A Break In The Devon Countryside

Currently having no job meant we weren’t able to splash out on a fancy holiday abroad this year, although we’ve hardly done it, even when I was working! But instead of a short stay at a Haven or Butlins we headed down to Devon to enjoy some time away in the country at Finlake Resort.

Finlake Resort lies a few miles north of Torquay, set in a small valley with cabins and lodges around the woodland resort. After the nearly-five-hour journey, which included a pass by Stonehenge, we arrived and settled into our lodge. It had a hot-tub and sauna although we weren’t sure how much we’d use them. Unfortunately, the lodge we had been given wasn’t what we were expecting in terms of size and the outdoor balcony was practically non-existent.

We spent a bit of time in the swimming pools while we were there as The Girls love being in the water. There were an indoor one and outdoor one, the latter of which was freezing, naturally!

At the entrance to the resort there were riding stables and we booked a riding session and despite The Girls’ initial trepidation, they thoroughly enjoyed it. The Wife & I got to walk alongside them to help reassure them but they didn’t really need it. They liked it so much we actually booked a second ride and this time I was able to saddle up and enjoy it too.

Another highlight of the trip was climbing Canontiegn Falls, the highest waterfall in the South West of England. It was a twisty-turny climb through woodlands but the view at the top was worth the trek!

We also visited Kents Caverns one of the most important Stone Age sites in Europe. The UK’s oldest human fossil was found at this location and is the origin of many modern archaeological methods. We got to trek in the caves deep underground and discover what it would have been like back when the caves were first discovered in 1825.

The weather wasn’t too great so we couldn’t spend as much time as we could at the beach this holiday, but we did get a few hours at Dawlish Warren beach one day. The sea was far too cold to go in though!

It was a good break, although the disappointment with the size of the lodge did put a bit of a downer on it. The horse riding made up for it a bit though.