East Devon is, on a per-mile basis, one of the best parts of England for a family holiday — particularly for families with children aged 4-14. The combination of safe pebble beaches, the Donkey Sanctuary, fossil hunting, the Seaton Tramway, the Beer Quarry Caves, and an unusually rich set of National Trust and Devon Wildlife Trust sites means you can fill a week without anyone (children, parents or grandparents) getting bored. This is the family planner from a Branscombe base.

Why East Devon for families

The honest case for East Devon over the more obvious family holiday choices:

  • Easier to reach than Cornwall. Honiton is on the mainline London-Exeter railway; the M5 takes you to Exeter in 3 hours from London on a good day. The driving home from East Devon is 90 minutes shorter than from West Cornwall.
  • Less crowded than Dorset. The Jurassic Coast at the Devon end is genuinely quieter than Lyme Regis, Charmouth, or West Bay.
  • Multiple types of activity within easy reach. Beach days, country walks, indoor museums, working farms, fossil hunting and a heritage tramway are all within 30 minutes' drive of each other. This matters when one child wants the beach and the other wants Beer Quarry Caves.
  • Wet-day options. A wet day in St Ives is a problem; a wet day in East Devon is fine. Beer Quarry Caves, the Donkey Sanctuary, the Seaton Tramway, the Lyme Regis Museum and several other indoor attractions are all good in any weather.

Why Hole Mill specifically for families

A few things that matter for family stays:

  • Five bedrooms — enough for two-family stays or grandparent-and-children combinations. Sleeps 12+ across 5 ensuite bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.
  • An organic swimming pond. Older children love it — it is genuinely 3 metres deep, with a diving jetty. Younger children should always be supervised.
  • A wood-fired hot tub. Magic for tired children at the end of a day on the coast path.
  • Two private acres of garden. Children can run around freely. The garden is fully fenced.
  • A big kitchen and a big farmhouse table. Twelve people can eat together comfortably.
  • Starlink WiFi. Fast enough for screens (essential for a long wet afternoon, however much you wanted to avoid them).
  • Walking distance to Branscombe Mouth. Ten minutes downhill to the beach. The walk back is uphill but easily manageable for children old enough to do an hour's beach play.

A week-long family itinerary

This is the plan we recommend for a Saturday-to-Saturday stay with children aged 5-12. Adjust to suit.

Saturday — arrival

Arrive 4 pm. Quick supermarket stop in Sidmouth on the way in (Tesco or Co-op) for a week's food shop. Settle in. Light dinner at Hole Mill. Children explore the garden until bedtime.

Sunday — beach day at Branscombe Mouth

Walk down from Hole Mill to Branscombe Mouth (15 minutes downhill, 25 up). Spend the day on the pebble beach. Lunch at The Sea Shanty café. Children paddle, build pebble cairns, and look for fossils in the cliff face (the lower section is a Triassic conglomerate full of small ones). Walk back up to Hole Mill for the hot tub.

Monday — The Donkey Sanctuary

Drive 12 minutes to The Donkey Sanctuary at Sidmouth. Free entry, brilliant for children. The maze, the play area, the donkeys. Lunch at the on-site café. See our Donkey Sanctuary guide.

Afternoon: drive into Sidmouth for the Connaught Gardens and an ice-cream on the seafront.

Tuesday — Beer Quarry Caves and Beer

Drive 12 minutes to Beer Quarry Caves for the 11 am tour (90 minutes underground — children love it, dress warmly). Lunch in Beer at the Anchor Inn or fish and chips at the slipway. Watch the fishing boats come in. Optional afternoon mackerel fishing trip from the slipway (May-September, you keep what you catch).

Wednesday — Seaton Tramway and Wetlands

Drive 15 minutes to Seaton. Ride the heritage tramway to Colyton (25 minutes each way, open-top in summer). Lunch in Colyton. Ride back. Spend an hour at the Axe Estuary Wetlands with binoculars. See our Seaton Tramway guide.

Thursday — Fossil hunting at Charmouth

Drive 30 minutes to Charmouth. Book a guided fossil walk through the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre (around £10 per adult, less for children). Lunch at the Heritage Centre café. Drive back via Lyme Regis for an ice-cream on the Cobb. See our fossil hunting guide.

