Highlights of Cornwall with Kids: VI Day Trip to Buckland Abbey in Devon

 "There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it be thoroughly finished yields the true glory." - Sir Francis Drake

What would a trip to Cornwall be without a visit to Devon? We timed it deliberately at the end of our time in Cornwall in case we loved Devon too and having had a taste wanted more, which we did, . If we had visited earlier we would have felt compelled to rush around like headless chickens to try and see everything from both Devon and Cornwall, which we had done well to avoid on this getaway. We decided on Buckland Abbey as it wasn't far from Bodmin and also it offered the opportunity for at least a short drive through neighbouring Dartmoor.

Our hour long journey started out in the foggy lanes leading from Lanhydrock to nearby Liskeard. Just down the lane from Cutmadoc Cottage we came to medieval Respryn Bridge. The middle span of the bridge was built in the 15th century. This famous bridge separated the battling "roundheads" and "cavaliers" during the English Civil War. Ill fated King Charles I even rode across on his way to Lanhydrock in 1644. Nowadays nobody can go very fast across the bridge and you have to take turns making the crossing as it is a single land bridge and you have to leave your heavy vehicles at home. We crossed our fingers and drove safely across. It is interesting to discover just how frequently the civil war, along with the Norman Conquest and the life and times of Henry VIII, have become themes that seem to appear wherever we travel in England.

After meeting up with the main road the journey to Buckland via the Tamar Bridge was fairly uneventful. There were few cars in the car park at the Abbey but we were guided to a parking bay by a very kindly gent who went on to apologise for the weather and offer a golf cart provided by NT to assist the mobility impaired so the kids didn't get wet. We declined the very sweet offer as it was barely drizzling and the walk could be no more than three hundred metres.

When we entered the courtyard they kids eyes lit up at the idea of half term craft activities on offer. We convinced them to visit the Abbey with promises of craft after the visit. After passing through the ticket office and heading outside we came to the Great Barn, built by the Cistercian monks in 1278,  which I mistook for the abbey church as it is so huge and imposing. 

 It's an easy mistake to make. The new owners of the Abbey, once Henry VIII (see there he is popping up again) threw the monks out, went to great effort to turn the Abbey into a home and stop it looking like a church. While successfully creating a beautiful manor there is no hiding its origins. In fact it is quite strange at times to realise that you are standing way up high inside an ancient church were you can reach out and touch arches nobody should ever have been able to reach. You might be able to see on the right hand side of this picture that the stonework is actually an arch holding up the roof of the original structure.

The top floor of the house has a fascinating display highlighting the houses maritime connections, in particularly it's famous owner Sir Francis Drake. While the kids delighted in dress up's Rob really enjoyed reading about Drake's privateering exploits and his circumnavigation of globe, heading out with five boats and home alone. We spent some time at home later further investigating his exploits and found it interesting that at Buckland we found no mention of his involvement in the slave trade.

One area of the display had been made to look like a ship, with hands on displays to better understand life at sea. Another had a table set with a mock Tudor meal on the table and authentic dress up clothes created by the very talented Buckland Abbey costume group delighted the kids, even this big kid.

Julian was starting to get restless and wanted to go outside into the beautiful grounds. We managed to see Drake's study with its lovely plaster ceiling celebrating the various era's of the house, the kitchens and the lovely chapel before heading outside.



We enjoyed exploring the kitchen gardens and would have taken a walk out into the extensive grounds but the kids kept reminding us about the promised craft activities so we managed only a short walk. We did see the NT cottages here and they look like another fabulous holiday spot. Our game of hide and seek was fairly limited today with less places to hide and it was much easier to seek.

Emma spent about an hour on her craft project, hand felting an octopus which is perfect for holding her crochet hooks which will come in very handy. Julian made a bird feeder by stringing popcorn, raisons, apple wedges and cereal onto a piece of thread to hang in the garden. The only thing that ended up being fed by Julian's creation was Julian. When I asked him later where it had gone he indicated his well satisfied belly.

After the children had their fill of craft there was just time enough for a short drive through Dartmoor National Park before we returned to our cottage. We set the TomTom to Widecombe in the Moor and off we went to see what we could see. What we could see was largely nothing due to the thick fog that blanketed the place except for sudden short enticing glimpses which seemed utterly magical to me.

I have always been fascinated by faerie and folk tales and being, albeit briefly, in Dartmoor you can feel the timeless quality of the place. A number of times Rob would turn a corner in the car and I would catch a glimpse of running water or a place where I feel sure the faerie folk had visited and while I would have loved to stop we just didn't have time.

We had just enough time to take a wander through Widecombe in the Moor, which was completely deserted, before we made our way home again. The next morning we were off for four days in Wales so our time in Cornwall was drawing to it end. I would say that together with the New Forest, Cornwall and Devon are absolute must sees with kids when visiting the UK and as you will soon see I believe Wales too deserves its place on this list.

Widecombe in the Moor