Family Favourites - May 2015

Family Favourites - May 2015

Out of the blue this week, we decided to go to Teignmouth and take the coast road from Torquay.  The drive was spectacular as the weather has been so beautiful this week (Easter

holidays) and we were amazed we had never been there before.  We were not sure if we were heading for Shaldon or Teignmouth but as Shaldon looked very busy, we carried on and crossed the long bridge over the estuary and went into Teignmouth town centre.  We were lucky with parking and the weather and we were so pleased we picked Teignmouth as our destination!

The promenade is long and wide and great for a walk and ice-cream. The pier is fun, the beach is sandy and not steeply shelving and so is safe for the kiddies and the play area is top notch.  We had a fantastic time.  On the way back to the car we went and played on the beach on the other side of The Point Carpark (the harbour side) and spotted ferries, watched people and dogs splashing around and saw Teignmouth Lifeboat being launched twice (the kids are lifeboat enthusiasts so this was very exciting for us - their tractor is huge compared to Dart Lifeboat’s) and decided we are definitely coming back to Teignmouth soon.  

We can’t wait to get the ferry to Shaldon, spend more time on the beaches on both sides of The Point and take a football, bubbles to blow and scooters to the promenade and grassy areas.  

Another idea that a friend happened to mention today, is that she went to Teignmouth, with her family and a few kiddies, by train from Paignton (parking in the multi-storey in Paignton).  What a great idea for extending your day out… kids love to take their notebook on the train and write down what they see as they go along (another idea from my friend!)

On the way back from Teignmouth, even though the children were well worn out and it really was home time, I managed to persuade my husband to stop at Watcombe Beach. 

What a wonderful beach this is!  You need to go a bit earlier in the day than us, as the sun goes down and disappears off the sand but the sunshine on the cliffs and rocks was stunning.  The cliffs are such a different shade of red there; you can really see how the coastline starts to turn into the Jurassic Coast of East Devon and Dorset.  The beach is small and surrounded by woodland and the car park is a decent walk up the hill from the bay but it is worth every step.  There is a café and toilets, which I assume are generally open in summer and the beach is doggy friendly all year round.  The beach itself is sandy but the edges looked rock pooly and it seemed very quiet and safe.  We did only just manage to walk down to the beach and back without too much moaning – another place to go for a full day out, with a picnic and all the beach gear.  I can see my plans for the summer holidays evolving as I write!

Since we moved here, nearly four years ago now, we have looked down to the left as we drive from Blackpool Sands to Strete and said to ourselves, “One day we will go down that path!”  Finally the day came, when I dropped the children with a friend for two hours and dashed out to Landcombe Cove with my parents and our dogs.

I went to see if this was a suitable walk for the Family Favourites column and decided that it was,

depending on whether you take your time, have plenty of snacks and drinks with you, be prepared for a steep walk back up and generally take some care.  I would take my children down there (I haven’t yet) but I would take another adult and make sure I had plenty of time to stop at the bottom, play and rest and not be in a rush to get back.  Also taking another family might motivate little legs to walk back up the big hill – this always seems to help us a lot.  Older children would enjoy this walk.  

Landcombe Cove is accessed off the A379, Dartmouth to Kingsbridge road and we parked in a layby just beyond Blackpool Sands and walked up the road 200 meters towards Strete, then turned left into the field, marked South West Coast Path.  If this layby is full you would have to park in Strete and walk down the road a bit.  The cove is just off the main South West Coast Path, but it is easy to see, you just walk down the hill and then follow the path along the edge of the stream to the beach.  

We walked the length of the beach, in the direction of Blackpool Sands first and marvelled at the small group of houses up on the hill that look out over Start Bay, with their steep steps down to the beach.  Then we walked the other way and as the tide was low, we looked round the corner into Forest Cove and then soon after that would be Slapton Sands.   Make sure you take all the precautions with tide, weather etc. and you might get this stunning beach all to yourselves.

And to my final and possibly my favourite Family Fave ever: a visit to Start Point Lighthouse. 

I have written about this lovely, buggy friendly walk before, in the days when all our walks needed to be suitable for the pushchair but we hadn’t been to Start Point for a while.  On the most beautiful day in March we drove to the car park (where you have to pay to park) and walked the mile down the hill to the lighthouse.  It was a stunning, warm, clear day with phenomenal views out over Start Bay, Beesands, Hallsands, Slapton Sands and all the rest.   We have always wanted to visit the Lighthouse but we have been told to wait until Tom was old enough to climb it himself, as small children are not allowed to be carried up the steps. 

We met the guide at the bottom of the lighthouse and he told us lots about its history, the pigsties, chicken coops, the families that lived in the lighthouse, the children’s walks to school up Start

Point – it all came alive.  The climb inside the lighthouse to the top is very steep and the last few steps are more like a ladder and, as long as you are prepared for this, the reward at the top is amazing.  The beautiful, spinning, glass set of prisms, that can reflect the light for such huge distances, are beautiful to watch going round and the views are outstanding.  

On the way up, you stop at each of the floors, for a little talk about what you can see, including the interesting red sector light that shines out over Start Bay and also to look down into the coves and hear about where the big boats pulled in carrying the man-power and the stone to build the lighthouse between 1834 and 1836.  

On the practical side, there is a toilet and a few souvenirs and books to buy as well as some drinks for sale.  The tour takes about 45 minutes and our children (4 and 6yrs) found it very accessible and interesting.  It would be best to check the opening times online before you go and decent foot wear is advisable.  There is a lot of technical information on the Trinity House website (search for Start Point Lighthouse, Trinity House) and The Start Point, Devon website has more of the visitor information, with ticket prices, opening times and so on (www.startpointdevon.co.uk). 

I could say so much more about this but I will leave that to the tour guides, as the ones that were there when we arrived were fantastic.  I think you will enjoy this as much as we did!

First published in By The Dart May 2015

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