Babbacombe Model Village & Gardens

This is one of those attractions that sounds twee on paper but absolutely delivers once you're there. Babbacombe Model Village is a working 4-acre miniature landscape in Torquay where someone has built an entire world in 1:12 scale. We're talking tiny trains that actually run, villages with functioning streetlights, little boats on ponds, even a working fairground. It's the sort of place where you'll genuinely lose twenty minutes watching a model steam train wind through countryside you could fit in your living room.

The gardens themselves are proper lovely too - well-maintained, open spaces between the model scenes, and enough real planting to remind you that you're still in Devon. Kids absolutely love it, though I'd say it's genuinely engaging rather than just a way to keep them occupied for an afternoon. Adults without children find it oddly hypnotic. There's something meditative about the detail and craftsmanship on display.

You'll need a good couple of hours if you're the type to actually look at things rather than tick boxes. It's not free entry but worth the money. The attraction works brilliantly as a rest day activity when you're camped nearby - within spitting distance of Parkdean Resorts Torquay Holiday Park if you want easy access. Alternatively, it slots neatly into a broader Torquay visit alongside the seafront and coastal walks. Go when the weather's reasonable since much of it is outdoors, and aim for weekdays in term time if you want to avoid school holiday chaos.