Top Devon Private & Custom Tours

We booked the boat trip in advance and initially the weather was showing thunderstorms. Luckily it turned out nice but the water was choppy which just added to the fun!Out captain was Jack, he was great and told us loads of facts about the area. We saw lots of birds and a family of seals. Unfortunately the dolphins were hiding that day.Jack let the kids have a turn at driving the boat, they even did doughnuts which was a bit scary!It was amazing to have a private boat, just us so we could ask questions and to feel the sea air.The kids sat in the back and got very wet but enjoyed every minute.I would say it’s a once in a lifetime experience and would definitely want to do it again.Don’t wear jeans!

I have been told by my 7 year old granddaughter that this was the best experience of her life . I’m a bit older but have to say I rate it highly as well!!! Our guide Greg was amazing, we met him at the booth, were supplied with buoyancy aids, we were shown down onto the boat, a safety briefing and orientation was given in a serious but light hearted manner so as not to be too heavy. We were hoping to see dolphins and see them we did in abundance. I can not count how many breaches we saw both near the boat and away from it. Some swam underneath us. We saw a large number of birds on the sea, attracted by fish and they in turn attract dolphins. Greg turned the engine off and we were all just amazed by how playful the dolphins were, it’s almost like they wanted to put a show on for us. The whole tour was a truly spectacular experience. Greg had a brilliant approach to supplying information , taking questions but also knew when to be quiet and let us enjoy the experience. I think this tour was the highlight of my daughter’s holiday and her children will have much to tell friends in September. So glad I booked this. Thank you Greg .

Infocombe town famouslordhillmuseum curators came to search for fine arts on sale or museum grade items it’s always good Devon for tours food and stunning buildings of historical interest our part is already found some paintings of pidgeon for our museum collection in Shropshire we love ship and historical portraits and love to buy them daily famouslordhillmuseum is top rated museum that seeks to find nautical lots and bronze statues and buy on line from people downsizing Devon is always a great place to visit we love ❤️ Devon coastal towns sea views and good food fish and chips wowee

We spent four lovely days in Cornwall with Nigel as our guide. He is fun, courteous, thoughtful, well-organized, and knowledgeable. My husband and I had the best time with Nigel who made sure we saw all the best that gorgeous Cornwall has to offer. If you are heading to Cornwall, make sure you book Nigel well in advance. He is a joy!

It was a nice experience with lots of history of Ilfracombe and not too much. Really good .

We are just back after a family trip to Cornwall with Nigel Makin and it has been such a wonderful refreshing experience. We are taking back beautiful memories of a lifetime back with us thanks to Nigel. Right from the start , Nigel made sure that the entire experience was smooth , the initial planning discussions proactive, a well organised itinerary, flexibility if any changes were required and above all very friendly and helpful. Each day was a great experience and he gave us excellent context and background for all the attractions we visited. Will surely recommend Nigel as a top tour guide and looking forward to our next trip to Devon with him!

We had a fantastic day touring Dartmoor National Park with Nigel. He was truly exceptional. Nigel is a conversationalist. He's knowledgeable, friendly, and engaging, and he made our whole family feel comfortable and welcome from the start.Nigel put together a brilliant itinerary that kept all five of us entertained for the entire day, including kids aged 10, 13, and 17 (not an easy task!). He struck the perfect balance between history, scenery, and fun, and even created a quiz at the end of the day just for the kids, which they loved.The ultimate endorsement came from our 10‑year‑old, who said Nigel was the best guide of our entire UK trip — even better than the Gentleman Warder at the Tower of London (and that's high praise because the Gentleman Warder's are really engaging tour guides).Thank you to Nigel for a truly memorable day on Dartmoor. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this tour to families or anyone looking for an engaging and personalized experience.

My husband and I were visiting his mum, who is 91, and wanted to take her on an outing, something different for her but also manageable. Nigel's tour was a delight! He made sure it was tailored to mum's mobility challenges and she was able to see beautiful places and have a lovely fish and chips lunch. Wonderful experience for all of us!

Nigel Makin is one of the best tour operators we’ve experienced on our many private guided tours world wide. On time, historical whizz, funny and accommodating throughout! We spent 7 days touring from Bath, into Devon then Cornwall. Do not hesitate to book any of Nigel’s tours or two combined as we did. I simply googled south west tours from Tasmania and truly hit the jackpot. We will forever have happy memories of our time in Devon and Cornwayy, but especially our time spent with him. Mary and Derek, Tasmania Australia.

5 out of 5, bought this experience as a gift for my mum's 70th birthday, she loved. Beautifull setting and Ian was great, would recommend

Lovely time, Ian was very knowledgeable and a great pilot. My wife booked this for my birthday and I enjoyed every minute of it.

We did the tour as a family of 3. Prior to the tour, Nigel had reached out on both email and WhatsApp to find out if we had any special needs or if there was anything in particular we would like to see or do on the tour.On the day of the tour, Nigel arrived promptly at the agreed time and from the outset was very warm and welcoming and conversation flowed easily.Nigel showed us on a map the planned route for the day and mentioned areas of interest we would visit.The trip was well planned and expertly executed. The knowledge of the area and history that Nigel had was outstanding and he made it very interesting telling us about the history of the area in general and in detail for each landmark.I would highly recommend a tour with Nigel, you will not regret it.Stephen Kelly & Family

What a brilliant experience. I'm really pleased I went with a motor glider experience and not a light aircraft because of the bubble cockpit. The views were spectacular as we flew between the rain showers and over the Jurassic coast. Ian was brilliant, explaining everything and letting me fly on the way back. Wonderful and highly recommended

This was a great experience. Ian was very professional and calm. He carefully went through the pre-flight checks and explained the controls to me throughout the flight. As it was quite windy, we didn't glide but flew instead. As I had flown briefly 40 years ago briefly, he was keen for me to try again. He gave me a really long time at the controls and encouraged me all the time showing me the impact of each control.Excellent views and such a feeling of calm and safety. Ian is a very genuine guy and it was a pleasure to spend an hour with him.

From booking through to the finish this was an exceptional experience. We booked a private tour for a couple as we celebrated a birthday and it turned into a joyous event. The care taken of us by both Jack and Tim was more than we could have hoped for. We were lucky enough to see porpoises, dolphins and a peregrine falcon on our trip. They tailored it to our needs and spent most of our tour coasting along slowly by the 20 or so dolphins who wanted to swim alongside us. Thank you for making our trip so memorable.

The booking experience went well as we had expected. The booking was for myself and my wife and our two grandchildren. When we arrived we were met by the skipper of the RIB and after a safety briefing and putting on the life jackets we set off. The skipper was particularly helpful and was keen to show as much as possible. We were fortunate to have dolphins in the area and one even came up close to the boat. We also thought we might have caught a glimpse of a seal, and we were shown a Peregrine Falcon sitting atop one of the rocks. We also saw several other sea birds. This was a great experience for all and I would thoroughly recommend the company and the trip. The skipper was great, friendly and knowledgeable. He did say that he could not promise seeing particular animals as they are wild after all, but we were very fortunate. Overall the trip well exceeded expectations, and made many memories for the future.