RHS Garden Rosemoor

Two hundred acres of proper serious gardening, just outside Bideford. RHS Garden Rosemoor isn't the sort of place you potter round in twenty minutes - it demands at least three hours if you're doing it right, and even then you'll want to come back.

The garden splits into two distinct halves. One side is all formal design - hedged rooms, colour-coordinated borders, the kind of planting that makes keen gardeners actually stop talking and just stare. The other sprawls more wildly through woodland, with streams and viewpoints that genuinely surprise you as you round each corner. There's a proper working kitchen garden too, which usually impresses people who've only ever seen ornamental stuff.

It's worth the admission fee, though a heads-up: you'll want to ring ahead or check their website for the current charges. Opening hours run 10am to 6pm most days, though that can shift seasonally. Families will find enough space for kids to actually burn energy without feeling like you're dragging them round a museum. The paths are reasonably well-maintained, but comfortable shoes are non-negotiable.

Bideford itself is only a few miles away, and if you're basing yourself at Owl Valley Glamping nearby, Rosemoor makes a cracking half-day outing. Pair it with a walk along the Torridge estuary afterwards - the light's always better in late afternoon anyway. Not a day-tripper's garden, this one. It rewards you taking your time.