local attractions

THE GARDENS at Forde Abbey are open daily throughout the year from 10.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.

THE HOUSE is open from 22nd March until the end October from 12.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. on SUNDAYS, TUESDAYS, WEDNESDAYS, THURSDAYS, FRIDAYS and BANK HOLIDAY MONDAYS.

THE GIFT SHOP is open daily from the 22nd March to the end of October then on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday until Christmas.

PLANT CENTRE is open daily from 1st March to Christmas from 10a.m. to 4.30 p.m.

THE RESTAURANT and POTTERY EXHIBITION are open DAILY from 22nd March to the end October from 11.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.

Tel: 01460 220231

Fax: 01460 220296

Forde Abbey, Chard, Somerset, TA20 4LU

Cricket St Thomas is the top Wildlife Park attraction to visit in the southwest of England. One of its aims is to create environments in which animals can behave as naturally as possible. New exhibits are designed to allow the animals to express natural behaviours seen in the wild.

The Wildlife Park helps to increase awareness and understanding of the natural world. Like nature, it offers a diversity of habitats - the landscape and wildlife are constantly changing to provide something new to see and enjoy. The parks educational programme for schools and groups, working closely with Somerset Education Authorities to provide a vital source of information on various topics.

March to October	7 days a week	9.30am - 5.30pm
November to February	7 days a week	10.00am - 4.30pm

Clearly signposted, the museum is close by the A303 by the village of Sparkford on the A359. The Haynes Motor Museum is easily reached:

From the North and the Midlands via Bristol:
Take the M5 to Taunton (J25) and then the A358/A303 to Sparkford

From London
via the M3/A303

From the South West;
via the M5 to Taunton or the A30 through Chard to pick up the A303

From the South;
Access is easiest via Yeovil.

SUMMER OPENING HOURS (April to October)

OPEN daily, 10am - 5.30pm
Last admission: 4pm
Last entrance to the Carrier Exhibition: 4:15pm

WINTER OPENING HOURS (November to March)

CLOSED Mondays and Tuesdays
OPEN Wednesdays - Sundays 10am - 4.30pm
Last admission: 3pm
Last entrance to the Carrier Exhibition: 3:15pm

OPEN ALL PUBLIC HOLIDAYS AND HALF TERMS

CLOSED CHRISTMAS EVE, CHRISTMAS DAY & BOXING DAY

The museum is located on the B3151 just off the A303 and A37. It is accessible from the M5 motorway, junction 25 at Taunton.

Yeovilton is situated some seven miles north of Yeovil, forty miles south of Bristol, thirty miles north of Weymouth and thrity miles south east of Weston-Super -Mare.

Experience the legendary magic and adventure of Crealy Great Adventure Parks, the South West's favourite family attractions in Devon and Cornwall.

Magic, fun and adventure are all around from the moment you arrive. You'll discover the most exciting rides and adventures for your own magical memories in the six unique Realms of Crealy - all for your Maximum Fun, Guaranteed!

For rides that Slide, Splash and Rock!

At Devon's Crealy, you'll find the fabulous Loco Coaster, Bess Pirate Ship and Tidal Wave Log Flume together with Techno Race Karts and a Victorian Carousel. NEW for 2005 is the Funosaurus Show, starring Dina the last Baby Dinosaur on Earth! Plus the Animal Farm Showtime- where you can be the Star!

Crealy Adventure Park, Sidmouth Road, Clyst St.Mary, Exeter, EX5 1DR
Tel: 01395 233 200 | Fax: 01395 233 211

SEATON COLYFORD COLYTON
The Perfect day out
Superb Views
Bird-watching paradise
Discounts for families and groups
Wheelchair access by arrangement
Drive a Tram! Lessons available
30th Anniversary Fortnight
27th May - 11 June

2000 OPENING DATES
Daily: 8th April - 29th October
Weekends 4th November to 24th December

Visit the Donkey Sanctuary for a little peace and tranquility. We have taken into care over 7400 donkeys - many

rescued after being cruelly treated or neglected. The Donkey Sanctuary is the largest Sanctuary in the world dealing specifically with donkeys and mules. A donkey is never refused admission to the Sanctuary and all are guaranteed loving care for the rest of there natural lives.

