“ARE we there, yet?” by Irma Heger We (me, husband, daughters aged seven and nine) were on our way to Woodovis Park, near the olde worlde market town of Tavistock, on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, close to the border between Devon and Cornwall.

Seven hours in a car is a long time for impatient children, even if the destination is a five-star, privately-owned holiday park with a string of awards.

They couldn’t care less about Woodovis Park winning silver in the South West Tourism for Excellence Awards; that it is one of two UK winners beating 2000 parks in 13 countries in the Alan Rogers campsite awards, and features in the top 20 of Practical Caravan Top 100 Parks.

Nor were they bowled over by the fact that the site is set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (Tamar Valley) and a World Heritage Site (Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape).

Now, sleeping in a caravan, beaches on the doorstep, ponies on the moors, an onsite swimming pool and games room — that’s something to get excited about.

Woodovis Park is a small, immaculate and peaceful site, safe for two young sisters to explore and the solar-powered heated indoor swimming pool with spa pool and sauna, turned out to be the main attraction for them.

Its dog-friendliness is a bonus, too — though, much to our dog’s disgust, dogs have to be on a lead at all times. Ever helpful, site owners Dorothy and John Lewis suggested an off-lead walk in the woods, just a mile from the site, which kept our canine happy.

We were impressed with our caravan, too — one of 35 for hire, which come in three standards.

We had the medium range, which featured two heated bedrooms, a small flat screen TV/DVD, kitchen with microwave, cooker, fridge and oven, and a heated shower room with toilet. Wifi is available for a fee, and bread, croissants and pains au chocolat are baked to order daily.

Though not as busy as The English Riviera and other tourist hot spots, there’s plenty to see in this part of the South West. The incaravan handbook offers a list of ideas.

There is the world famous Eden Project, an hour’s drive from Woodovis. We were impressed with the 15,590sq metre rainforest “bubble” — with more than 1,100 different plants and displays, it transported us to South America, Asia and West Africa.

In the next door Mediterranean biome the children enjoyed hands-on activities in a special “tent”

and at the educational centre. The outdoor gardens and larger-than-life art installations added another dimension to an exciting halfday out.

On John’s recommendation, we chose the surfers’ beach (complete with beach cafe including wooden veranda) at Watergate Bay, near Newquay, as our seaside trip, an hour’s drive away.

Dartmoor National Park is on the doorstep, measuring 954 sq km.

The park is easily tourable by car and turned out to be stunning. It’s criss-crossed by crystal clear streams, sprinkled with prehistoric standing stones, dotted with thatched cottages — and of course inhabited by ponies and their foals. Much to our girls’ delight, lots of these sturdy little animals were tame enough to stroke.

Of course, we couldn’t leave Devon without a cream tea, and found the perfect one — with riverside seating — on Dorothy's recommendation, at the Badgers Holt cafe.

It’s a quaint, former fishing lodge, nestled at the foot of the 1,300ft high Yar Tor, where two tributaries of the River Dart meet.

After some last-day shopping at the award-winning indoor market in Tavistock, it was time to head home.

This break had just just one drawback. Four nights just wasn’t long enough, in view of the long drive and excellence of the park and area.

So book at least a week’s stay. You’ll love it.