Hartland Abbey

Hartland Abbey is the family home of the Stucley family, set in a steep wooded valley a short walk from the Atlantic. Visitors can wander the house's reception rooms, filming exhibitions and historic family photographs, then spend the rest of the day in the walled, woodland and bog gardens. Children are catered for with a quiz that has a prize for everyone, a Malory Towers trail for fans of the television series filmed here, and a nature trail with puzzles to colour in. Donkeys, peacocks and a flock of black Welsh Mountain sheep roam the grounds, and the woodland path runs down to a beach at Blackpool Mill. Dogs on leads are welcome in the gardens. A tea room serves light lunches and cream teas. Because the house is old and built across a valley, the route involves steps in places, so families with pushchairs or limited mobility should plan ahead.