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5 day itinerary

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Heres a suggested itinerary for spending 5 days out and about from Beeson Farm:

Day 1: Arrival and Local Exploration

  • Arrive at Beeson farm and settle into your cottage.
  • Spend the afternoon exploring Kingsbridge. Visit the Quay, where you can enjoy a leisurely walk along the water and explore the shops and cafes.
  • Have dinner down at The Cricket Inn, Beesands (a 3 min drive from your cottage at Beeson Farm), sampling some of the best local seafood.

Day 2: Dartmouth and River Cruise

  • Head to Dartmouth for the day. Explore Dartmouth Castle and take a stroll along the waterfront before wandering around the town..
  • Enjoy a river cruise along the River Dart, which offers beautiful views of the surrounding countryside and coastline. We recommend going up river to Dittisham and back, you could even disembark for a visit to Greenway (National Trust).
  • In the evening, dine at one of Dartmouth’s restaurants overlooking the river.

Day 3: Coastal Walks and Salcombe

  • Spend the day hiking along the South West Coast Path, which offers stunning views of the coastline. Consider starting at Thurlestone and walking towards Hope Cove, or a circular walk from Gara Rock to East Portlemouth.
  • Depending on which of the above routes you chose to walk you could either drive to Salcombe or take the ferry from East Portlemouth to explore the town’s shops and art galleries.
  • Relax with dinner at a pub or restaurant in Salcombe, watching the boats come and go.

Day 4: Beach Day and Water Activities

  • Spend the day at one of the area’s beautiful beaches, such as Bantham Beach or Blackpool Sands. Relax on the beach, go for a swim, or try your hand at water sports like surfing or paddleboarding.
  • Alternatively, you could explore the nearby estuaries by kayak or paddleboard for a different perspective on the coastline. Equipment hire available from Kingsbridge or East Portlemouth.
  • Enjoy a picnic lunch on the beach, having bought supplies at Stokeley farmshop or one of the delis in Kingsbridge.

Day 5: Historic Sites 

  • Visit nearby historic sites such as Greenway House, the former holiday home of Agatha Christie, or the National Trust property Overbeck’s in Salcombe.
  • Alternatively, spend the day exploring the nearby towns and villages, such as Totnes or Modbury.

This itinerary should give you a good taste of what South Devon has to offer, from its beautiful coastline to its charming towns and villages, all while using Beeson Farm as a comfortable base for exploring! Whatever you choose to do, we hope you enjoy your holiday!

Wet Weather Days

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Even though the sun always seems to shine on South Devon and our instagram feed might be full of pictures of sun, sea and sand, the rain does fall in South Devon!! But dont worry, there is plenty to do for all ages on a wet weather day.

Heres a few suggestions for what to do on a wet weather day!

  1. South Devon Steam Railway runs from Buckfastleigh to Totnes alongside the River Dart, through some of Devons most beautiful countryside. Tie a trip on the railway in with a visit to Buckfast Abbey (a heritage bus service runs on some days between the two) or a trip to Dartmoor Otters & Buckfast Butterflies, adjacent to Buckfastleigh station (you can buy joint tickets for both attractions)
  2. National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth is likely to be busy on wet days but is home of the Ocean Conservation Trust and the largest aquarium in the UK. Tie in with a visit to the historic city of Plymouth, which also has an excellent museum at The Box- a museum and gallery, that has free admission.
  3. Woodlands Theme Adventure Park near Dartmouth is great for children that need to let off some steam! A massive indoor soft play, rides, a falconry and zoo will keep children of all ages entertained and if the weather clears there are adventure playgrounds, water rides and woodlands to explore outside too.
  4. Kents Cavern, Paignton, people have been visiting Kents Cavern since the Stone Age!  It is a rich treasure trove of archaeology and one of the most important Stone Age sites in Britain.
  5. Local Towns and Museums in Kingsbridge, Dartmouth and Salcombe are worth exploring on a wet day. Visit the local history or RNLI museums, go bargain hunting in the charity and antique shops or shelter from the rain in one of many independent cafes or restaurants.

There are also local National Trust and English Heritage properties to visit, the historic cities of Plymouth or Exeter to explore and cinemas in both Kingsbridge and Dartmouth.

Dont forget we have childrens wellies available to borrow in the games room, in case you decide to go out and embrace the weather, watch the waves or jump in some puddles before settling down in a cafe, pub or back in your cosy cottage!

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!

National Cream Tea Week

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Its practically an unspoken rule that on a holiday to Devon you should indulge in a traditional Cream Tea!

Of course, there is great debate about what should go first….the jam or the cream?!

