Babbacombe Model Village

Top choice in Torquay


There are 413 tiny buildings, inhabited by 13,160 even tinier people, on display at this Lilliputian attraction, the epitome of English eccentricity. Settings include a small-scale Stonehenge, a football stadium, a beach (complete with nude sunbathers), an animated circus, a castle (under attack from a fire-breathing dragon) and a thatched village where firefighters are tackling a blaze. It's all brilliantly bizarre.

The imagination and attention to detail is remarkable, with Lilliputian tableaux that are in turns witty, bizarre and unnerving. On selected summer evenings in June, July and August, it's open for night-time illuminations; think Piccadilly Circus, complete with flashing banner ads.