Short answer: Okehampton Castle has free parking and is the largest castle ruin in Devon, though the path up is steep — manageable carrying a toddler, not with a buggy. The Plume of Feathers has books and board games indoors. Bellever Forest is the sheltered moor option.
The largest castle ruin in Devon, with free parking at the bottom, which with a toddler removes the usual first obstacle. The path up to the ruin is steep — fine if you are carrying them or they walk, not a buggy route. The grounds below are gentler and there is space to let them run.
The best bit of moor with a small child, because it has trees. River swimming in summer where the East Dart runs through, wild ponies around the edges, and £5 all-day parking. Trees mean shelter, and on Dartmoor shelter is the difference between a nice morning and a retreat to the car.
The Plume of Feathers has books and board games, which is a genuinely useful feature with a restless child on a wet afternoon. It is closed Mondays. The London Inn is dog friendly with good value burgers and live bands at weekends — the bands are an evening thing rather than a toddler problem.
Okehampton has its own railway station with a car park by the A30, and the line runs to Exeter. With a toddler, a train journey is entertainment rather than transport — and it means one adult can have a drink at lunch.
Brothers is the best food in town but it is Thursday to Saturday only and needs booking, which makes it an adults' evening rather than a toddler lunch. The London Inn's burgers are the easier family option.
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