Friday — Coastal walk and a slow day at home

Walk from Branscombe Mouth east along the South West Coast Path to the top of the cliff (about 30 minutes' walk for children with stops). Look back at the view, look at the Hooken Landslip, walk back down. Lunch at home. Afternoon in the garden, the swimming pond and the hot tub. Pizza takeaway or simple dinner at home. The simplest day of the week is often the most successful.

Saturday — departure

Slow morning. One last walk to the village for a Devon cream tea at The Old Bakery. Pack and leave by 10 am.

Activities by age

Toddlers (1-3)

  • Branscombe Mouth pebble beach (safe, soft pebbles)
  • The Donkey Sanctuary (free, easy paths, the donkeys are gentle)
  • The garden at Hole Mill
  • The Sea Shanty café
  • Cream teas at The Old Bakery (the tea garden is fenced)

Children (4-7)

  • All of the above, plus:
  • Seaton Tramway
  • Beer fishing boats and the slipway kiosk
  • Fossil hunting at Charmouth (guided walks are family-friendly)
  • The maze at the Donkey Sanctuary

Children (8-12)

  • All of the above, plus:
  • Beer Quarry Caves
  • Coastal walks (Branscombe to Beer)
  • Mackerel fishing trips from Beer
  • Wild swimming in the Hole Mill pond
  • The Lyme Regis Museum and Dinosaurland
  • Sea kayaking from Beer (older children)

Teenagers (13+)

  • Sea kayaking from Beer
  • Fossil hunting at Charmouth (older teenagers properly engage with the geology)
  • The South West Coast Path (longer hikes — Branscombe to Sidmouth is 5 miles)
  • Cold-water swimming and the Jurassic Sauna at Branscombe (with permission and supervision — typically 12+)
  • Surfing lessons (the south coast is not great for surfing but Saunton Sands on the north coast is doable as a long day trip)

Grandparents

  • The Donkey Sanctuary (low-effort, properly enjoyable for any age)
  • Seaton Tramway (no walking required)
  • Cream tea at Otterton Mill or The Old Bakery
  • Sidmouth seafront and Connaught Gardens
  • The Axe Estuary Wetlands (with binoculars, in a hide)
  • The Lyme Regis Cobb (flat, beautiful, lots of benches)
  • Hole Mill garden (fully accessible, with paths and seating)

Practical tips

  • Bring a beach kit. Pebble beaches mean swimming shoes are essential — bare feet on the pebbles are no fun. Bring buckets, spades, kites, beach windbreakers.
  • Bring binoculars. Useful at the Wetlands, on the coast path, in the garden at Hole Mill.
  • Pack waterproofs even in July. Devon weather is volatile.
  • A wet bag for sandy / damp clothes. Saves the car.
  • Bike rack. If you have bikes, bring them — the lanes around Branscombe are quiet and there are good cycle routes between Sidmouth and Seaton.
  • A National Trust membership pays for itself if you visit the Old Bakery, Branscombe Forge, or any of the other coastal sites during the week.

Wet-day plans

If a day is too wet for the beach, the reliable wet-day options are:

  • Beer Quarry Caves (90 minutes, mostly indoors)
  • The Donkey Sanctuary (much of it can be done from covered viewing areas)
  • The Lyme Regis Museum and Dinosaurland (a half-day combination)
  • Seaton Tramway (closed trams in winter)
  • The Hole Mill kitchen (a serious baking afternoon — we leave a small selection of children's recipe books)
  • Cream tea at The Old Bakery (cosy, indoor, a 12-minute walk down the lane)

Food shopping for a family week

The big Tesco in Sidmouth (15 minutes) is the most efficient single food shop. Allow 90 minutes the first afternoon. For local produce: Branscombe Vale Brewery for beer, Otterton Mill for bread, Sidmouth Trawlers for fish, the Co-op in Beer for everyday top-up shopping.

Cost

A week in East Devon for a family of four, done well, typically costs £1,500-£2,500 including accommodation at Hole Mill (or for a larger group £200-£300 per head per week). Significantly cheaper than equivalents in Cornwall or the Lake District, and easier to reach.

A family week at Hole Mill is one of the most consistently enjoyable things we host. The combination of a private cottage, a swimming pond, a hot tub, and an unusually rich set of family-friendly activities within 30 minutes' drive is hard to beat. Check our availability for your dates.