Things to Do in Mid Devon this May Half Term

May half term falls at one of the best times of year to be in Mid Devon. The countryside is at its greenest, the evenings are long, and there’s enough going on, between special events, reliable family favourites, and a few quieter gems, to fill a week without resorting to a single screen. Whether you’re visiting for a few days or just looking for ideas closer to home, here’s what’s on.

Special Events: Worth Planning Around

Tiverton Museum of Mid Devon Life – Where’s Lars? (23rd–30th May)

Lars is Tiverton Museum’s miniature dachshund, self-appointed Head of Security, and, this half term, a dog with a rather pressing problem. He’s hidden pictures of himself all around the museum, and it’s up to your family to track them down. It’s a self-led trail that threads through the galleries and gives younger visitors a reason to look properly at everything they might otherwise walk past. As trail premises go, it’s a solid one.

Alongside the trail, there are Crafty Tuesdays on Tuesday 26th May (10:30am–12:30pm, drop-in), this half term’s session is making a slinky sausage dog toy to take home. No booking needed; £3 per child with a paying adult, £2.50 with a museum member.

The museum is open Bank Holiday Monday as well as Tuesday–Saturday during half term week, 10am–4pm. Adults £9.50 (£1 discount if you book online), accompanied children under 16 free.

Fursdon House, near Thorverton – Meadows Day (Monday 25th May)

A lovely thing to do on Bank Holiday Monday: Fursdon House is opening its traditional hay meadows for an afternoon stroll, with marsh orchids and other meadow flowers at or near their peak. It’s a rare chance to walk through a working traditional meadow in one of the most quietly beautiful parts of the Exe Valley. The Coach House tea room will be open too.

Open 2–5pm. Normal Bank Holiday admission applies; house tours at 2:30 and 3:30pm for those who want them.

National Trust – Knightshayes and Killerton

Both National Trust properties will be well into their summer programmes by late May. Knightshayes, just north of Tiverton, will be at its best for the walled garden and rose garden, and Killerton‘s parkland is wonderful for a longer walk when the weather is on your side. Check the National Trust website for any specific half term activities at each property, both regularly run family events during school holidays. Normal NT admission applies; free to members.

Days Out Worth a Full Day

Devon Railway Centre, near Tiverton

The Devon Railway Centre is well into its 2026 season by May half term and is one of those places that reliably delivers; unlimited train rides, four play areas, the largest model railway exhibition in the South West, free crazy golf, a model village, model funfair, and a model tin mine. Good for a wide age range and one of the few attractions where adults tend to get just as absorbed as the children.

Check their website for opening times and any half term specific activities.

Coldharbour Mill, Uffculme

One of the finest surviving Victorian wool mills in the country, Coldharbour Mill has been in continuous production since 1797. Tour the working levels, see the steam engines and waterwheel up close, and get a genuine sense of what the industrial revolution looked and sounded like in rural Devon. The Grist Mill Café is good for lunch or a cake stop, and the mill shop stocks yarns and fabrics still produced on site.

Open Tuesday–Saturday, 11am–4pm. Check their website for current admission prices.

Tiverton Canal Co – Grand Western Canal

By late May the Grand Western Canal is at its most beautiful, the banks are green, the water is calm, and the pace of a horse-drawn barge trip feels exactly right for a half term that doesn’t want to rush. This year Tiverton Canal Co enters a new chapter with the third generation of the Brind family, Becky and Dave, taking over the running of the barge, a lovely milestone for one of Mid Devon’s most beloved attractions.

Take a trip, hire a rowing boat or Canadian canoe, or simply sit at the Ducks Ditty floating café bar and watch the world drift past at 2mph. Running Tuesday–Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

Wildwood Devon, Escot

Wildwood Devon combines native British wildlife with hands-on seasonal activities, and late May is a good time to visit, the estate is lush, there’s usually plenty of animal activity, and the Saxon Village crafts programme continues through the spring. Every visit also supports Wildwood Trust’s conservation work with species including bison, beavers and chough. Open daily.

Diggerland Devon, Cullompton

All 20 rides and drives running at Diggerland Devon for the season, including the ever-popular JCB experiences, Spindizzy, Skyshuttle and Go-Karts. Advance booking strongly recommended during half term and worth doing for the online discount too. Good for ages 4 and upwards.

Heritage and Hidden Gems

Tiverton Castle

Open Sundays, Thursdays and Bank Holiday Mondays (including 25th May) from 2:30–5:30pm, Tiverton Castle is worth a visit at any point in the half term week. The Civil War armoury with its pieces you can actually try on tends to go down particularly well with children of the age that finds that sort of thing irresistible. Adults £10, children 7–16 £5, under 7s free.

Bampton Heritage & Visitor Centre

Bampton is one of those small Devon towns that rewards a proper look rather than a drive-through, and the Heritage & Visitor Centre, housed inside the Grade I listed St Michael and All Angels Church in the town centre, is a good starting point. Local history displays, artefacts, photographs, short films about the Bampton Railway and the Charter Fair, oral histories recorded by local residents, and children’s activities including dressing up and an interactive video game. It’s also a Tourist Information Point, so if you’re planning to explore the Exe Valley and Exmoor fringe while you’re up that way, the volunteers can point you in the right direction.

Free entry (donations welcome). Open Wednesday–Saturday, 11am–3pm from April to October.

Creative, Active and Whatever-the-Weather

Happy Glaze Pottery, Tiverton

Paint-your-own pottery on Gold Street in Tiverton town centre, choose your piece, paint it, and collect it glazed and fired a few days later. There’s a coffee shop and licensed bar on site, which makes it work as well for adults as for children. A reliable rainy afternoon option, and booking is advised during half term.

The Sports Barn, Watton Farm, Halberton

Thirty-plus interactive sports challenges under one roof just outside Tiverton, football shootouts, basketball, rugby challenges, and more, plus the Nerf Experience arena and Longhorn Lanes outdoor social space with food vendors, corn hole, pétanque and pickleball. Good for mixed-age groups and families who want something active without committing to a full outdoor day. Check their website and social media for half term opening and session times.

Footgolf Devon, Westcott

Golf played with a football, on a nine-hole course near Cullompton. Open year-round, suitable for all ages and abilities, no experience required. A good option for burning off energy, or settling a family argument about who’s actually the sportiest.

Grand Western Canal Country Park

Even without a barge trip, the Grand Western Canal is one of Mid Devon’s finest free days out. The towpath runs for eleven and a quarter miles through beautiful countryside between Tiverton and Lowdwells near the Somerset border, flat, easy, and lovely in late May when everything is in full leaf. Good for cycling, walking, or just a short wander from the Tiverton Basin car park.