Where Can We Go For an East Devon Weekend Break?

The weekend forecast is good; it’s been a long week for us both– where to find a holiday cottage in East Devon just for the two of us is the dilemma. Looking for somewhere peaceful and beautiful with a choice of country walks or relaxing on a beach, we settled on East Devon for a relaxing holiday. Next question: Where do we go, and what do we want to see and do? There are so many options in this idyllic corner of Devon. It quickly became deciding what to leave out (or save until the next time).

As for cottages, using My Favourite Holiday Cottages, we chose Apple Cottage in the tranquil hamlet of Moorhayne just outside Yarcombe near Honiton. It proved to be an ‘easy to reach’ rural paradise from the Home counties and allowed us to plan stop-offs on the outward and return legs of our journey at Cheddar Gorge and Stonehenge. Upon arrival, it was quickly apparent why Apple Cottage’s location is in a Designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It’s perfect for walks down green lanes and through bluebell woods in the East Devon countryside. Our cottage turned out to be a beautifully converted traditional cider barn. The press may have gone, but it retains plenty of character while equipped with all the facilities you’d need for a self-catering holiday.

Seaside Charm in East Devon

We’d recommend the quaint little resorts of Beer, Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton for days by the sea. In summer, head for Beer or the beach at nearby Branscombe, where there are opportunities to rent clinker-built boats for a spot of mackerel fishing in Lyme Bay – or just chuntering along the coastline. Enjoy a cream tea or sandwiches stuffed with fresh-caught crab in Beer’s little tea rooms, or take your ‘catch’ home for the BBQ back at the cottage! For a strenuous and picturesque walk – join the South West Coast Path at Beer and walk along the cliff tops to the little beach at Branscombe with its thatched tea rooms.

Sidmouth is one of those ‘regency’ resorts with a splendid Promenade, some lovely shops, and exquisite flower-filled public gardens with plenty of green space for picnics. The town usually wins some Britain in Bloom award or another for its fabulous floral displays, making it a pleasure to wander through its tiny shopping streets and other retail nooks and crannies in summer.

Antiques and Ice Creams in Honiton

The main town in East Devon is Honiton. What a lovely place it is! The town centre is one long and wide street with a twice-weekly market where stalls line the roadsides (and passing traffic is bundled comfortably into the centre of the road). Antique lovers will find plenty of shops to go hunting for bargains. For a real indulgence, find The Honiton Dairy. Its ice creams are a must, especially If you ask them to add a ‘dollop’ of their clotted cream to the top of your cone. Then, go for a walk in the Blackdown Hills surrounding most of the town to burn off the calories.

Tea Rooms, Trams and Bluebell Woods

Other places that are well worth a day or half-day trip – and definitely on the list for our next trip are the genteel seaside resort of Budleigh Salterton – lovely tea rooms and bookshops in this little ‘Jane Austin’ town – as well as more mackerel fishing boat opportunities from its pebble beach. 

Enjoy a genteel riverside ride by tram at Seaton.

We’d also like to ride the tram from Seaton, where restored 1930s trams run at a sedate pace along the old railway line for a few miles, to Colyton, where more cream tea rooms lie in wait. We only saw it in passing, but it looked beautiful, and we were already mentally bagging the top seats on the open decks as we drove by. If we can make it in later April – early May, then we are told that the bluebell woods around Blackbury Camp between Honiton and Sidmouth are spectacular and the perfect place for a picnic – and we’ll be bringing our own picnic basket with us, too!

It was a lovely weekend for the two of us, discovering a tranquil and quite beautiful corner of Devon and having such a lovely holiday cottage to return to each evening.

Where to Stay

Gulls Rest in Beer

A clifftop house with utterly stunning ocean views across Beer Bay and the beach below. Sleeps 7.

Craft Cottage in Beer

A beautiful step-back-in-time seaside village with a sheltered cove and superb clifftop walks.

Fancy a larger cottage for up to six guests? Try this:

Hemphaye Cottage

A floral paradise in Sidmouth. Sleeps 6. Click here to view more.

Please view our complete collection of East Devon Holiday Cottages Here.