School’s nearly out and whether the prospect of 6 weeks of summer holidays warms your heart or sends shivers through you, you’ve got a lot of days of summer ahead.
We’re so blessed with stunning locations on our doorstep and these made great backdrops for some lovely family days out. So grab a picnic (and your swimsuits) and head out into our wonderful county. Oh, and don’t forget your camera/phone.
1) Dartmoor National Park
With its rolling hills, ancient woodlands, and glistening rivers, this scenic haven is perfect for authentic family portraits. Although there are are few ‘honeypot’ locations that can be heaving at any time of year, regardless of the weather, it’s always easy to get away from the crowds. We had the most incredible, spontaneous couple of hours playing in a stream in late August once. Spitchwick is always popular for wild swimming, but head up river a little and you’ve got the place to yourself. It always reminds me of happy childhood days. If you don’t fancy a bracing swim, what about scrambling over some boulders or up a tor. For additional incentive, add in some geocaching. There are so many to find on the Moor and it is a great way to keep little ones interested,
One of those magical days playing in a Dartmoor stream miles from anyone
2) Dawlish Warren
Ok, so Dawlish Warren in August might not be the first place you’d think to go for a beautiful backdrop, and undoubtedly you need to put in a bit of effort, but even on a busy day, there is so much scope to explore and have a lovely day. Use the footpaths through the dunes to get away from the crowds and call into the Visitors’ Centre to learn about the huge array of wildlife all about you. You can even pop onto the beach for a swim (just be mindful of the conditions, particularly as you get nearer to the river mouth). Of course, the benefit of being so close to the crowds are the ice cream options before heading home!
With just a little bit of effort, there’s always scope to get away from the crowds at Dawlish Warren
3) East Devon Way
This little sister of the South West Coast Path winds it’s way through approximately 40 miles of stunning east Devon. No, I’m not suggesting you tell the kids you’re going to spend the summer hiking it’s full length, but it’s a great way to find new places to go. In the weeks post lockdown when we had more time on our hands, we managed to get a good chunk of it done and discovered some amazing places we’d never otherwise have discovered and wow, those views!
Even as a life long Devonian, the views on the East Devon Way were a wonderful surprise…..
…and there are donkeys along the way!
4) Exmouth to Budleigh Cycle Path
As much as we love the Exe Estuary Cycle Path, my goodness it gets busy in good weather! The Exmouth to Budleigh path is a lovely, much quieter alternative, especially for younger cyclists. You can pick it up on the edge of either town and head out into the countryside. There are spots along the way for a picnic and some lovely woodland to look for deer.
the Budleigh to Exmouth cycle path is a lovely, peaceful alternative to the busier Exe Estuary
5) Blackberry Picking - pretty much anywhere you look
Find a footpath or a quiet country lane and away you go. Although we tend to associate blackberries with autumn, they are already appearing in handfuls (I had some wonderful ones this morning) and you really don’t need to go far to find some. Grab a tupperware box and you’re all set If you manage to get any home before they are all eaten, put some in the freezer and you’ve got suppliers for the winter. (I’m just not going to tell you where we go….that’s very definitely a secret;))
These are just a few of the phenomenal number of places you could visit this summer. I’d love to hear your other suggestions!