It’s 2pm on a sunny Sunday afternoon and I’m in my usual writing spot at the dining room table, listening out for my soon-to-be four year old to come bouncing through the door. He will soon return from a friend’s 4th birthday party at a local play café, which Joel took him to, so I could squeeze a rare gym session in. Yes, it is 25 degrees and gorgeous outside and I spent my precious child-free hour…on a treadmill.
The children and I have just returned from four nights away in Devon with my parents, where we explored various beaches, none of which I’d been to before.
In typical British summer holiday fashion, it rained approximately a third of the time, giving us one overcast and windy day, one perfectly glorious day and one non-beach day.
We arrived at our Air BnB in the village of Broadclyst and despite a long journey, mum agreed that given there was still daylight, it was worth checking out the nearest beach. (Dad stayed behind to read the paper.) Initial observations at Exmouth beach included the abundance of seaweed, though not enough to put Maia off going in for an evening dip. We picked up our first round of fish and chips on the way home. A successful first evening.
Day one involved trips to both Budleigh Salterton and Sidmouth, where we noticed, in both places, the water was not the most appealing of colours. Distinctly brown, fading into a more typical dark blue further into the sea. Google assured us it was “a common marine algae found in UK coastal waters..which is often mistaken for sewage”, but understandably Maia was a tad put off by my Googling and the mention of the word “sewage”, so remained on dry land. She was not thrilled by this. After ice-cream, hide and seek amongst the colourful beach huts, a park visit and a second round of fish and chips, it was, despite the murky waters; a lovely day. Both towns were particularly charming with their beautiful coastal views and seaside shops.
Our second day was spent in Lyme Regis, with its lively atmosphere, sandy beach and conveniently nearby toilet facilities. (Huge factor the latter.) The sun shone and both Maia and I went for a swim. (Well, I tentatively immersed myself…eventually, then moved around, it wasn’t so much a “swim”.) Leo made friends with a little boy close in age named William, which was very sweet, then cried when he had to leave.
We spent our final day with the animals at Pennywell Farm. This wouldn’t be my first choice of outing on a coastal holiday, like Maia, I’m all about the beaches, but the heavens were forecast to open and I knew the children would love both the animals, and the indoor soft-play. We sat through an interesting juggling performance in a barn, which Leo and other children his age seemed to love, (Maia was not so taken), before queuing to hold a baby pig. All pigs were occupied, so the children were each given a rabbit to hold. They were quietly besotted, especially Leo. My dad later remarked that the highlight of his day was seeing the delight on the children’s faces holding their rabbits. Which only goes to show; it really is the littlest things. (But also, when in doubt, take your children to the animals. The calming effect of those rabbits was remarkable.)
By Angela Garwood
