Paignton Zoo Environmental Park

The animals here are the real draw, not some manufactured attraction. Paignton Zoo houses proper big cats, primates, and reptiles across its grounds - you'll spend a solid three to four hours wandering between enclosures if you're thorough about it. The park takes conservation seriously, which means the spaces feel less like a Victorian menagerie and more like something with actual purpose behind it.

Kids under ten will be glued to the big cats and monkey sections. Teenagers might find it a bit slow unless they're genuinely interested in wildlife. Adults often surprise themselves - there's something absorbing about watching animals behave naturally rather than perform tricks.

It's paid entry, so budget accordingly, and go early if you can. The place gets rammed with school groups mid-morning. Summer holidays are chaos; term time is far more civilised. You'll need proper walking shoes - the terrain's uneven in places and there's real distance between sections.

As a park holiday base, you're spoilt for choice. Hoburne Devon Bay sits barely half a mile away, and Beverley Holidays is just a mile off - both mean the zoo works as a cracking half-day excursion without needing to trek far from your pitch. Waterside Holiday Park and Whitehill Country Park offer quieter alternatives if you want breathing room from the main tourist drag. Paignton itself has a beach and seafront amusements nearby, so you can pad out a full day without much effort.