Entertaining the whole family whatever the weather can get quite pricey, so here's our top tips to save you some money on your holiday...
FREE ATTRACTIONS!
Lots of museums have free entry and during the summer holidays they often have activities to keep the kids amused. This summer at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter, the kids can spend time doing arts & crafts, dressing up, lego and even science experiments. Other museums nearby with free entry include The Castle at Bude, Holsworthy Museum and Laurence House Museum in Launceston.
The Donkey Sanctuary at Sidmouth and The House of Marbles near Newton Abbot are also both popular free attractions and well worth a little drive to get there. Heartlands near Camborne is in the heart of Poldark country and this former mining area has been redeveloped into a free visitor attraction with gardens and a huge adventure playground.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS!
Of course walking and cycling are free and with the south west coast path on the doorstep as well as the moors, you are spoilt for choice. There are also great parklands, woods and gardens - you just need to pay for parking. Cardinham woods near Bodmin are popular with both walkers and cyclists and its just £5 to park all day. You can print off activity sheets online for the kids or use their phone trail app. This year they are also doing Highway Rat trails, with activity packs for only £3. Two of the most popular cycling trails are The Camel Trail in North Cornwall and The Tarka Trail in North Devon. As well as these there are lots of local routes such as The Ruby Way, Bude Canal Trails and local coastal routes can be found on iwalkcornwall. A trip to the beach doesn't have to be expensive either - pack a picnic tea and take advantage of free parking after 6 pm - the water will have had all day to warm up! To find out more about the local beaches see our Beach Guide Blog.
VOUCHERS
Make sure you include a Western Morning News in your weekend shop - during the summer, there are lots of money off vouchers for south west attractions (and as they say, every little helps). More money off vouchers / voucher codes can be found online or on apps such as the app for Devon or app for Cornwall. Check the back of your parking tickets too - they usually have money off vouchers for local attractions such as The Milky Way. If you've been saving your cereal packets, The Seal Sanctuary at Gweek is one of the Merlin attractions offering money off too.
JOIN THE CLUB
Membership of the RHS gets you free entry to Rosemoor Gardens in North Devon and there are lots of attractions that National Trust and English Heritage members can enjoy for free too. Some sites are free entry to all - just pay for parking. Your NT membership will also get you free parking at Sandymouth and Northcott Beaches. Blue Peter badge holders get free entry into many attractions including The Eden Project, and you can redeem your Tesco clubcard vouchers for days out too.
BOOK IN ADVANCE
Most attractions will have significant savings if you book online in advance -usually around 10-20% - often the day before is enough notice and most tickets are valid for any date.