Family Favourites - March 2015
In the winter we have visited the farm shop at Stokeley Barton (near Torcross, on the A379 between Dartmouth and Kingsbridge) a couple of times and always had a great time with our children there. As well as the farm shop, butchers, garden centre and free parking there is a very family-friendly café.
stokeley barton
The café is called The Canteen at Stokeley and is a warm, welcoming place, with a good selection of food, a lovely wood fired pizza oven, highchairs and toys for the children and a small play area outside. The play area is basic with outdoor toys and a playhouse and safely surrounded by a fence and far enough away from the car park. I had a good chat with Mel, one of the ladies who runs The Canteen, and she and her business partner both have young children, so they understand what makes a successful day out. Dogs are welcome outside, and I can imagine in the summer it is a peaceful place to sit in the sunshine amongst the plants that they sell in the nursery and away from traffic. It is very pretty. We left our dog tied up outside for half an hour after a doggy walk, and she was completely fine.
In early April they plan to have Easter themed activities, similar to those they ran at Christmas, which they said were popular and there are other events being planned in the future. They can also cater for groups – there were 12 of us there one afternoon for pizza – and they’ve had the Brownies in making their own pizzas and they would happily do birthday parties. To find out more it’s worthy following their constantly updated Facebook page. Opening times are 9am - 5pm and their phone number, should you wish to book, is 01548 581321. I think Dartmouth families would really love this place.
By the time you read this, February half term will be long gone, but as I write this column it is looming and I am gathering ideas about what to do during our week off. I have just read a newspaper article in which head teachers were interviewed about what children should be doing in half term, and many of the head teachers said children should be reading. This made me think of our lovely local library, which is under threat, and we should make use of it more often. The children’s area is great, with books for children of all ages and a craft table with colouring activities. Book loans are free and you can also use the computers, or rent from the large selection of DVDs. They often run seasonally related special events as well as regularly weekly sessions like Bounce and Rhyme Storytime on a Monday morning at 10am. Aimed at preschool children this free event is very popular with local families, but there is nothing to stop holiday makers joining in too. A great idea for a rainy morning.
The head teacher’s newspaper article also focused on the importance of getting out and about in the fresh air. We have a dog, so we have to get out and run around for at least an hour a day, otherwise the dog will be grumpy and mope around! When it has been wet and windy over the winter we have been going to Stoke Fleming park for our doggy walks because the dog can run around freely, there is good parking available and the play area is fantastic. The kids will happily spend time in the park there whatever the weather, because there are climbing frames and swings for children of all ages. Whilst they might spend most of their time sitting in Iggle Piggle’s boat there’s also a tunnel, roundabout, swings and all the rest. It may seem a bit obvious to mention a park as a Family Favourite, but it works for us, and keeps us active in the colder weather.
marine aquarium
As it will still be winter/spring when this is published, an indoor activity is useful and we love the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth. It is a good 45 minutes drive from Dartmouth to the edge of Plymouth and the Aquarium but it is well worth the drive. We have been going there since our children were small enough to be carried around in a front-facing sling and they absolutely loved staring at the fish from that young age. From the sharks (70 different sharks and 10 different species) to the diving displays with the enormous, almost blind, turtle, there is something for everyone and so much to learn too. My children’s favourite was definitely the turtle who could not see and they sat on the floor in front of his tank for ages and ages! In the holidays there are often activities in one of the classrooms – colouring activities, making sea monsters, etc and the staff are so helpful and friendly.
There is a big area for picnicking and we have sat outside before in the sunshine, even in the winter, and looked out over Plymouth Sound with our sandwiches. There are cafes inside the aquarium, one of which has a small, soft play centre for the younger children to enjoy. There’s also a RockFish Restaurant right by the aquarium serving great seafood and fish and chips.
It’s best to check the National Marine Aquarium website www.national-aquarium.co.uk before you go as you can check exactly what is going on and you can also book online to avoid the queues. And my top tip - when you visit make sure you upgrade your ticket to an annual pass – it’s free and you can go as many times as you like in a year.
First published in By The Dart March 2015