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Easter in South Devon

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With Easter heralding the start of Spring, we believe Easter is about getting outside with the family and having fun together after those cold winter days indoors!

We will keep updating with local events so watch this space, but read on for our list of things to do this Easter whilst on holiday at Beeson Farm.

Pennywell Farm https://www.pennywellfarm.co.uk/ will be running their annual Easter Egg-stravaganza from the 1st April to 10th April. Pennywell is always an egg-stra special day out for families who will love feeding the animals, meeting the miniature pigs and going on the rides.   https://www.pennywellfarm.co.uk/easter-eggstravaganza

The Church House Inn at Stokenham (a few minutes drive from Beeson Farm)are hosting a free Sea Shanty Easter Event on the 8th April. With live music, traditional sea shanties, a bouncy castle, face painting, BBQ and pirate themed treasure hunt this sounds like a brilliant day out! Check their facebook page for details. https://www.churchhouseinnstokenham.co.uk/

South Devon Railway are running 3 family fun weekends, offering excellent value for money. Tickets include a ride on the Steam Train along the River Dart, free entry to the Dartmoor Otters and Buckfast Butterfly sanctuaries, free entry to Totnes Rare Breeds Farm, face painting, childrens entertainment, vintage bus rides and of course, an Easter Egg Hunt! https://www.southdevonrailway.co.uk/visit-us/whats-on/family-fun-weekend/

Totnes Spring Festival on the 13th April is a free day out for the family with live music, street food, childrens entertainment (including bouncy castle and free crafts) and much more. https://www.visittotnes.co.uk/whats-on/totnes-spring-festival/

The Easter Bunny will be visiting Woodlands Theme Park near Dartmouth from Saturday April 1st to Sunday April 9th. Make your way through the rabbit warren into Bunny’s Easter Grotto featuring amazing Easter themed rooms and meet the Easter Bunny then go thrill seeking on their egg-streme rides!! A day ticket will let you explore all the usual rides and soft play, and woodland areas as well. https://www.woodlandspark.com/

 

Pop over the River Dart to Greenway House (Agatha Christies home) and explore their beautiful grounds while taking part in their Easter Egg Hunt. The trail takes place between 24 March – 30 April, from 10.30am to 5pm, with last entry at 3.30pm.  Prices are £3 per trail (usual admission prices apply) which includes an Easter trail sheet, pencil, bunny ears and chocolate egg. There are fun games along the trail including welly wanging and wheelbarrow racing! https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/devon/greenway

Heron Valley Orchards  are hosting an Easter Egg Hunt in their beautiful grounds.  Grab a sheet from the bar and lead your little ones on an adventure through the orchard to win a chocolatey prize. The hunt can be done anytime between 9am and 5pm and can be taken at your own pace. The cafe will be open serving delicious lunches. https://www.heronvalley.co.uk/products/easter-egg-hunt

We have special offers and reduced rates available in the The Stables, Linhay or Trap House with weekly stays from just £480 per week. Check out our ‘Cottages’ page or contact us to book.

The Teenagers Guide to South Devon

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If, like us, you have a family of pre-teens or teenagers you’ll know that it can be a challenge to keep everyone entertained on a family holiday or short break.

Teens are never too old to spend time with the family and a family holiday to South Devon is a place where teens can escape social pressures, where exams and school work can temporarily be forgotten, and where new experiences can give them an opportunity to reconnect with their inner child and play again.

It probably goes without saying that teenagers need good  WiFi while they are away, which can be a challenge in rural areas. All our cottages at Beeson Farm have great broadband so your teen can be connected, talk to their friends and post on their socials. However, in South Devon there are also plenty of things to do that will keep teens off their phones and active outside.

As well as a selection of board games in the cottages we have a games room with table tennis and table football, as well as a badminton net and football goal to keep them entertained after a day out at the beach.

Here are our tried and tested local recommendations by our teens (age 12, 15 and 16)  of things to do  while enjoying family time together at Beeson Farm.

Be in or on the water!

Our teenagers love nothing more than being in or on the water all year round. The local beaches are excellent for swimming, snorkelling and body boarding…all free family fun, apart from buying the ice creams and cold drinks!

 

 

Salcombe watersports

Salcombe watersports is a family run business who provide unforgettable watersports experiences in the stunning salcombe harbour. Either hire a SUP, kayak, or book a lesson. We booked their giant SUP for 7 of our family (aged 12-22) and had an amazing time making memories together.

Surf lessons

Bantham Surf Academy offers lessons and courses for all skill levels, even absolute beginners,  A great opportunity to learn a new skill, catch some waves and grow in confidence against the beautiful backdrop of Bantham beach.

Outside Devon  

Outside Devon is a relatively new multi use space near Kingsbridge and Bantham. Cafe with cool vibes, a skate bowl and ceramics studio this is a perfect stop off on the way back from the beach, or check out their programme of workshops and events.

Salcombe Sea and Shore Rib tours

Salcombe Sea and Shore offer skippered RIB rides from salcombe and is a high octane and memorable way of seeing our beautiful coastline.

Coasteering

Salcombe is a great place for coasteering, exploring hidden caves, channels and beaches- with plenty of  jumping!

Tunes on the Sands

Tunes on the Sands is a 3 day music festival set on the beautiful beach at Blackpool Sands near Dartmouth, Sam Ryder is headlining this year on the 22nd July, along with Stereo MCs, this is a family festival suitable for all ages.

