Days Out in Devon - Canonteign Falls

When we were looking for days out near our yurt in Cullompton, we came across Canonteign falls, a National Trust site that we thought the kids would enjoy. It was our intention to go there for the morning before heading somewhere else after lunch but we ended up spending the entire day there as the kids were so content and happy exploring that it seemed a shame to drag them away!

Canonteign Falls is England's tallest waterfall and none of the children had seen one before so they were pretty excited, as was Ed who had also not seen one! We checked out the website and were reassured that all dogs had to be on leads (something that is important for us with a child afraid of them).  It was easy to find and parking was simple and at the entrance we were given maps and told about the Covid measures including masks when ordering food and a one way system.  

We found the playground first which had a couple of large trampolines in as well as the usual equipment so we had a play first.  Everything was well maintained and as we were visiting on a day where the weather wasn't the best, it wasn't very busy.  We had bought food for the ducks on the way in so next up was feeding the ducks in the huge pond at the centre of the site.

When it came to the waterfall, the first step was the bottom of it and we noticed regular visitors had brought wellie boots with them as you could play in the water.  My children decided to step in the water anyway with their shoes on so I would strongly advise bringing spares or coming better prepared! They could have spent much longer scaling the rocks and splashing in the shallow water but we managed to pull them away to begin the climb.

The path up to the top of the falls was well signposted and easy to follow.  There was a mixture of trail, steps, muddy walkways and boards and it wouldn't be accessible with a wheelchair or buggy. We took our time climbing up, stopping to spot all the fairies hanging in the trees, to explore the dinosaur made out of sticks, to sit on benches and eat snacks and to learn about the plants that grew around us.  There was so much to see and discover.  At the top there is a viewing platform where you can look down over the top of the fall and see for miles.  There were covid rules that meant only 2 groups could be up there at once and everyone followed the social distancing guidelines.  The views were spectacular and the children were amazed at how high we had climbed and how far they could see.  

The walk down didn't take nearly so long and at the bottom we discovered a wooden obstacle course with a zip line which entertained the kids for a long time too.  Again, there was not many other children and so it was easy to keep away.  We found more constructed animals and there was also a bee garden which we decided not to explore.

We had such a fantastic day out at Canonteign Falls and it is somewhere we would highly recommend and also hope to revisit in the future. Next time we will wear old clothes and welly boots though!

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Days out in Devon // Haldon Forest

When we were looking for days out in Devon, Haldon Forest popped out at us as it had all the wildlife and woodlands of a forest with the amenities of toilets, a cafe and a playground so we loaded up the car and headed there in the morning.  Entry is free but you pay for the carpark which was about £7 for the whole day and less for a shorter time, quite reasonable for a day out.  In non-Covid times there is a Julia Donaldson trail and we were a bit upset that it was closed during our visit as the children would have loved it.  The office was closed too but there was a map of the trails on the wall and a sign encouraging you to take a photo on your phone to use instead.

Everything was well sign posted and the queues for food and the toilets were socially distancing well/  We decided to do the mid length walk as the children have a tendency to go off path exploring regularly and so any walk takes us a long time.  There were separate trails for cycling and running, everything colour marked along the way and some paths were available for either.

Our path led us through the woodlands and there was so much to explore as we went.  The forest was full of man made dens of varying sizes and we loved discovering them as we walked through.  You could go quite far off the tracks but there were boundaries in place to make sure you didn't get completely lost.  Along the way we found plenty to play with including a huge wooden xylophone which the boys couldn't get enough of.  The day we chose was overcast and misty with light rain at times but it didn't bother them one bit.

At one point we found signs explaining everything in front of us including a beautiful white tower but the fog was so low we couldn't see any of it!  I imagine the views are beautiful on a clear day though!  There was plenty of insects to observe along the way and spots of colourful flowers amongst the trees.  In the main area all the dogs were on leads but as we went into the forest we realised that dogs were allowed to roam free which did cause a few issues for us as some super friendly dogs bounded over and two of the boys are very afraid. I would say the forest isn't the best place for dog-fearing children as the most friendly dogs usually didn't have an owner in sight.  For most of our walk this wasn't a problem as despite the main area being quite busy, the walks were not, possibly due to the number of choices.

The forest is really well looked after and some areas were cordoned off as the new trees are growing and need to be protected from humans and animals.  There was also lots of information about how sustainable the forest was and how much timber is produced which was fascinating.  

Haldon Forest is a beautiful and well looked after area with plenty of trails for walking, running and cycling. The kids loved exploring the dens and getting off the track and I would love to visit the Gruffalo trail when it is back up and running although I think two of the boys need to stick to places with dogs on lead policies for now.  You can find out more about visiting Haldon Forest here. 

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5 Tips to Make the Most of Your Glamping Stay at Blackdown Yurts

I have already written about our (press trip) long weekend at Blackdown Yurts but it turns out I always have too much to say and I always take too many photos so I wanted to do a second post with my top tips for making the most of your family stay.  We have glamped many time before and lots of these apply to any glamping trip but these are some of the things that made our stay smoother and easier as well as more fun for everyone!

1) Embrace the wildlife. 

The beauty of glamping or camping is that you are surrounded by nature. The sounds, sights and smells and Cora especially loved discovering the wildlife around her.  In the fields in front of us were sheep that we could walk through to see the ponies.  The nearby farmer's cat loved to come and join us as we sat around the campfire and we crept down to the barn at night to see the owl that lives above it.  We found a little frog in the showers and the chickens roamed free.  For young wildlife lovers it was a fantastic place to get close to them naturally.  Katie offers guided bat walks in the evenings too which we didn't manage to fit in - maybe next time!

2) Do a shop on the way

Blackdown Yurts is around a 15 minute drive from the nearest shop so the best thing to do is either bring food with you or do a big shop on the way.  Each yurt has its own fridge in the barn as well as storage space in the camp kitchens so we could stock up on everything we needed for a bbq, different meals and all the breakfast milks (we drink three different milk varieties between us!).  It was so easy to be able to keep everything fresh and cool and to avoid the shops for a few days once we were settled in.

3) Bring some good games

We were sent Shake Off from Smyths before we left and it was a perfect campsite game.  Each player has a counter attached either to their wrist, ankle or waistband and they earn more points the more they move.  It was great for getting out any lingering energy before putting them to bed and didn't require any fiddly parts (do remember to put batteries in the timer before you leave though!).  This is definitely a game we will be taking on all family trips.  We also played lots of card games both with the kids and once they were in bed.

4) Watch the Stars

Being so far from the street lights and cities means on a clear night you can see everything.  Part of the joy of glamping is to get away from every day stress and nothing is more relaxing or humbling that spreading a blanket on the ground, grabbing a warm blanket and watching the sky.  We saw thousands of stars including a couple of shooting stars and the kids were all amazed at how clear the night sky was.  It is one of those activities that just completely relaxes you and I would recommend doing it whenever you can.

5) Check out Katie and Mark's recommendations.

I made a big list before we arrived full of local attractions and ideas based purely on the list of recommendations and we loved every places we explored.  Katie and Mark know the area well and they have reviewed lots of local places on the Blackdown Yurts website.  They were also more than happy to offer any more recommendations whilst at the site.  I will be writing up everything we did so come back to see a post on Haldon Forest, The Bear Trail and Canonteign Falls!  If you have already booked a stay then check out the website for local restaurants, attractions and landmarks.  

Some of the Yurts are open until October and you can grab a discount with the code MUMMY10

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