Short answer: The museum is free, the Pannier Market is free to wander, and the Tarka Trail starts here and costs nothing. Barnstaple is also on the train line from Exeter, which removes parking from the budget entirely.
The Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon, by the Long Bridge, is free — the region's history, trades and wildlife, with a well-liked taxidermy section and a Victorian-style tea room. Closed Sundays.
Barnstaple Pannier Market is a huge covered Victorian hall with independent stalls, free to wander, and properly indoors. It runs Tuesday to Saturday.
The Tarka Trail starts here and runs flat, paved and traffic-free down the Taw estuary. Free to walk; bike hire at the town end.
Barnstaple is the terminus of the Tarka Line from Exeter, which means you can do this whole day without paying for parking — and without driving the north Devon roads.
Air Extreme Trampoline Park at Roundswell has free parking and sessions on the hour, and it is cheaper if you book ahead. For teenagers on a wet day it is the best value in town.
The single biggest saving on any Devon day out is lunch. A picnic on a free beach or in a free park turns a £50 day into a £25 one, and the money you keep pays for the one thing actually worth paying for.
Tarko Lounge in the centre is comfortable and open nine till late. The Pannier Market has a Thai food stall. Bull & Bear on Boutport Street has an exceptional gluten-free menu.
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