Watch the seals

Head to Start Point for some seal watching, or a swim at Mattiscombe Sands where seals often pop up to say hello, a truly breathtaking and memorable experience no matter how old you are.

 

We hope these give you some ideas of things to do with your tweens and teens.  A holiday at Beeson Farm is a great base for making some family memories together and we look forward to welcoming you!

End of Summer Escapes

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The end of August and beginning of September are a perfect time of year to visit South Devon! Mild temperatures, quiet beaches, stunning clifftop walks, seal spotting and beautiful waterfront towns to explore….

An ideal time of year for couples who want to explore the local area, or families with young children who arent tied down to term time holidays.

With prices from just £320 a week (special offer) you can embrace all that South Devon has to offer!

A warm welcome awaits you…

A day in Kingsbridge

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Our local town of Kingsbridge, just over 6 miles from Beeson Farm, is a wonderful local hub that sits at the head of the Salcombe Estuary.

In summer children love to sit on the embankment with their crabbing lines and watch the boats come and go. The estuary is well used by boats, kayakers and paddleboarders as well as the Kingsbridge-Salcombe ferry.

Kingsbridge town is a lovely mix of independent shops, galleries, antique/vintage shops, places of worship and cafes.

Start off your day at the very top of town at the Cookworthy Museum where you can discover the history of the local area. After your visit pop across the road to the worlds smallest nightclub, housed in a telephone box!

Head down fore street stopping at the community garden on the way.  Walk under the Shambles (an old market hall on raised granite pillars dating from Elizabethan times) and you will come across the old town hall, now the towns cinema. The cinema is one of the most recognisable buildings in the town, with its distinctive clock face which has only three faces- the fourth faced the old workhouse and so wasn’t added to prevent the inmates from clock watching!

Discover the eclectic mix of shops and galleries that line Fore Street. With something for all ages from toy shops (The Trading Post and Non Such) to independent clothes shops (Posh Totti, Cocoa, Spotted, Mint Dress Agency), galleries (the Mayne Gallery, Tidal Gallery and The Art Cafe where you can paint your own pottery) and the wonderful Harbour bookshop.

Coming off the highstreet you can find many little alleyways lined with cottages – often with fascinating names such as Squeezebelly Alley. As the name suggests it is too narrow for more than one person to pass through at a time!

Pass the entrance to the estuary and hop on the miniature railway to the end of the line where you can disembark for the recreation ground (with excellent childrens playgroud) or walk on down for a drink at the Crabhsell Inn overlooking the water.

Kingsbridge has a thriving antiques scene with the Antiques and Craft Centre on Ebrington Street and the eclectic Two Rooms on Lower Union Road (a bazaar of the bizarre, full floor to ceiling with treasures and well worth a rummage!), as well as numerous charity shops.

Kingsbridge Information Centre sits on the town square and the staff are very  happy to help  with recommendations for places to eat and things to do.

No matter what the time of year there are plenty of local events in the town to choose from, incluing the regular farmers market, Kingsbridge Food and Music Festival (June), Kingsbridge Fair Week (July) Kingsbridge Show (September) and Kingsbridge Celebrates Christmas (December)

Kingsbridge also has an indoor pool and sports centre.

Eating Out

Kingsbridge has something to suit all tastes and also numerous takeaways. For families we recommend eating the Art Café, the Crabshell Inn, Cool Beans Coffee shop, La Ranchera (amazing Mexican food) or the Fat Monkey.

For light lunches we can recommend Harbour House Café at the Arts and Yoga centre which has a delicious menu of vegetarian and vegan food, new arrival Fika, a Scandinavian inspired coffee house, and the Old Bakery which has a beautiful courtyard.

For a special meal head to Wild Artichokes (run by chef Jane Baxter) or Twenty Seven run by Jamie Rogers

Whatever you get up to on a day out in Kingsbridge we hope you enjoy it!

Year of the Pig. Gung Hay Fat Choi!

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Year of the Pig

Chinese New Year is the year of the pig (the 12th animal on the Chinese calendar) so we felt it was only right that we rounded up a few porcine places for you to get snout and about during your holiday!

The South Hams, (as our corner of South Devon is known) is an area of outstanding natural beauty encompassing large swathes of Dartmoor and stretching down to the coast. Home to vibrant and historic towns, quaint villages, hidden valleys and picturesque countryside, intersected with scenic rivers, the South Hams are a little corner of paradise

Pennywell Farm is home to the work famous Pennywell Miniature pigs, specially bred to be small friendly and exceedingly cute! Pennywell farm is a fantastic day out for families (especially young children), and visitors are welcome to cuddle the pigs and experience the thrill of pig racing every day at 2:30pm!

The Pigs Nose Inn for a totally different way to spend Chinese New Year, head over to the Pigs Nose Inn in the village of East Prawle- the most southerly point of Devon. This traditional 16th-century inn serves classic pub grub and real ales amid snug, quirky interiors. Sit by the fire and try your hand at some knitting from the knitting basket, play board games or pool- dogs and children are very welcome. There is regular live music in the adjacent hall which has seen everything from the Wurzels to Atomic Kitten!

The Pigs Nose and Gammon Head are also points on the south west coastpath, follow this circular walk (stopping at the interesting visitor centre at the coastwatch) before heading to the pub for a drink!

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/east-portlemouth-to-prawle-point/trails/prawle-point-walk

For a delicious Chinese meal (either takeaway or sit down meal), we highly recommend the food at Café Asia, in Kingsbridge. Lovely friendly staff and a delicious menu of South East Asian cuisine.