We knew the weather wasn't going to be good, the 'big' storm (worst for years?) was due to hit mid holiday. In fact, it wasn't so bad. We booked a lovely large family house with an indoor swimming pool, so there was room for us all to chill and have fun, adults, kids and the dog together.
We haven't really explored North Devon, but we did manage to dodge the rain to see some of the best bits.
Croyde bay was great to give the dog a good run. Watching the crazy surfers when we could barely walk on the beach for the wind was fascinating too! We experience every weather condition in the space of 5 minutes!
Clovelly was lovely. Very pretty and the sun came out too! We enjoyed ice creams on the way down, tea and cake in the harbour and a hearty ploughman's mid way back up. That's a good day out for us.
Barnstaple was a pleasant surprise too. A busy bustling high street with some nice independent shops too. The dog was a bit bored though!
We dropped by Appledore to get some nice things for tea and discovered a great Londis shop, selling local quality food... that was an unexpected delight. We had another tea and cake stop.. well it did start to rain again!
Most of all, we had a really good family break, where everyone relaxed and had a giggle. I think we were all in bed by 9pm and up at 7am to swim and walk the dog. We cooked hearty breakfasts, and warming evening meals so we didn't have to brave the wintery nights. Stormy weather does have it's benefits!
