A Really Great Day in Sidmouth.

by Larry
(London, England)

Hi Lesley,

This is about a particularly great day out that was part of a fantastic holiday spent in and around East Devon around about thirty years ago.

We were staying in a caravan, forgive me but the memory is going and can't remember exactly where, but every day we just grabbed the map and picked a place to visit. (We were never disappointed.)

Anyway this particular day we descended upon Sidmouth, which we found delightful. Tourist friendly but with a distinct lack of commercialization. The boys were age about 6 and 8 so naturally much of the day was spent on the beach and with digging in the sand and exploring rock pools they had plenty to do to keep themselves amused.

The weather was faultless, sunshine all day with just enough of a cooling breeze, and the sea was a shimmering sheet of glass.

We had brought a picnic with us which we supplemented with ice cream from a nearby shop which I think was locally made. We all agreed that it was the best ice cream we had ever enjoyed and before we left the beach we had to have a second sample and it wasn't just the boys that voted for that!

On our days out we always planned to be back at the caravan by early evening to cook up something to eat but Sidmouth beach kept us captivated longer than we had planned. So we searched for somewhere to eat in the town. The reward for our search was a delicious late afternoon snack in a wonderful little café/tea room.

By the time we arrived at the caravan the boys were three parts asleep having tired themselves with their adventures on the beach. I think we all agreed that day was the best in a holiday filled with great days out.

It is far too long since I've visited East Devon, it's a beautiful part of the world, I must get there again soon.