Across Devon, National Trust places are full of warmth as the trees slowly turn to red, orange and gold, enjoy crisp walks with family and friends and steaming mugs of hot chocolate. There’s lots on offer this season, from guided walks and talks to Heritage Open Days, and craft workshops to exciting exhibitions.
What’s more, every time you experience a National Trust day out, you help care for these special places for future generations.
Here is what’s happening near you this autumn, please check property website for opening days and times:
A la Ronde
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
Archaeology exhibition: Digging Deeper
4 September – 2 November. 10.30am-4pm
Archaeology exhibition Digging Deeper explores how Mary Parminter's 1849 will inspired multiple excavations. Discover archaeological finds. a lost shell grotto, and interactive activities.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Bodies of Water sculpture
4 September – 2 November. 10.30am-5pm
Garden sculpture installation 'I travelled 66 million years to be with you and then you came', by Anne Duk Hee.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Guided Fungi Walk
Each Wednesday in October. 10.45-11.30am
Discover the fungi that is lurking in the A la Ronde grounds on a guided Fungi walk exploring all areas of the garden & estate.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Arlington Court
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
Guided Wider Estate Walk: Wilder, wetter, woodier
6 September. 11am-12.30pm
Join our knowledgeable walk leaders for a guided walk exploring the wetlands developments in School House field and down through School woods. Learn how the changing land use is helping nature thrive, with a closer look at our wetland developments and their impact on local wildlife.
Price: Free event. Booking required.
Specialist Garden Talks
10 & 17 September. 12.30-1.15pm
Join the gardeners for a specialist garden talk. From learning about what's looking good, to tips and tricks for your garden, these talks will give you an insight into the work carried out by our gardeners.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Guided wider estate walks - Active Hike
16 September & 21 October. 10am-2pm
Join one of our guided walks to explore the wilder side of Arlington, venturing into the little known parts of the estate.
Price: £2pp. Booking required.
Outdoor History Tour
20 & 21 September. 11.30am-12noon & 1.30-2pm
Explore the pleasure grounds and formal gardens while learning about the history of the estate.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Outdoor History Tour (BSL interpreter available)
21 September. 11.30am-12noon & 1.30-2pm
Explore the pleasure grounds and formal gardens while learning about the history of the estate. This tour will have a British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreter available.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Guided wider estate walks - Autumn trees
4 & 7 October. 11am-12.30pm
Join us for a free guided walk while learning how to identify the trees on the estate though leaves, bark and seeds/nuts.
Price: Free event. Booking required.
Community Scarecrow Trail
8 – 31 October, 10am – 4:00pm
Enjoy some autumn fun as the Community Scarecrow Trail returns to Arlington Court. Pick up a free trail sheet from visitor reception and explore the gardens and grounds, spotting scarecrows created by local schools, community groups and volunteers along the way.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply).
Baggy Point
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
Outdoor theatre: 'The Most Perilous Comedie of Elizabeth I'
5 September. 6.30-8.30pm
Join us for outdoor theatre at Baggy Point with a performance brought to you by Three Inch Fools.
Price: Check website for prices. Booking required.
Baggy Point autumn trail
25 October – 2 November. 10am-4pm
Take part in our autumn trail around Baggy Point headland.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Buckland Abbey
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
Opening the Book: Music and Community in an early Tudor monastery
September – October. 11am-4pm
A unique 600-year-old manuscript used by the Buckland Abbey monks returns to the Abbey.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Monastic Buckland: A guided tour
4 September & 2 October. 2-3.30pm
Uncover the monastic past at Buckland as you take a walk with our volunteer Brian. You will discover fascinating architecture at every turn and understand better the story of Buckland Abbey before the dissolution of the monasteries.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Heritage Open Days: Visit Buckland Abbey for free
12-21 September. 10am-5pm
Explore the Abbey, gardens and estate for free as part of Heritage Open Days.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
British Sign Language Tour: Buckland Abbey
15 September. 11am-12noon
This BSL tour of Buckland Abbey will cover the Abbey and it's history. Led by one of our experienced tour guide volunteers and a BSL interpreter the tour will cover the Abbey's monastic life through to it's most famous resident, Sir Francis Drake.
Price: Free event. Booking required.
October Half Term Trail: Piskies vs. Trolls
18 October – 2 November 10am – 4pm
The Piskies that caused mischief at Buckland Abbey during the Spring are back and this time they’re squabbling with the resident Buckland Trolls who have just woken up from their summer slumber. Come and see what pranks, tricks and hoaxes they play on each other and help out your selected side, are you #TeamTroll or #TeamPiskie?
Pick up your trail sheet from Visitor Welcome and declare your allegiance with a sticker.
Price: Free event (normal admissions applies). Booking not required.
Harvest Weekend
25 & 26 October. 10am-5pm
Join us to celebrate a bountiful harvest at Buckland Abbey.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Historical Cooking
31 October & 2 November. 11am-1pm
Join the historical cooking team as they explore the seasons and festivals of the year in Buckland Abbey's kitchen.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Castle Drogo
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
Nursery Corridor Exhibition
September-October, see website for dates. 10.30am-4.30pm
The Nursery Corridor will be open for you to explore, with displays about how the different eras have looked throughout Castle Drogo's history.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Open Cabinets
08 September – 02 November. 10.30am – 4.30pm
Want to have a peek inside some of the amazing cabinets we care for in our collection?
