Devon (or alternative ) for easy holiday for one with decent ice cream

[Homemadebreadandbutter]

Just me going, I need to be based somewhere where the drive to it doesn’t involve very narrow roads and reversing up hills (!) and I can walk, relax and read, have nice coffees, eat lovely ice cream and see beautiful scenery. Any suggestions?

The New Forest? Depending on where you live, it may be easier to get to than Devon. There's beautiful scenery and lots of lovely local icecream.

Arran. Might be further than you want to travel! Beautiful scenery, though, and the Arran Ice Cream company does lovely ice cream, very widely available on the island.

Seconding the New Forest!

Thanks. Any particular New Forest location?
I agree the Arran is lovely, but yes, a little far for me this year.

Starting with the ice cream, I would go anywhere that sells Baboo https://baboogelato.com

Made in Dorset and distributed locally, what about Lyme Regis? Kiosk at each end of the beach. Or the tiny village with nice beach at nearby Seatown where the Anchor Pub has a Baboo kiosk outside? Or the delightful village of Beer? All have wonderful cliff walks with fantastic scenery.

I live in the New Forest and it is lovely. Much easier roads than Devon!
I would suggest Beaulieu as somewhere to stay. It is absolutely lovely and not gridlocked like Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst (touristy spots) are frequently.
If you can afford a bit of luxury peace and quiet then the dukes’s bath house cottage at nearby Buckler’s Hard is unbelievably gorgeous. Right on the Beaulieu river. Great pub (Master Builders Hotel ) in strolling distance.

If you want relaxing then avoid the hoards of tourists. These would be my suggestion.

Budleigh Salterton, it has a pebble beach so doesn't attract such heaving crowds but had lovely ice creams and cream teas. Beautiful scenery and lovely walks along the coast path or inland along the River Otter (try and spot a beaver), you can walk to Otterton Mill for more ice cream. No windy lanes, roads single carriage way but coaches can get down them.

Shaldon, has some very nice pubs and cafes, looks out over the Teign estuary and Teignmouth, look out for seals. Has a great secret beach known as smugglers beach but is actually called Ness Cove, it's through a tunnel. Lots of nice pubs and cafes along the river. Coast path walks or walk up the estuary. Can get a little ferry or drive over to Teigmmouth, lots of nice little shops and galleries, a new theatre, coffee shops and some restaurants.

Look up orange elephant ice cream. It's right off the A38 in Devon and the surrounding area is pretty.

How about Mumbles? The drive there is easy, can’t remember how easy it is to drive around the Gower peninsula but you could leave that part to bus drivers. Joe’s for ice cream.

www.joes-icecream.com/parlours/

This is looking promising - I have the unexpected opportunity of up to a week on my own (I have older kids, a job and a cat!). Budget is limited but I am happy to create delicious meals in and it looks like the weather may be okayish for a week or two, so am thinking of ambling around and pleasing myself but couldn’t really pin down what I wanted. I am happy with my own company but lost a bit of confidence recently - think I’m just a bit tired! @LegendInMyOwnLunchtime the ice cream sounds wonderful- they should pay you commission!

Anywhere that sells bricknells ice cream - bath/wells/glastonbury kinds of places. Lots of lovely walking and roads pretty civilised too.

Well, there's Otter Valley ice cream, which is right off the A303 in the Blackdown Hills, and IMHO is the best ice cream I've tasted (and we're in Roskillys country down here, so that's saying a lot).

Cannot guarantee no narrow lanes in the surrounding area though....😬

We have just come back from Dawlish Warren in Devon. Roads are a bit windy but not horrendously so. And if you stay at Dawlish Warren you have access to the very good train network that will take you to all the local resorts. That will save driving and you can have wine etc. The Warren is beautiful, you can get to Teignmouth and then a passenger ferry across to Shaldon from the 'back beach', harbour area. The Ship Inn is a gorgeous little pub that does food on the harbour. You can also get to Torquay, Paignton, Exeter and loads of other places by train. And if you go the other way on the train to Starcross, another passenger ferry over to Exmouth.

