Summer Holidays in East Devon
With school summer holidays set to start next week, here at Quantock Barn we are looking forward to welcoming all the families to East Devon. We thought we would share some of our favourite family friendly spots in the local area, including cafes and restaurants. This is just a small selection of places that we go to regularly and are within a half an hour drive.
Please check all the websites for up to date opening times and ticket prices.
Ferne Animal Sanctuary and Perdida’s Café
Ferne Animal Sanctuary is only 10 minutes from Quantock Barn and has recently had a new café open on site. Set in beautiful countryside the charity rescues all sorts of animals from donkeys and dogs to rabbits and pigs, where visitors can come and say hello to the animals. They also hold various charity events over the summer including their Summer Fayre and the Dog Show. Tickets can be bought online or at the door and remember to stop by the new vegetarian café which sells delicious food including homemade cakes. Another great bonus is that the sanctuary is also dog friendly!
https://www.ferneanimalsanctuary.org
Lyme Regis
The historic seaside town of Lyme Regis sits on the Jurassic Coast. It is a quaint, picturesque town with lots of lovely food spots, a small sandy beach plus a larger pebble beach where you can find fossils (Charmouth Beach) and the Cobb harbour. There is plenty to do in Lyme Regis including fossil hunting and boat trips, and it is a great spot for sea swimming. Dogs are not allowed on the main beach during the summer months, but they are allowed on Monmouth Beach which is usually a bit quieter as well. Parking in the summer can be a little tricky and we recommend visitors park at Holmbush Car Park at the top of the hill and walk down through the gardens to the beach, and to also arrive earlier in the day. There are plenty of lovely walks including the South Coast Path and the views are stunning.
For food stops, we highly recommend Swim which is on the seafront and has great food and a relaxed vibe. It caters for little ones and is also dog friendly. For ice cream, we recommend Baboo gelato which has two shops in Lyme Regis (one by the harbour and one on the high street). There are also loads of independent shops on the high street, including a lovely toy shop, and look out for the pop-up craft fair in the church hall.
Heron Farm Vineyard and Café
This vineyard and café is just outside of Honiton, so only about a 15-minute drive from Quantock Barn. It is a great, child (and dog) friendly spot with a playground and plenty of space to run around. The food and coffee are great, and we find it makes the perfect place for a weekend brunch with the whole family. They also hold loads of events over the summer including live music, wood fired pizza nights and beaver tours! Don’t forget to buy some sheep food at the shop, to hand feed the very friendly sheep that live in the ‘fairy garden’.
Seaton
Seaton is the next town along the Jurassic Coast from Lyme Regis, and whilst not as pretty it still offers some great little gems and is usually a bit less busy, especially in summer. There is a long seafront promenade with a pebble beach, and a lovely café at the end called the Hideaway. This end of the beach is dog-friendly all year round and so you can also walk to Seaton Hole, which is a pretty cove where, at low tide, has the best rock pooling in the area.
This town also has our favourite ice cream spot, Cortona Gelato Lab, where everything is made in house and the flavours change frequently. They also serve great coffee and locally baked cakes.
As it is Devon, it is likely that there might be the odd rainy day during the summer and Seaton has one of the best rainy-day attractions for children… Jurassic Discovery. This attraction is next to the Seaton Tramway (also a great day out) and has animatronic dinosaurs that used to be at the Natural History Museum in London. There is also a great soft play which is perfect for spending a few hours out of the rain.
https://www.thehideawayseaton.com
https://www.facebook.com/cortona.gelato/?locale=en_GB
Axminster
Axminster is about a 15minute drive from Quantock Barn and is a great little town to explore. There are some nice walks around the town, and it has great community spirit with a market on a Thursday. One key community place is the Waffle House which is a non-profit café with a menu that centres on their delicious Liege waffles. The café also has a small play area and is dog friendly (but no outdoor space).
Just on the outskirts of the town is Axe Valley Wildlife Park, a small zoo with lots of different and unusual animals to see. It is a great, family friendly day out with a zookeeper talks and a playground.
https://www.axevalleypark.co.uk
Let us know where you like to visit or if any of these spots are your favourites too!