With the festive season well and truly behind us and spring on its way soon, we’re getting a lot of interest in our holiday cottages in Devon for February half term. It’s a great time of year to escape to the beautiful East Devon countryside with your family, something to cheer you up in the thick of winter when it’s chilly and those bright sunny days are few and far between.
Our Devon holiday cottages sleep 4-14 people and are perfect any time of year but in the winter they’re just so cosy; you can snuggle up on the big leather sofas in front of the wood-burner, thick woolly socks on, nice chunky jumpers, and a tray of hot buttered crumpets to hand. That’s such a lovely thing to do if you’ve been out for a walk in the fields and come back rosy cheeked; take off your coats and boots, your hats and scarves, and warm up in your country bolthole, far far away from all the push and shove of city life. Bliss!
Those fields are right on the doorstep too – quite literally! There are 15 acres at Stonehayes Farm, there for you to roam and explore as you wish. Stroll down to the River Luv and follow its meander through the fields, have a little splash about, get the little ones picking up stones, see what’s underneath. Show them catkins dangling on the branches, the first buds starting to emerge; listen to the birds chirping in the hedgerows, look out for snowdrops and daffodils, and even early primroses (we spotted some the other day). All those signs of spring that give us hope when we’re all wrapped up in our winter woollies.
A lot of the family attractions open their doors this time of year, so you won’t be short of things to do when you come to our holiday cottages in Devon for February half term. At World of Country Life in Exmouth they’ll be getting ready to welcome the first of the season’s lambs and if you’re lucky you might get the chance to feed them. Hopefully the weather will behave itself and you can all go and have a brilliant time at Crealy Theme Park, whizzing around on the rides and that; or exploring the Saxon Village and the maze at Wildwood Devon; look out for the animals who live there – wolves, lynx, wild boar and red squirrels.
Have a ride on the tram at Seaton Tramway, on the miniature train at Pecorama, or take a leisurely boat trip around Lyme Bay and The River Exe estuary with Stuart Line Cruises. Spend a day in Exeter, where you can scale the walls at Clip ‘n’ Climb, or book up for a tour of the medieval Underground Passages deep beneath the city streets. Join in the exhibitions and workshops at The Royal Albert Memorial Museum, or closer to home, down at the Thelma Hulbert Gallery in Honiton; afterwards you could go to Bella Pizza for a bite to eat. Just a few miles away at Sidmouth, the Donkey Sanctuary is always open, and it’s free! Go and see all the happy donkeys who live here, let the kids let off steam in the playground, have a piece of cake in the tea room.
The coast isn’t far at all from our Devon holiday cottages at Stonehayes Farm, and who says you can’t go to the beach in winter? Nonsense, of course you can! Fair enough, it might be a bit too cold for a swim but you can still make sandcastles and spuddle about in the rockpools, and if you’ve got the pet pooch with you, great, because most of the beaches allow dogs this time of year. When you’re done you can get some nice hot fish and chips to tuck into! How about a bracing stroll on the clifftops? There are some good (and not very long) walks on the South West Coast Path, otherwise stay inland and go to Blackberry Camp, Culm Beacon or just up above our Devon holiday cottages, Dumpdon Hill, with the most incredible views across the Otter Valley.
And don’t forget, besides the wood-burner to entice you back, there’s also the games room, which is lovely and warm and as well as a pool table, table tennis and table football, there are plenty of games and toys for younger children, so it’s a great place to hang out. You’ll find the kitchens in our holiday cottages are very well equipped so it’ll be no trouble to get a big pot of stew or soup bubbling; enjoy it with hunks of fresh farmhouse bread from the local bakers in town, then settle down to watch a film together before you tuck yourselves up in beddie byes for a good nights sleep. Come on down, come and have a wonderful time at Stonehayes Farm when you book one of our holiday cottages in Devon for February half term! We can’t wait to meet you!
