A day out at Babbacombe Cliff Railway and Model Village

Posted on April 21, 2019

Last week we were able to re-visit two attractions in the pretty coastal village of Babbacombe near Torquay in Devon. It had been a few years since our last visit to Babbacombe but there is plenty to see and do with the Cliff Railway, Model Village and more.

Babbacombe Cliff Railway

Our first stop was the Babbacombe Cliff Railway which first opened to the public in 1926. Although there is a very steep pathway down to Oddicombe Beach it is much nicer to buy a ticket and travel on the Cliff Railway. It’s open everyday (weather permitting!) so we bought our tickets and waited in the Waiting Room for the next carriage.

We were lucky and enjoyed a carriage to ourselves down the 700 feet long track. The view is amazing and the children loved the experience, although I remember when my son was younger he didn’t enjoy the ride quite as much. It didn’t take long to get down to the bottom then we were free to explore Oddicombe Beach.

The tide was out so the children played on the beach. There was also a cafe and a small Heritage Centre where we learned more about the history of the railway. Apparently Toby Jones was spotted recently filming for the new BBC2 show Don’t Forget the Driver so I can’t wait to watch that.

Babbacombe Model Village

The Model village is a short walk away from the Cliff Railway. Founded in 1963 it portrays English life and culture over the last 6 decades with 413 buildings and 13160 inhabitants. The children were both given an activity leaflet with things to spot as they walked around and there was also an Easter Egg Hunt throughout the village.

We’re frequent visitors to Beckonscot Model Village so we all enjoyed our visit. Babbacombe is built on a huge slope and there were plenty of water features. The children loved the fire breathing dragon and the mini golf. I love the Air Bee n’ Bee bug hotel.

It was great to see new building and areas and it’s obviously well looked after and up to date. There was even a Bake Off tent complete with Noel, Sandi, Prue and Paul. Carefully placed on the other side of the Bake Off tent were Mel, Sue, Mary and Paul!

We had a great time visiting both attractions. The sun kept trying to come out so it was perfect weather for the beach and a model village. Hopefully we won’t leave it so long before we visit again.