Where in South Devon with toddler?

[natrat80]

Planning our first proper UK holiday this year in June with our son who will 20 months at the time. We're planning to travel down to South West coast from Manchester, so a bit apprehensive about the journey ahead!

I've started a bit of research, and have honed in on South Devon as it seems to offer plenty of towns, beaches and attractions. We'll be planning to hire some kind of cottage (or lodge?) and take day trips out and about. We'll mostly be eating in during the evenings (so eating out on a night isn't too important for us), but being in or near a lovely town would be a bonus.

So far I've come across the following areas, if you can cast your opinions good and bad....

Dartmouth (option for Salcombe day trip, but also the other way to Dawlish?)
Teignmouth?
Further along coast near Budleigh, Sidmouth, Branscombe, Beer

Any suggestions of a good place to base ourselves to get to the best sights would be most appreciated.

Thanks so much!

exmouth is lovely. there is a huge haven caravan site there that has its own beach. its dort of in the middle foe torquay etc. dawlish is lovely.

I know its a bit further along the coast but easier to get to by motorway but have a look at Looe in Cornwall. M5/A38 easy journey dualled all the way. we stay HERE even though ours are older now but it is ideal for toddlers with all the animals and the big play barn. lovely part of the world, plenty of gentle days out and good beaches.

Thanks for comments so far!

Thanks for the Exmouth suggestion. We're looking for a change from a holiday/caravan park, as we've done Eurocamp for several years now (I used to work there), so I fancy staying in a cottage this year.

Looe! That made me laugh. We had the most awful holiday there as a child - nothing to do with the place. Our family car rolled down a hill and crashed, and we also stayed in a hotel that we nicknamed Faulty Towers it was that bad!

I can recommend a lovely place to stay in Holbeton near Kingsbridge and Salcombe. Its a little remote but easy enough by car and my kids (then 14m and 3.5) both loved it when we stayed there last March.

www.carswellcottages.com/thelodge/

Looks gorgeous but fully booked up for June :-(

The South Hams, no contest.

Hope Cove
Dartmouth
Kingsbridge
Blackpool Sands
Torcross

Granny lives in Exmouth so we've gone their at least a week every year if not two or three for the last 18 years. It's very, very handy for just about everything although on two occasions we've spent a week in Salcombe and also nights at a pig farm when one of ours was into piglets!

Exmouth itself is very good and where I'd recommend first. We've rented flats down at the marina on several occasions with a guaranteed parking space. (A brand new Premier Inn is opening soonish I think.)

Most recently we've stayed in Budleigh (October school week) as we are now outgrowing Granny's Starfish. The beach near here is a pebble one and not suitable for your little one but the sea front walks would be great with a pram. However this cottage was outstanding and within a 15 minute drive of Exmouth beach.

Thanks so much for the suggestions so far!

I'll look at Exmouth, but also The South Hams. imjustahead any reason you recommend that area so much?

Thanks so much for the suggestions so far!

I'll look at Exmouth, but also The South Hams. imjustahead any reason you recommend that area so much?

South hams are beautiful , whilst ex mouth is a lovely town it's much bigger, the beaches along the coast are fab, mothercombe, bigbury bantham. Loads of holiday cottages and fab countryside, you'd also be close to plymouth for wet day activity at the aquarium or pennywell farm.

( I'm not biased at all??)

i live here

and anyone i have met who knows the area always says they love it. when i was a kid we came here on holidays and i remember then so fondly.

Thanks imjustahead I'll definitely look this way and home into cottages in this area x

imjustahead - me again!

Can you advise if there is a sandy beach in this area. I'm not bothered about spending loads of time on beaches but good to know if there is at least one sandy not stoney beach we can take him to.

Cheers!

hello

Thurlestone
South Milton
Hope Cove
Bantham

all sandy. that side of the Hams is.

Torcross is pebbles but my dd adored them. direct access to beach and a very old popular pub for local caught fish right there. big family room.
go along the coast to Blackpool sands. look it up it's a gorgeous place. looks like the med.
Kingsbridge has a lovely park with a little persons area.

oh and there is Woodlands at Dartmouth, family fun park but in lovely wooded setting. emphasis on small people.

pm me with any properties and i can prob advise on location.

disclaimer i don't work for the local tourist info center!

I like South hams but some of the main beaches are stone not sand. I prefer sandy beaches for toddlers.

Dartmouth or have you considered Totnes? Alternative town with a lovely Elizabethan market, river cruises to Dartmouth, a steam railway to buckfastliegh and Pennywell farm/ the butterfly farm, the rare breeds farm which is just lovely with younger children. Not too far from the lovely beaches at Bantham/Thurlestone etc. near to Torbay or Plymouth or Exeter if you fancied them for a day trip.

Sandy beaches start west of Exmouth, with the exception of Charmouth and Lyme Regis it's pebble beach all the way in east Devon.

Dawlish is lovely, but the further west you go the better it gets!

One in support of Beer, Branscombe area. We have lovely beaches. Beer has pecorama for trains. Crealy is nearby. Near budleigh is Bicton park.
Basically lots to do with a 20 month old.

South Hams are GORGEOUS. My favourite place in the UK. I really want to go to Southpool this year - there is a wonderful little restaurant in the village and it's on the estuary.

Wow! Thanks all for such brilliant feedback! It's my first ever Mumsnet post and I've got lots of food for thought!

I did see the Pecorama in Beer and thought that looked lovely, though given Florian won't even be two yet, he'd appreciate that when he's a bit older maybe.

I think I'll hone in on South Hams and start to look at what kind of accommodation we can get.

Cheers all!
Nat

Exmouth is lovely. Sandy beach and near to the donkey sanctuary and digger world/land I think. We stayed at sandy bay haven holiday park and had a great week. Beaches and countryside really are lovely.

imjustahead - I've pmed you x

We stayed near Dartmouth when my daughter was about 20 months. We had a lovely time. We visited the beaches at Blackpool Sands (very fine shingle) and Salcombe (sand).

We had days out to Pennywell farm, Paignton Zoo (which has just about every animal a small child could wish to see), Brixham, river boat down the Dart to Agatha Christie's house, the steam train from Buckfastleigh to Totnes, visits into Dartmouth and the rare breeds farm that she was so over excited about at the time. It's a lovely area and there is loads to do without spending too much time in cars getting around. There's a lot I didn't get to do there.