In Devon there is only one way to enjoy your cream tea, and that- of course, is cream first, jam on top!

We have a wonderful selection of tea rooms, farm shops and cafes for you to choose from when going for a cream tea, here are some of our favourites:

  1. The Seabreeze Cafe, Torcross. A delightful cafe on the seafront at Torcross, we love the coastal themed interior and their generous sized scones! Enjoy your cream tea whilst listening to the sea lapping at the shore!
  2. Stokely Farm Shop Cafe. An excellent farmshop where you could buy all the ingredients to make your own – or simply enjoy sitting outside amongst the greenery and sample one of their homemade cream teas!
  3. Avon Mill Garden Centre. A lovely garden centre with excellent cafe, why not build up an appetite walking along the banks of the River Avon before filling up on a cream tea!
  4. South Allington House. A privately owned country house and campsite, enjoy a cream tea on the lawn.

Wherever you decide to have your cream tea, we hope that you savour every mouthful….and please remember the cream first!

 

A weekend in South Devon

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We thought we would put together a couple of itineraries based on things our guests have told us they love to do!

A relaxed weekend away

After you have arrived at Beeson Farm and made yourselves at home why not wander down to the Cricket Inn at Beesands for a delicious seafood supper whilst overlooking beautiful Start Bay, waiting for the light of the lighthouse to come on.

Day 1: Head over to Torcross (either walk along the coastpath from Beesands or take the car). The village has an interesting hist0ry- stop at the tank to learn more about Operation Tiger, the D Day landing practice that ended in tragedy. Spend some time on the beach, feed the ducks or take a stroll around Slapton Ley nature reserve.

Stop for lunch at Stokelely Farm Shop and have a browse of the garden centre and craft/interiors shops before stocking up for a BBQ from the butcher.

Day 2:Drive to Start Point lighthouse and take the circular walk to Mattiscombe beach, stopping for a tour of the lighthouse on the way. Keep you eyes peeled for seals.

Day 3: Visit Kingsbridge, Dartmouth or Salcombe. Each town is on the waterfront and has a lovely mix of independent shops, galleries and cafes

A weekend with the kids

Day 1: Arrive at Beeson Farm and let the children run off steam in our playground, cider orchard or with a game of table tennis or badminton. Head down to Beesands for fish and chips from Britannia Takeaway and sit on the beach whilst the children have a paddle.

Day 2: Have breakfast at Stokeley Farm Shop and buy supplies for a picnic before heading to Mill Bay. The children will enjoy the golden sands, digging dams and rockpooling. Take the passenger ferry over to Salcombe and explore the town if you go drag them away from the beach

Day 3: Head to Kingsbridge with the crab lines and try crabbing from the harbour wall. Ride the miniature train from the tourist informaiton centre to the recreation ground and then head to the Crabshell Inn for lunch or to book a paddleboarding lesson.

A foodie weekend

Day 1: After you have arrived pop down to either the award winning Cricket Inn at Beesands for dinner.

Day 2: Have a morning coffee in Kingsbridge before driving on to Bantham for a walk on the beach (or book into surf school if you are feeling adventurous!) Have a late lunch at the Oyster Shack and stop at Avon Mill Garden Centre for a cream tea on the way home. If you have room enjoy takeaway fish and chips from Britannia at Beesands!

Day 3: Have breakfast at Springfield Farmshop before heading to Gara Rock. Park at Gara and walk the circular route to Mill Bay and back before enjoying lunch with an awesome view!

 

 

Easter in South Devon

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On Easter Sunday morning join us on the farm to see what the Easter Bunny has been up too- we can guarantee that there will be plenty of chocolate easter eggs hiding around the farm, cottages and courtyard for our youngest guests!

Head over to the annual South Pool Easter Fun Day on April 20th (Approx 10 mins from Beeson Farm) The fun takes place alongside the estuary in the pretty village of South Pool, home to the fabulous Millbrook Inn. Turn up with your Easter Bonnet for the childrens egg hunt and bonnet competition from 12:15pm and then marvel at the South Pool duck race from 2pm, chose your rubber duck and cheer it on as it floats to victory down the estuary! There will be a BBQ and live music at the pub throughout the afternoon.

East Soar Outdoor Experience is situated on a National Trust farm in one of the the most breathtaking parts of South Devon on the headland, just above the picturesque town of Salcombe (approx 15 mins drive from Beeson Farm). Their yearly Easter family fun days are hugely popular with locals and guests alike and will runs over the Easter holidays. 11am daily, £3 per child.

The Tower Inn in Slapton are hosting their own mini Easter fair on the 20th April, with plenty of entertainment for the children and wonderful food and drink for the adults to get Easter off to a great start!