Short answer: Six places in Devon do Father Christmas properly this year. Two are on steam trains (<strong>Dartmouth</strong> and the <strong>South Devon Railway</strong>) and four are grottos: <strong>Pennywell Farm</strong>, <strong>Woodlands</strong>, <strong>Crealy</strong> and <strong>The BIG Sheep</strong>. Most run on selected weekends from late November, then daily in the week before Christmas. The last Santa anywhere in Devon is Thursday 24 December.
Pennywell Farm, Buckfastleigh — selected dates 21 November to 24 December. From £23.95 for adults and children alike, under-12-months free.
Santa sees a maximum of two families at a time, which makes this the most intimate on the list by some distance. Allow two to two and a half hours. Timed entry, and they ask you to arrive fifteen minutes early. Every child gets a gift and a bag of sweets.
Woodlands, near Dartmouth — 5, 6, 12, 13 and 19 to 23 December, 11am to 4.30pm. Adults from £17.95, children 3 to 11 from £29.95.
This is the one to read the small print on, and the child ticket costing more than the adult one is not a misprint — the gift is in it. No pushchairs through the grotto, and no large electric wheelchairs or scooters. Children of 12 and over may go in but get no gift. Maximum two adults per booking, and extra adults cannot enter the grotto at all, which catches out grandparents. Pre-book by 3pm the day before, and it is non-refundable.
Crealy, near Exeter — 5, 6, 12, 13 and 18 to 23 December. Day ticket from £18, Santa upgrade from £14 on top.
The meet-and-greet is an upgrade, not part of the day ticket, which is the single most common misunderstanding about Crealy at Christmas. Children choose their own present in Santa’s Toy Shop. Only under-16s need a Santa ticket and two adults may go in with each child. If you are going anyway, the Winter Twilight Fest light trail runs on the same site.
The BIG Sheep, Bideford — 28 and 29 November, then 5, 6, 12, 13 and 19 to 24 December. No prices published.
Gingerbread decorating and a make-a-bear teddy are listed as part of it. The venue publishes neither prices nor session times, so ring before you plan a day around it. It is the only one of the six in north Devon, which matters if you are anywhere near Bideford or Barnstaple.
Dartmouth Steam Railway, Paignton — 28 and 29 November, then 5, 6, 11, 12, 13 and 15 to 23 December. Adult £39.50, child 19 months to 14 years £29, under-18-months free.
Santa comes to your seat on the return leg, so there is no queue and no walking — the best option on the list if anyone in the party struggles to stand about. Every adult gets a gift as well as every child, which no one else does. Everyone 15 and over pays the adult fare. Watch out for the plain Train of Lights on the same railway: Santa does not visit on that ticket.
South Devon Railway, Buckfastleigh — the Polar Express — 27, 28 and 29 November, then 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13 and 18 to 23 December.
Golden ticket, cookie and hot chocolate served on board, and a silver sleigh bell from Mr C. Under-2s get the bell only, no food or drink. The railway had not published times or prices on its own page when we checked, so ring. Both railways compared side by side.
Plymouth Winter Wonderland has a walk-through Santa’s Enchanted Grotto at Central Park from 20 November to 3 January. Site entry is £1 and the grotto is booked on top. It is the cheapest way in Plymouth to do Santa, an ice rink and a funfair in one evening, rather than making a whole day of it.
If anyone cannot stand or queue: Dartmouth. Santa comes to the seat.
If your child is shy: Pennywell, two families at a time.
If you have a pushchair: not Woodlands.
If you want a whole day out of it: Crealy, but budget for the upgrade.
If you are in north Devon: The BIG Sheep is the only one, and you will have to ring for prices.
If you want it cheap and quick: Plymouth Winter Wonderland.
The weekends of 5–6 and 12–13 December are when five of the six are running at once, and they are the first to sell out. The weekday slots between 18 and 23 December are the easiest to get and the quietest to visit. Woodlands closes bookings at 3pm the day before. After Thursday 24 December there is no Father Christmas anywhere in Devon.
Note that the National Trust properties are not a reliable Santa option this year: Saltram has ruled it out and Arlington Court had not confirmed one.
The five Devon light trails overlap with all of these, and four of the six Santas are at venues that do both. Every December date in Devon has what else is on the same weekend, and the pantomimes start the week after the first Santa weekend.
Pick a town and plan the day around who's with you.
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