Have fun, we love Devon so much.

Sidmouth - amazing gelato shop! Also covers the other bases but not too hectic there's long and short walks depending on your stamina and ability I love walking along the river otter myself. There's buses so you don't have to go back on yourself too

I live in Swansea and second Joe's ice cream. They also have a parlour in Swansea as well as Mumbles. It is easy to drive around the Gower but check first there are no sporting type events on in Swansea, Mumbles and Gower as there will be road closures and diversions e.g. Gower Bike Ride 11 August and Admiral 10k 15 September.

Fowey in Cornwall. Readymoney Cove beach shop sells the most amazing Cornish ice cream. The beach is the perfect place to sit and read. Seem to remember good coffee there too. Lots of walks from Fowey and amazing scenery. The roads aren't too small, and getting to the main car park is easy. I could easily spend a week there and never leave!

You know how they say ‘getting there is half the fun’ - in this case it really is. I am putting aside some time later today to research these places and happily picture myself doing all the holiday things! (May add a bakery to the wish list!). Starting to feel excited now!

how about northern coast of France? Depending on where you start from, for us it’s quicker to get there than Cornwall or Devon. The eurotunnel is very, very easy and quick. And you cannot get better than French village bakery. And they do amazing ice cream.

Agree with @LegendInMyOwnLunchtime

There's a Baboo kiosk in West Bay (also worth a look) and I had some from there on a hot day. Gorgeous. The area around West Bay is very nice. Hive beach is good.

Generally the suggestion to base yourself along the Jurassic Coast somewhere is a good one. Lyme is very hilly. I don't particularly love it myself but it is popular.

I like Beer, but the main car park is hilly to get to. There are others but they are smaller. The Branscombe-Beer coast path is lovely, it's gets less touristy than some others. There are also a couple of beaches you can only get to by walking between there and Sidmouth.

I like Budleigh, the Otter Valley area is great for walking, the river is stunning at sunset. Exmouth gets very busy but the ice cream and coffee on offer is good and the beach is huge so there's always space. Easy access to Woodbury Common which is nice and peaceful.

Yes Lyme and Beer do have hills, but not the tiny windy lanes that you would need to reverse up in a traffic snarl up as in Devon, just … normal hills.

In these places accommodation with parking is important, I think.

Sounds like a blissful week, OP, whatever you do!

(if you do go to the Dorset coast the cliff top walk from Beer to Branscombe is spectacular, you can walk back via the ‘undercliffe’ path , or get the bus back. Good coast road bus service along the Jurassic coast. Also the shorter walk from Seatown to Golden Cap, swim and Baboo Ice cream afterwards. Then a pint in the garden overlooking the beach at the Anchor…

@SuncreamAndIceCream I will be following your suggestions about Otter and Branscombe to Sidmouth on my trip to Dorset later this year. Can’t wait!

If you live West Midlands way, I can highly recommend Tywyn or maybe Aberdyfi or Barmouth. Mountains as well as the coast, things to do, lovely beaches, and the honey ice cream shop!

Hay on Wye has the delicious Shepherds ice cream, the Brecon Beacons and plenty of books! With additional excellent homemade ice cream just over the border in Herefordshire at Oakchurch Farmshop and Rowlestone Farm.

Thank you all so much - booked near Dawlish and have lots of ideas for next time. I have ordered a million books to take with me.

I know you've already booked (and Dawlish is great) but I had to comment on all the Baboo love (under a name change) as dd works for them in the summer and they are excellent employers as well as ice cream producers.

I can't believe there's a thread specifically about ice cream and Devon and noone has mentioned Hockings! Too late now as you've gone south, but for future consideration, a select few places along the north coast sell the BEST ice cream - Instow, Appledore, Westward Ho!, Ilfracombe etc.