Babbacombe Model Village

Babbacombe Model Village is a miniature world laid out through 4 acres of gardens in a valley in the St Marychurch and Babbacombe area of Torquay. It describes itself as the UK’s largest model village, and it has over 400 hand-built models and more than 13,000 miniature residents. The theme is a version of Britain through the decades, with recognisable landmarks, a few twists and a lot of puns.

What is in the village

Models run from medieval and Shakespearean buildings through to Victorian houses, shops, factories and entertainment venues. A 1/12th scale model railway loops around the middle of the gardens, and there is a fire-breathing dragon you can set off. Many scenes are animated at intervals, so the village advises going slowly and looking twice.

The gardens are part of the draw: streams and waterfalls run through the valley, and a team of gardeners keeps the planting in scale with the models. There is also crazy golf, an optical illusion and a bug trail included in the visit. Children can follow the spotter-sheet characters.

Indoors and in the rain

The village is about 90 to 95 per cent outdoors, but it has three indoor areas, together good for 30 to 45 minutes or more: the Mythical Kingdom, the European Tiny Towns railway display, and areas that include a LittleEnders soap set, a Victorian Snowy Village and Gulliver’s Travels. The village stays open in showery, blustery weather, and it offers one free return visit within 7 days for the same people, which is useful if the first day is a washout. In the evening, illuminations run on select dates, and Halloween and Christmas events change the village at the end of the year.

Who it suits

About 55 per cent of visitors are families with children and 45 per cent adults or couples, by the village’s own count. Younger children enjoy the character hunt and the dragon, while adults tend to come for the model-making and the gardens. Anyone with mobility difficulties should read the access page before going: the village is built in a natural valley with some steep hills, and it has two disabled parking bays outside the entrance.

Dogs

Well-behaved dogs are welcome throughout the gardens, on a short lead and on the paths. They cannot go into the indoor displays or the coffee shop, apart from guide and assistance dogs. Visitors take turns to see the indoor areas while someone stays outside with the dog.

Getting there and parking

There is no booking and tickets are bought by card on the gate. Opening times change through the year, with the village open every day except 25 and 26 December and 1 January, so check the website for the times and last entry on your date.

The council-run pay car park next door is reached from St Marychurch Road (the A379). The village’s postcode, TQ1 3LA, can send a sat nav to the no-entry side on Hampton Avenue, so follow the brown signs for the last half mile. The village is around 2.5 miles from Torquay harbour. The number 22 bus runs to St Marychurch, a 3 to 4 minute walk from the entrance.

Nearby

Babbacombe Downs is a five-minute walk away, and Oddicombe Beach lies at the foot of the cliffs, about a third of a mile in a straight line. The Babbacombe Cliff Railway runs between the Downs and the beach, and Babbacombe Beach is close by too. Bygones Victorian Street is around the corner. For another garden day out, try Cockington Court.

Plan your stay

Stay in Torquay to be within a short drive or bus ride of the village, the Downs and the town’s beaches.