You can find us on the A3052 just outside Sidmouth towards Lyme Regis.Follow the brown tourist signs
We are open from 9.00am - dusk
ADMISSION AND PARKING FREE
The Donkey Sanctuary, Sidmouth, Devon EX10 ONU. Tel 01395 578222
Reg. Charity No. 26418

Branscombe on the coast between Seaton and Sidmouth is one of the prettiest villages in England with its numerous delightful thatched cottages. The beach offers ample parking, a thatched, licenced Restaurant withsecluded rock garden, and a shop with its own bakery and off sales

To the east and west of the beach, rock pools emerge at low tides to provide a great adventure for children and the clean, clear sea is ideal for swimming. Mackerel fishing trips and motor boats are available for hire. For those wishing to make Branscombe a base, high standard, self-catering chalet accommodation can be found right on the beach.

Magnificent Elizabethan stone-built house, with fine collections, garden and park

Built in the late 16th century for Sir Edward Phelips, Montacute glitters with many windows and is adorned with elegant chimneys, carved parapets and other Renaissance features, including contemporary plasterwork, chimneypieces and heraldic glass. The splendid staterooms are full of fine 17th- and 18th-century furniture. Montacute House is a regional partner with the National Portrait Gallery and displays on permanent loan over 50 Tudor and Elizabethan portraits in the Long Gallery, the longest of its type in England. There are also fine textiles, including 17th- and 18th-century samplers from the Goodhart Collection. The formal garden includes mixed borders, old roses and interesting topiary and is surrounded by a landscape park. The wider estate encompasses St Michael’s Hill, site of a Norman castle, topped with an accessible 18th-century lookout tower.

The beautiful coastal town of Lyme Regis, often described as ‘the Pearl of Dorset’, is surrounded by spectacular clay cliffs of Lower Jurassic age, capped by younger cretaceous sandstone. This is a dynamic coast with rapid erosion rates accentuated by landslides at all scales. Indeed, these landslides create the very character of the coastline, with high inland cliffs and complex undercliffs that drop in benches to the sea.

Inland, many of the slopes were once subject to landslides during the last Ice Age when river erosion was very active. Today these landslides have reached a stable angle and much of the town rests comfortably on them with little or no movement. However, the seaward slopes have been subject to marine erosion that has only been slowed by generations of coastal defences and drainage schemes. The maintenance of these schemes and the threat of failure are the subject of major investigation by West Dorset District Council Engineering Division.

Lyme and its surrounding countryside can only be truly appreciated on foot. Begin by exploring the network of narrow back streets where there’s a different view or something new around every corner.

Even if time, ability or little ones limit your scope, the traffic-free, south-facing Marine Parade and the Cobb are lovely for a gentle stroll with plenty of places to stop for a rest, gaze out across the bay or watch the comings and goings of fishing boats and pleasure craft.

To the west of the town is the Undercliff National Nature Reserve, one of the wildest and most unspoilt areas of the coast, accessible only to walkers (it was a few miles along this stretch of coast that the famous landslip of 1839 occurred when around twenty acres slipped down towards the sea!). If you’ve the stamina for a hike through quite rough terrain, you’ll be rewarded by rare flora and fauna - there are hundreds of different wild flowers including many species of orchids and ferns. You may be lucky enough to hear a nightingale or glimpse a lesser spotted woodpecker.

For the more adventurous the Heritage Coast footpaths stretch for over twenty miles to the east and west of Lyme – official recognition of the area’s beauty, rarity and need for protection.

Our neighbouring town of Charmouth has a Heritage Coast Information Centre where you can see interesting displays, handle fossils or talk to someone who knows and loves this stretch of coastline – as no doubt you will too.