Family things to see and do in the Heddon Valley

A young girl practices stone balancing on the beach at Heddon Valley, Devon — Stone balancing on the beach at Heddon Valley, Devon | © Mel Peters

Head down to the Heddon Valley for a day full of family fun. From outdoor adventures to nature trails, scrumptious ice creams to wild play in the play area, there is always something to keep your little ones occupied.

What's on this summer in the Heddon Valley?

Get out an about this spring in the Heddon Valley. Spot wildlife, splash in the river or make a discovery at our help-your-shelf. Pop into the Visitor Information Hub to pick up a seasonal family activity trail or more infromation around wildlife that calls they Valley home.

This summer you can also join us at our Big 24hr Biobllitz in the Heddon Valley on 10 and 11 August. We will be completing wildlife surveys, and hosting ranger walks and talks and there will be plenty of fun activities for the whole family to enjoy, from flower crown-making to bug discovery, crafting and more.

Planning your visit to the Heddon Valley

Picnic areas – You will find benches and spaces perfect for a picnic throughout the Valley, from outside the Pantry take away café which sells ice-cream, hot and cold drinks and light bites; to the beach at the mouth of the river. Picknick blankets are welcome but please remember to take your rubbish home with you and leave the area as you found it. Recycling bins can be found outside the Pantry.

Toilets- You will find toilets, including an accessible toilet and baby changing facilities, near the carpark. There are no toilets along the walk to the mouth of the river.

Buggies – the circular walk from the carpark down to the mouth and back is suitable for all-terrain buggies and pushchairs. These are available to borrow from the visitor information hub by calling 01598763402.

Our play area

You will find a play area in the Hunters Inn Garden; with balance beams, tic-tac-toe, stump animals, and more there is lots of fun to be had. Throughout the spring and summer our rangers will also be running a series of discovery days and activity afternoons, follow our social media pages to keep up to date with when these are taking place.

Visitors walking at Heddon Valley, North Devon. | © John Millar

Out and about in the Heddon Valley

There is plenty of wildlife to spot in the Heddon Valley from butterflies to birds, dormice to cattle. Keep an eye out along your walk to see what you can spot, if you are lucky you may come across a deer or an otter down by the river.

Butterflies

From late spring and into summer you will also be able to spot the rare high brown fritillary butterfly. As one of the rarest butterflies in the UK its numbers were drastically decreasing, but thanks to the dedication of the ranger and volunteer team, who have been working to create and improve vital habitats, thefuture is looking bright. The Heddon valley is one of the best places in the country to spot these beautiful butterflies. Keep an eye out for our mangalitsa pigs and english long horn cattle who help us complete this important work in the valley.

Birds

From redstarts to peregrine falcons there are birds of every size in the Heddon Valley. Keep an eye out on your walk and see if you can spot any of the following:

Common raven
Eurasian jay
Common redstart
Kittiwake
Common kingfisher
Dipper
Grey wagtail
Peregrine falcon
Tawny owl
Greater spotted woodpecker
Pied flycatcher

A child looks trough a magnifying glass — Nature discoveries await in the Heddon Valley | © Annapurna Mellor

'50 things to do before you're 11¾'

There are lot of '50 things' activities you can do with the family this spring. How about an outdoor adventure full of fun and discovery? Or maybe you could get to know a tree, appreciate the shape of their branches and the caverns that animals can hide in?

Check out some of our top 50 things to do this this spring. Or the full list here: 50 things to do before you're 11¾ | Visit | National Trust

Although many of the 50 things can be completed in the countryside, there are also lots of things to do at the coast, head down to Heddon’s Mouth to see if you can tick any of them off.