-century houses in England. Full of period atmosphere and the trappings of a high Victorian country house, the house also retains the atmosphere of the family home of the Agar-Robartes. More information.

Lulworth Castle

Lulworth Castle was built in 1606 as a hunting lodge for the Lulworth Estate by Lord Howard of Bindon to attract King James I to hunt deer within the deer park, a 1000 acre enclosure created in 1299.  James I visited Lulworth in 1615, one of 5 reigning monarchs to have done so. Ann exclusive visit is possible for visiting cruise ship passengers.

Lundy Island

A place of outstanding natural beauty, skies full of birds, pirate haunts, a medieval castle and standing stones.

Mapperton House and Gardens

Mapperton Gardens is a unique valley garden in West Dorset, in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The gardens surround the Jacobean manorhouse, stable block, dovecote and All Saints' Church. "There can hardly be anywhere a more enchanting manorial group than Mapperton"  - Pevsner's Dorset Guide. Mapperton has magnificent walks and views of 'Hardy' countryside and the sea.

Minterne House

Minterne has been the home of the Churchill and the Digby families for nearly 350 years. The valley was landscaped in the manner of Capability Brown in the 18th century with a series of small lakes and cascades described in 'The 1,000 Best Houses,' as "a comer of paradise." More information.

National Maritime Museum Cornwall

With breathtaking views from the 29m tower, one of only three natural underwater viewing locations in the world, hands-on interactives, audio visual immersive experiences, talks, special exhibitions and the opportunity to get out onto the water and discover the marine life around our coastline, this new generation of Museum has something for everyone. More information.

Oldway Mansion

Visit the home of the Singer family in Paignton. Singer sewing machines once graced the homes of people all over the world. They were manufactured in Scotland but Isaac Merritt Singer, founder of the business, chose to build his palatial home in Paignton. Oldway Mansion was founded in the 1870s from plans that Isaac Singer drafted himself. Sadly Isaac died in 1875 before building was complete and his estate, valued at £13 million, was left to his son Paris.

Pendennis Castle

Portland Castle

Henry VIII's Tudor Stronghold - ‘A right strong and magnificent castel’ (John Leland, 1540).  Perfectly preserved in a waterfront location overlooking Portland harbour, it is a marvellous place to visit for all the family whatever the weather.  You can try on armour, explore the Tudor kitchen and gun platform and see ghostly sculpted figures from the past.

Powderham Castle

Prideaux Place

Restormel Castle

The castle, originally built by the Normans on a spur, overlooking the river valley, stands proudly one mile upriver from Lostwithiel. You can still make out the ruins of Restormel’s keep, gate and Great Hall, and even the kitchens and private rooms. They were built around 1100, making Restormel one of the oldest and best preserved Norman motte-and-bailey castles in Cornwall.

Roman Baths and The Bath Priory

Around Britain's only hot spring, the Romans built a magnificent temple and bathing complex that still flows with natural hot water See the water's source and walk where Romans walked on the ancient stone pavements. The extensive ruins and treasures from the spring are beautifully preserved and presented.

Saltram House

Stonehenge

Sherborne Castle

Sherborne Castle stands a short distance from the town centre and has ample free parking for cars or coaches.  Built by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1594 it has been the home of the Digby family since 1617, Prince William of Orange was entertained here in 1688 and George III visited in 1789. ‘Capability’ Brown developed the grounds to give Sherborne the very latest in landscape gardening and created the 50-acre lake in 1753. 

St Mawes Castle

The dramatic Cornish coastline around St Mawes was used as the setting for the popular television series Poldark. The impressive St Mawes Castle, built between 1539 and 1545 just adds to the drama of this evocative landscape.

St Michael’s Mount

This magical island is the jewel in Cornwall’s crown, a national treasure and a must for every visitor to the far West of England. During its long history, the Mount has been a church, priory, fortress and private home, to the St Aubyn family since 1659. Different parts of the castle vary in date from the twelfth to the nineteenth centuries. More information.

Tintagel Castle

If you want to give your imagination a treat, take it to Tintagel Castle. Tristan and Isolt, King Mark, Uther Pendragon, Merlin the Magician and King Arthur were all here according to legend - and at Tintagel legends have greater potency than facts, for there are few historical certainties here - most remains a mystery. More information and port distances

Torre Abbey

Founded in 1196 Torre Abbey Historic House, a medieval monastery, enjoys a prime seafront location in the heart of Torquay. It was sold to Torbay Council by the Cary Family in 1930, who transformed it into an art gallery. The Abbey comprises two Grade I listed buildings, four Grade II listed buildings, an historic garden and Palm House, and is an Accredited Museum

The adjacent Spanish Barn, was home to 397 prisoners from the Spanish Armada, and now hosts many functions, exhibitions and art collections reflecting the historical and religious nature of the property.

Torre Abbey is currently undergoing the second phase of an exciting restoration project, and will open in July 2013, with fantastic educational facilities and improved disabled access.   More information.

Dartmouth: 50min
Fowey: 50min
Ilfracombe: 1hr 50min
Lyme Regis: 1hr 15min
Plymouth: 1hr
Torquay: 8 min

Torbay Blue Plaque Trail

The 45 blue plaques across the English Riviera are a great way to discover its heritage.  Famous authors include Flora Thompson, author of the Lark Rise books, and Charles Kingsley, who penned the Water Babies. Rudyard Kipling spent two years at Rock House in Torquay, and poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning spent time at the now Hotel Regina on Torquay harbourside. More Information.

Dartmouth: 50min
Fowey: 50min
Ilfracombe: 1hr 50min
Lyme Regis: 1hr 15min
Plymouth: 1hr
Torquay: 8 min

Totnes – Gem of an Elizebethan Age

Trelowarren

A thousand years of history have preceded you at Trelowarren, the home of the Vyvyan family who have lived here since 1427. Trelowarren is perfectly set on the eastern side of the Lizard Peninsula, shielded from the wild moor, and opening into a valley of exceptional beauty. Within easy distance to all of the excellent local beaches and close to the banks of the Helford River. More information and port distances