First time in North Devon with kids

[BooSaidTheGhost]

DP and I are off on our jollies in a week to Devon for the first time. We're taking our two DC (6 and 12 weeks), staying in a cottage in a village not too far from Barnstaple. With a new baby in the house and two bouts of Covid recently, planning has been a bit low on the agenda. Obviously I've done a bit of Googling snd no doubt our cottage / hosts will have some helpful information but I'd really like tips for beaches, family-friendly pubs, local attractions and so on, which you've visited and enjoyed.

Westward Ho ! has a lovely beach.

Saunton sands is lovely but gets very busy and parking is often full. There only the official parking.

We visited braunton burrows once as well - that was nice and quieter.

All the beaches are good but the best beach is middle beach, halfway between Putsborough and Woolacombe, access from Woolacombe end along Marine Drive.

Wimbleball lake is great

Rosemore garden.

The Grampus at Lee.

Lots and lots

If you've got NT membership then Lydford Gorge is beautiful, some of the paths a bit narrow and slippy so depends on your children but my DC managed it fine, put them on our shoulders for some of the tricky bits.
Clovelly is beautiful, lunch at the pub down by the harbour.
Visit Belstone, walk on Dartmoor, lunch in that lovely pub overlooking the moor whose name I have forgotten!
Pannier Market at South Molton on a Thursday (I think!)
Ferry from Appledore over to Instow is cheap and fun
Definitely Westward Ho including the seawater swimming pool
Hire bikes and cycle a bit of the Tarka Trail, flat and easy cycling for most of it
Visit Exmoor Zoo. I'm not a huge zoo fan but liked this one, lots of conservation work.

They might like the Big Sheep. Clovelly is lovely but steep. There’s a cliff railway at Lynton & Lynmouth which is fun & amazing walks nearby where you can see wild goats etc.

Ooh some great ideas, thank you! We have NT membership so would definitely like to make use of that whilst we're away, and the smallest member of the family seems to enjoy being in her baby carrier on daddy's chest so there is no stopping us from nice walks etc.

If you're going to the beach at westward Ho! Remember to check the tide times. The whole beach disappears at high tide (and the tide can come in very quickly).

The Milky Way near closely would be great for your older one.

Instow is nice (but don't bathe in the water) and has a few nice pubs overlooking the water. Can feel like you're abroad say on the deck on the boathouse in the nice weather!

Tarka trail walks are nice and has lots of shade, just watch out for cyclists.

Westward Ho is great fun for kids. Proper, old-fashioned seaside. Ice cream, hot dogs, candy floss, fish and chips, amusements - and that beach. Easy to park, too.

If you're historically minded there's a lot of stuff packed into the pleasant little town of Great Torrington.

How about a trip to Lundy Island from Bideford on the Oldenburg?

Crabbing at Appledore from the quayside - there are often competitions for kids in the summer.

Beaches:
Staunton Sands - massive, long beach but small car park & very busy. Has facilities (cafe, toilets, shop)
Croyde - lovely beach & village accessible through the dunes. Facilities on beach include toilets, cafe; more in the town including pubs, shops etc. and if you have NT membership you can use the car park at Baggy Point for £5 per day (unless it's increased) & it has a nice cafe.
Putsborough Beach - beautiful beach which stretches to Woolacombe. Good car park with toilets, cafe & shop. Our favourite.
Check tide times though.

Local attractions:
The Milky Way
The Big Sheep
Combe Martin Dinosaur & Wildlife Park
Quince Honey Farm
Exmoor Zoo

If you need a break, there is a good soft play at Infinity Devon (near Bideford) called WOW Workd of Wonder plus it's part of an outlet centre.

NT:
Heddon Valley is meant to be lovely.

The Old Farmhouse Kitchen and Tearoom at Great Torrington is very family friendly. It has a large garden with ride-on tractors, sand pit, water play, mud kitchen, play house etc…
The Bell at Chittlehampton has a garden with a large climbing frame/fort. Ditto for the Westleigh Inn between Biddeford and Barnstaple. Both serve great food and would accommodate a pushchair.

Echo the Lynton and Lynmouth cliff railway, there’s also the gorge/waterfalls- we didn’t get time to do this, but are hoping to next time!

I'm not sure if it's too far from Barnstaple but Woolacombe beach, is beautiful! It's won awards! We love it there!
I'd also second a visit to clovelly! And Exmoor zoo is a lovely day out for kids, not too big but there's enough!
You'll have a fantastic time. It's a great area to visit!

The Big Sheep
Quince Honey Farm

So many good suggestions...
Another vote for Instow, Appledore and Westward Ho! How has no-one mentioned Hocking's yet??! If you go to any of those places, you MUST have a Hockings.
Clovelly is lovely, but it is very steep - be prepared for a tough walk back up (maybe there's still the landrover taxi though?)
Hartland Quay is a bit 'wilder' than everywhere else mentioned.
Lynton and Lynmouth is a lovely day out

All the beaches on the north which have been mentioned are lovely, but consider going the other way to Bude. Widemouth Bay is fab, as are the town centre beaches. Great cliff-top walking, and a canal too, so plenty of options.

It all depends on what you mean by 'near Barnstaple' - that covers quite a wide geographical area. You'll have a great time though - I grew up near there, so have quite a soft spot for it.

Anywhere with Hockings Ice-cream. The tea room near Torrington as mentioned up thread, it's down single track roads, amazing cakes when you get there. Quince Honey Farm is now a sizable attraction with lots to do. Rock Park in Barnstaple for a general potter around. Fremington Quay for a bit of fresh air.