9 Best Castles In Devon

Ruins usually win with under-tens, because there is nothing to break, nowhere you are told not to touch, and the whole site can be explored at a run. Okehampton Castle and Totnes Castle are compact enough to feel conquerable, which is exactly the feeling a seven-year-old is after. A furnished house like Powderham Castle rewards an older child who will listen to a guide, and it gives you far more to do if the group includes an adult who came for the building.

They are as safe as you make them, which is a different answer from yes. Expect uneven ground, worn steps, spiral stairs without much of a handrail and low walls with a drop on the far side, because that is what a medieval ruin is. None of it is a reason to stay away, and children handle it perfectly well when an adult stays within reach. At any of these sites, carrying the youngest is far easier than shepherding them.

Read the indoor flags on this list with care. Almost every Devon castle is recorded as having indoor space, but at a ruin that can mean a gatehouse, a ticket hut or a single roofed chamber rather than anywhere you could spend an hour. Only three make an indoor visit the actual visit: Powderham Castle, Torre Abbey Historic House and Gallery and Watermouth Castle and Theme Park. For the ruins, check before you drive out on a wet morning.

Okehampton Castle or Totnes Castle if you want to find out whether your child likes castles at all, since both are the manageable size where a short visit still feels complete and nobody has committed to a whole day. If the first attempt goes well, Dartmouth Castle adds a coastal setting and Powderham Castle adds the full house-and-grounds treatment. Starting with the largest option is the most common way to put a child off the entire category.