Our Mini-Break in Devon

A couple of weeks ago we had a few days down in Devon. I was craving sea air and the good old British seaside, so we made a few plans and embarked upon our mini-break in Devon.

I adore Devon. I have so many fond memories of holidaying there as a child, so it’s lovely to take my kids now. We did only have three nights there, I booked us into a Premier Inn in Bideford (the kids love their breakfasts!), as we wanted to explore a bit of North Devon.

Our hotel was right opposite a small shopping outlet so we kicked off our stay with a wander around there and it proved to be very fruitful as we picked up a few things that I’ve been looking out for for a while. We also visited the Gnome Reserve on our first day…

Gnome Reserve

Yes, we all needed to wear hats so as not to embarrass the gnomes, perfectly standard behaviour.  Boo loved it there and has asked to go back again next year when we come to Devon again (yes, she has declared trips to Devon need to be an annual tradition from now on!). There’s a gnome reserve and a wildflower garden, which is all very sweet. We weren’t there very long, but the kids were delighted with it.

Over the next few days we visited RHS Rosemoor….

I so wished we lived nearer to this as I’d definitely get an annual pass and could see myself there most weeks. It’s so beautiful and calming to meander around those pathways and gardens. There were great family play areas that the kids spent ages in, and they enjoyed running around the gardens and hunting the dinosaurs that are there at the moment. We also stopped for cake in the tea room and I spent ages in the plant nursery before settling on which plants to buy. I could have bought loads but I was mindful that we were away and there would only be so much plant space in the car boot!

As we always like to do when we’re away, we looked up our nearest National Trust property and visited, in this case it was Arlington Court

Again, why don’t we live closer? You’re spotting a theme here? If I move to Devon, you’re not going to be shocked, are you?! As well as the house and gardens there is a carriage museum  that we all enjoyed looking round. And I have to say, I think of all the properties we have visited throughout England, Arlington Court had the friendliest and loveliest staff of all of them, they were just so nice.

We strolled around Ilfracombe, had ice creams, nosed around the beach and had a lovely fish and chips dinner there. We drove over to Croyde bay and spent a happy few hours on the beach – I read my book whilst the Husband and the kids took a dip in the sea and enjoyed rock-pooling. We also went bowling in Barnstaple, which we’ve actually never done since having Little Man so it was his very first experience and he loved it. And we popped to Westward Ho a couple of times as it was so near to us. Those 2p arcade games were the big draw here!

Croyde Bay

We had such a lovely few days. I feel like we made the most of the time we had there without it feeling like we rushed around and crammed stuff in. It had that mix of being leisurely and relaxing, but also full and fun. And as I sit here writing this and editing the photos, I have a real hankering to be back there again. Ah well, until next year Devon, thanks for having us.

If you’re looking for family friendly short breaks, you might also enjoy A Hampshire Mini-Break and Our Stay Play Explore Break.

What do you love doing in North Devon?

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4 thoughts on “Our Mini-Break in Devon”

  1. Love this. Just returned from 2 weeks in North Devon. We also stayed in Bideford and visited Westward Ho, Ilfracombe, Croyde, Instow, Bude, Barnstaple, Appledore and Woolacombe. Was our first trip to North Devon. We LOVED it and shall definitely return ?

  2. I love Devon, I’m going in a few weeks with friends, probably won’t get a lot of exploring done that weekend, but we have so much of Devon still to see on future visits.

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