Bicton Park Botanical Gardens
Open daily 10.00 – 17.00
Free parking
Buggy-friendly
Play areas and train best suited to children aged up to 12 years
Near Budleigh Salterton, East Devon
Tesco Vouchers can be used for entry to the attraction
I was looking for a half-term day trip with something to appeal to grandparents as well as two kids aged 7&9 and a friend suggested Bicton Botanical Gardens – somewhere with acres of pretty gardens and woodland to wander, lawns to roll down (probably not for the grandparents but depends on their mood), woodland railway train ride, adventure play areas, farming museum (an unexpected hit – the kids loved looking at the old farm machinery and vehicles), café and all important soft-play to round things off nicely. (I say nicely, the soft play was nice for the kids but it was a Wi-Fi and signal dead spot so the downside was not getting any well-deserved screen time while I waited!)
The site is buggy-friendly with routes to avoid steps around the gardens and buggy parks in the soft play and at the train station.
Take a picnic and sit at one of the picnic benches dotted around the site, or visit the restaurant which offers light lunches, snacks, and full meals. Ice-creams and refreshments are available in the soft play barn or from the kiosk next to the adventure playground.
The kids could have spent hours in the playground with a play village with miniature houses for smaller ones, a pirate’s galleon, zip line, large tube slide and lots of play equipment for children up to the age of 12. They also loved the soft play which was decent in size, has a drop-slide (not too extreme), and a dedicated area for the Under 5s.
There’s a mini golf course by the adventure play area, a round of mini golf is £1 per person.
Things to note:
No need to pre-book
Book your party’s woodland train ride on arrival at reception (£2.50 each for children, £4 for adults, £3.50 concessions)
No bikes, scooters or trikes allowed
No tree climbing
Dogs allowed on a short lead
Beware – deep water in the pond/lake, and grumpy swans and geese should be given a wide berth!
Tesco vouchers can be redeemed to pay in part or full for entry – see your Tesco clubcard app. This must be done in advance and not on the day.
Socks must be worn in the soft play.
Daily Admission prices:
Adults £14.50
Children 2-16 £11.50 Children, under 2yrs free
Concessions (60+, disabled or carer) £13.50
For an extra £14 per person you can upgrade your daily ticket to a 12 month membership which includes free entry for a whole year to Bicton Park Botanical Gardens with discounts in the restaurants and gift shops.
This was a good day out and even on a warm sunny day in May half term holidays it did not feel too busy – a nice change from other family attractions in the school holidays.
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