Family-friendly things to do at Lydford Gorge

Family with two children and a dog on a short lead walking along the railway path in spring with wild garlic in flower, Lydford Gorge, Devon — Family walking their dog on a lead at Lydford Gorge | © National Trust/Dianne Giles

A walk at Lydford Gorge takes you into a temperate rainforest, past cascading waterfalls and fascinating rock formations. On the way try some of our favourite '50 things to do before you're 11¾' activities and get back to nature.

Planning your family visit

Free entry for under 5s
Map with colour-coded walking routes given on entry
Baby-changing facilities at both toilet locations
High chairs and children's meals available in the tea-rooms, Devil's Cauldron tea-room has a bigger range of food choices
Free seasonal spotter sheets to pick up in visitor welcome
Nature area in the second-hand bookshop, with seating, and childrens books for sale
Baby carriers admitted, a limited number available on loan from visitor welcome - first come first served
Unsuitable for buggies or pushchairs due to uneven terrain, narrow paths and steep slopes

Choice of walking trails

Railway path

Perfect for little ones to explore as this mainly flat route follows the line of the old Great Western railway to the bird hide. From here it can be made into a short circular walk with some narrower paths and steeper slopes or just return the way you came to keep it simple.

Waterfall trail

Good for a range of ages, this circular trail takes you down into the gorge, to see the 30-meter high Whitelady Waterfall. It takes around 1 hour, over pretty good paths with some slippery bare rock, and mud in places. You could also take a break half-way around to stop by the bird hide and see what's visiting the feeding station.

Devil's Cauldron trail

This slightly more challenging trail takes you into the deepest part of the gorge on a 45-minute circular one-way route with dripping moss-covered rock on all sides and the water roaring past below. The paths can be steep, narrow and slippery in places.

Please note

There are seven narrow steps, with a handrail but no barrier, that take you into the Devil's Cauldron pothole on a platform over the water. There is an overhang above the steps so we don't recommend taking backpack child carriers down. This short section is an off-shoot of the main Devil's Cauldron trail so can be avoided, or the party can take it in turns to go down.

Mudslide over Devil's Cauldron

Due to a recent mudslide, the Devil's Cauldron trail, orchard, and Lyd link path are not currently open. The area will remain closed while it is made safe, we hope to reopen by the end of March.

A woman helps a young girl climb a tree in the Owler Tor area of Longshaw, Burbage and the Eastern Moors, Derbyshire — Spring is a great time to explore Lydford Gorge as a family. | © National Trust Images/Annapurna Mellor

Easter adventures

Running daily 10am-4.30pm (last entry at 3.30pm), Wednesday 26 March to Monday 21 April.

This year we're asking 'where does it go?' Follow the trail around the orchard and find out where the plants and animals of Lydford Gorge go when you can't see them.

On the way there are ten stations with family-friendly activities to have a go at. Can you limbo to avoid the bats, feed the dormice their favourite food, pin the leaf on the tree, and lots more. When you finish the trail, make sure to pick up your Easter egg from Visitor Welcome and get your trail sheet stamped.

You can choose from either a chocolate egg or a vegan and Free From chocolate egg. Both eggs are made using Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa. Find out more at www.rainforest-alliance.org

Prices are £3.50 per trail which includes an Easter trail sheet, bunny ears and dairy or vegan and Free From* chocolate egg. Normal admission applies, free for members. No booking necessary.

*Suitable for people with milk, egg, gluten, peanut and tree nut allergies.

Easter egg hunt

Fun things in spring

The wild flowers really put on a show, pick up a free spotter sheet from Visitor Welcome and see how many different ones you can find. Count how many different colours you see around the gorge; make sure to breathe in all the different scents too. The wild garlic can be pretty strong, you may even smell it before you see it.

The orchard meadow at the Devil’s Cauldron entrance has space to explore and plenty of room for picnics.

Stop by the second-hand bookshop and leave us a thought or a drawing on our Comment Tree.

A family watching the birds from the bird hide at Lydford Gorge, Devon — Watching the birds from the bird hide at Lydford Gorge, Devon | © National Trust/Dianne Giles

Join in with '50 things to do before you're 11¾’

Lydford Gorge is a perfect place for ticking lots of things off the list. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

No. 19 Play pooh sticks: The suspension bridge at Whitelady Waterfall is a great place to play pooh sticks. The whole family can line up with their chosen stick to see whose will win. If you walk the Devil's Cauldron trail too you could play pooh sticks on all the bridges and see which is your favourite.
No. 44 Watch a bird: In spring the woodland birds will be singing their hearts out trying to attract a mate. Listen out for them on your walk or find a bench to stop and see what appears. Visit the bird hide at the end of the railway line to watch the birds feeding.  Great tits and blue tits especially like the peanut feeders. The chaffinches prefer to feed from the ground on the seed the other birds spill.
No. 5 Skim a stone: Find a stretch of river with a pebble area to stand on, where the river flows past nice and calm. Then see who can skim the furthest or get the biggest number of skips.
No. 8 Spot a fish: Find a high spot next to the river and watch to see what appears. Choose a dry day and look somewhere the sun is not reflecting off the water. The brown trout that live in the river can often be seen swimming in the deeper pools. If you’re lucky you might even spot them taking a fly from the surface of the water with a ‘plop’ sound.

No swimming at Lydford Gorge

We ask visitors not to swim, however tempting, as it's not safe. If something were to go wrong the area is very inaccessible. Please avoid disturbing the wildlife and special habitats of the gorge and don't go in.