Just over 13 months since I last wrote a post titled virtually the same, I’m back from another weekend in Devon. A different area, a very different kind of break, but we still ended up going to our family-favourite chippy!
My family have been visiting Devon/Dorset for years. It’s so much quieter than Cornwall, easier to get to, a little cheaper and the roads are much wider. Plus it’s just as beautiful! For as long as I remember we’ve been going down there for the first weekend in March and then again later in the year – though I’ve sneakily escaped from the March visit for a good eight years now. What can I say; it was a little cold for me! This year we stayed in a cottage just outside Sidmouth – one of my favorite seaside towns.
Our first day was earmarked for one thing, and one thing only – a visit to aforementioned chippy. I actually wasn’t as impressed as usual as I found the chips a little pale and soggy, still good though! We wandered along the seafront, getting battered by the strong winds and sprayed by the waves. The sun came out to join us too!
I found a new life goal – own a beach hut. How lovely would that be?!
Saturday bought a lot of sunshine, a good amount of heat and a lot of wasps buzzing around. There was little chance to enjoy the weather as we’d arranged a family meet-up – it ended up being a great afternoon of seeing cousins I hadn’t seen since I was 14.
The next day was a bit rainy, a bit grey, a bit soggy. We headed off to Beer, a little fishing village I’d never actually visited before. It’s still a working fishing village, so there’s a bit of a whiff in the air. It is very charming though, I just wouldn’t want to sit for too long on the beach. We had a wander, then retreated to a little hut on the cliffs for shelter, steaming hot drinks and some equally mouth-blistering Devonish pasties. I have clearly got used to London prices as I couldn’t believe I could buy a hot chocolate for £1.50!
The next stop was the Donkey Sanctuary. This is a staple whenever we are in the area, it’s free to enter and a great way to spend a few hours. I love donkeys (there’s just something so comical amount them!), and I find the work the charity does is amazing. They all look so well cared for, everything is clean, and not a penny is charged. This time we were lucky enough to finally spy some of the Poitou – giant curly donkeys!
As the rain stopped we decided to pop into Sidmouth briefly – and ended up being seriously impressed by the dog-friendly beach. We watched the tail-end of the regatta, wandered around the shops (myself being amazed at being able to get on normal width wellies in Joules!), and maybe had a cheeky ice cream…(Maple Pecan Crunch was definitely a good decision…)
Having been so impressed with Sidmouth we decided to call in again on our last day (me and W unfortunately could only stretch to a long weekend). The weather was a little kinder to us, the tide not so. We wiled away the morning in the town, lusting over the homewear shops and eating some of the best chips ever (this time the fish suffered – one day I will find the perfect place that does both elements exactly right!). Tide finally out, we hit the beach. The sun made an appearance, the bare legs came out and I braved the sea (knee deep!). We explored some rock pools, got my dog running around and generally relaxed.
A slightly strenuous climb up to the car needed remedying with an ice cream. Salted Caramel was the perfect way to end a perfect weekend!
As this weekend served as a bit of a detox from the internet, from blogging, from life in general, I was a bit unsure about whether to put up a post about it. However I did take some lovely photos (some of these are from my shiny new phone!), and I had such a wonderful time I wanted to share it – as it’s my last holiday in a while I thought I’d make the most of it!
What did you get up to over the Bank Holiday? Where’s your favorite seaside spot?