Throughout the Autumn, we will have some of the cabinets in that we have on display around the castle will be open for you to see the inside. Many of these cabinets are just as well-crafted and beautiful on the inside as they are outside. Make sure to visit so you can see for yourself.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Heritage Open Days: Castle Drogo
17 September, 10am – 5pm.
Explore the castle and gardens for free as part of Heritage Open Days.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Hydro Open Day
21 September & 26 October. 11am-2pm
The hydro turbine building on the River Teign will be open for you to look inside. The knowledgeable guide will be able to tell you about the history of this building along with how it was restored and how it works.
Price: Free event. Booking not required.
October Half Term Trail
25 October – 02 November, 10am – 5pm.
This October our half term trail is all about time. From working out the time from the position of the sun to the newfangled electric clock in Mr Drewe’s room there is plenty of time to explore at Castle Drogo. There will be trail; points around the grounds for you to find and activities to keep the whole family entertained this half term.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Coleton Fishacre
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
Creating Coleton Fishacre: photographic exhibition
4 September – 2 November. 10.30am-4.30pm
Delve into the archives to when Coleton Fishacre was created 100 years ago. From the moment the family fell in love with the South Devon coastline to seeing their dream country home finished, we invite you to celebrate its centenary.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Monthly guided walks by the coast
5 September, 3 October & 7 November. 10.30am-12.30pm
Join the Walking Volunteers for a guided walk on the coast near Coleton Fishacre.
Price: Free event. Booking not required.
Heritage Open Days at Coleton Fishacre
12-21 September. 1.30am-5pm
Travel back in time to the jazz age at Coleton Fishacre. A decadent Arts and Crafts holiday home of the D'Oyly Carte family.
Price: Free event. Booking not required.
Royal Geographical Society: Earth Photo 2025
15 September – 29 October. 10.30am-5pm
Earth Photo 2025 is a stunning exhibition of some of the most powerful contemporary environmental photography brought together from Forestry England, the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) and Parker Harris.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Guided garden walk at Coleton Fishacre
24 September & 29 October. 2-2.45pm
Would you like to find out more about the garden, its history or see the best plants in flower? Why not join a member of the garden team for a free guided walk.
Price: Free event (normal admission apply). Booking not required.
Nature explorers: Getting to know Barn Owls
29 October. 1.30-3.30pm
Join The Barn Owl Trust in the loggia at Coleton Fishacre for a pop-up talk on all things Barn Owls.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Community weekends: free entry for TQ postcodes
8,9,15 & 16 November. 11am-4pm
If you're local and fancy a late autumn wander, why not wrap up warm and head to Coleton Fishacre for free?
Price: Free event. Booking not required.
Little Acorns at Coleton Fishacre
Every Wednesday, September – November. 9.30-11.30am
Come along and join in a free Little Acorns sessions during term time for under 5’s at Coleton Fishacre.
Price: Free event. Booking not required.
Coleton Cocktail hour
Every Wednesday, September – October. 4-5pm
It wouldn't be a celebration of the 1920s without a cocktail or two.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Pop up talks in the house
Every Monday, September – October. 3-3.15pm
100 years on and the Art Deco interior at Coleton Fishacre remains timeless. Why not join a pop-up talk to learn Would you like to learn more?
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Greenway
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
Literacy Weekend at Greenway
6-7 September. 10.30am-4.30pm
Fuel your imagination and get creative with a range of writing activities, from the Book Nook library to a story maker trail, poetry board and more. Aimed at all ages.
Price: Free event. Booking not required. If visiting Greenway by car, parking spaces must be booked in advance through the website.
Heritage Open Days at Greenway
12-21 September. 10.30am-4.30pm
Follow in the footsteps of bestselling crime writer Agatha Christie at her holiday home Greenway.
Price: Free event. Booking not required. If visiting Greenway by car, parking spaces must be booked in advance through the website.
Agatha After Hours: Special evening tour
15 & 16 September. 6.30-9.30pm
You’re invited to join us for a special after-hours event at Greenway, as part of the International Agatha Christie Festival celebrations.
Price: £75pp. Booking required. If visiting Greenway by car, parking spaces must be booked in advance through the website.
Summer evenings at Greenway
19 September. 5-7pm
Take a wander through the garden, past borders blooming with summer florals and soak up those river views into the early evenings.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required. If visiting Greenway by car, parking spaces must be booked in advance through the website.
The Big Draw at Greenway
1 October – 2 November. 10.30am-4.30pm
As part of the Big Draw Festival, take part in a giant weaved river tapestry and drawing activity at Greenway.
Price: Free event. Booking not required. If visiting Greenway by car, parking spaces must be booked in advance through the website.
Killerton
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
Unflappable. Fashioning the 1920s
4 September – 2 November. 11am-4pm
Killerton's exhibition for 2025 - Unflappable, fashioning the 1920s, will explore aspects of thoroughly modern dress 100 years ago.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Killerton Chapel - A global mission of Faith and Freedom
12 September – 2 November. 10am-4pm
A small exhibition to share what we know of the personal, social and spiritual concerns that connected the first Black Anglican Bishop, Samuel Ajayi Crowther and Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 10th Baronet.
Price: Free event (Normal admission applies). Booking not required.
Heritage Open Days: Killerton House and Gardens
12 & 13 September. 10am-5pm
Enjoy Killerton's glorious landscaped garden, extensive parkland, fine 18th-century house and unique fashion collection.
Price: Free event. Booking not required.
Heritage Open Days: Columbjohn Chapel
12-21 September. 1-3pm
Columbjohn Chapel is a hidden gem on the Killerton estate and is open as part of Heritage Open Days.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Heritage Open Days: Clyston Mill
12-21 September. 1-4pm
As part of Heritage Open Days, visit this historic watermill in Broadclyst village on the Killerton estate.
Price: Free event. Booking not required.
Free Guided Walk: Columbjohn Chapel Walk
13 & 17 September. 1-4pm
Circular walk taking in the parkland to reach Columbjohn chapel
Price: Free event. Booking required.
Free Guided Walk: Clyston Mill Loop
18 & 21 September. 1-2pm
Circular walk starting in Broadclyst, passing through the churchyard, down to historic Clyston Mill, and back through the orchard.
Price: Free event. Booking required.
A Portrait Tour-Killerton House
14 October. 10-11am
Join Robert Meakings to learn about the Acland family and the artists who immortalised them in their portraits.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking required.
Knightshayes
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
Heritage Open Days: Knightshayes
13-14 September. 10am-5pm.
Knightshayes is taking part in Heritage Open Days Festival on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September. Entry is free to all visitors.
Find out more about the architecture and features of the house, as well as the influence of nature.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Autumn Colour: Formal & Woodland Garden Walks
14 September – 2 November. 10am-5pm.
Discover the best of Autumn in the Formal & Woodland Garden on a self-guided walk.
Look out for the way markers in the Garden, leading you to some of the best spots to see in Autumn.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Victorian Illusion, Movement and Mystery
20 September – 2 November. 11am-4pm.
This exhibition, in conjunction with the Bill Douglas Museum, explores the Victorian fascination with movement and illusions. From zoetropes to magic lanterns, make your way through the house and uncover the mysteries through original objects and replicas.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Magic, mystery & illusion: Halloween at Knightshayes
18 October – 2 November. 10am-5pm.
Visit Knightshayes for a Halloween experience full of interesting illusions and mystery.
Enter the House and find that not everything is always as it seems as you discover optical illusions of the Victorian era.
Venture into the gardens to discover more mysteries.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Conservation in action: Caring for the book collection
Various dates through September & October, see website. 11am-2.30pm
Find out how the House Team care for the book collection at Knightshayes.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Lorna Doone Valley
/www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
Guided Walk: Discover the Doone Valley
5 September & 3 October. 10am-12.30pm
Take part in a guided walk of the Doone Valley and discover the beauty of the Exmoor landscape.
Price: £3pp. Booking required.
Lorna Doone Valley - Walking Week
8-14 September. 10am-4pm
Visit the Lorna Doone Valley for a week of guided walks exploring the amazing and dramatic landscape of Exmoor.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Forest school at Lorna Doone
2 October. 10am-12noon & 1-3pm
Join our ranger team for a day of fun and building confidence in the outdoors while learning new skills.
Price: £2pp. Booking required.
Stars and sauna
17 October – 2 November. 5-9pm
Enjoy and evening sauna under the stars in the beautiful surroundings of the Doone Valley.
Price: £15pp. Booking required.
Lorna Doone family fun days
29 October. 111am—3pm
From crafting to nature discovery, there is something for everyone to enjoy.
Price: Free event. Booking not required.
Dark Skies Festival - Night Hike
21, 23, 28 & 30 October. 7-9pm
Take part in a hike through the Doone Valley after dark to discover some of the best stargazing spots.
Price: £5pa & £3pc. Booking required.
Fireside story telling
1 November. 5.30-6.30pm & 6.45-7.45pm
Gather around the fire pit and listen to enchanting children's stories under the stars at Lorna Doone Valley.
Price: £3pc. Booking required.
Lydford Gorge
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
Heritage open days at Lydford Gorge
19 & 20 September. 10am-4.30pm
Come for a walk at the gorge for free once more as part of the Heritage Open Days.
Price: Free event. Booking not required.
Connection Café at Lydford Gorge
24 September & 29 October. 10am-12noon
Drop by the Connection Café to chat to the lovely volunteer or others that are attending, a great way to connect with people and make new friends.
Price: Free event. Booking required.
Apple Day at Lydford Gorge
27 September. 11am-2.30pm
Come along to help us press the apples from the orchard, and taste the tart juice.
Price: Free event (normal admissions apply). Booking not required.
Lydford Gorge Viking trail
8 October – 2 November. 10am-3pm