A staycation in Devon

You may have seen on my instagram stories I recently took a little staycation in Devon more specifically Bovey Tracey which is just outside Dartmoor National Park at the end of October. It was the perfect little getaway. We had planned Paris but obviously because of the covid restrictions that couldn’t go ahead although Devon was just beautiful and was truly needed after this year.

We stayed in a lodge overlooking a beautiful lake, the views were something else. I knew Devon was pretty from holidays as a child but I just couldn’t get over just how beautiful it was. Just waking up everyday and seeing all the wildlife while drinking a cup of tea was just so perfect. It felt like a dream place to stay to get away from it all.

We actually didn’t do too much as the whole point of the staycation was to relax as much as possible so we did a little shop for essentials and when I say essentials I mean cake and because we couldn’t get in to the lodge at Bovey Tracey until 3 we stopped at the little harbour town of Brixham which was the cutest, we stopped for fish and chips and had them around the harbour with the seagulls looking down at us and then took a walk around the sweetest little shops. We stopped at the beach so I could take a few photo’s and then headed back to the car for a shortish drive to the lodge.

The drive up to our lodge was actually really pretty and although we couldn’t park right next to our lodge it was only a short walk. We did have quite a bit of luggage for just a few days though so it wasn’t easy with just a wheelbarrow to tow everything. It took a couple of trips to be honest. We then just unpacked and relaxed for the rest of the night.

The next day we traveled to a place called Trago Mills which is basically like a massive shopping district. To be honest we were a little disappointed as we’d been to one before but in Cornwall which we loved but this one seem a bit old and run down even though it was much, much bigger. I did manage to pick up a cosy throw though which I’ve used everyday since, I’m all for those comfort items and some food. We spotted they had a go-kart track and couldn’t pass up the opportunity, I loved being a big kid. We then grabbed some lunch and took it back to the lodge as we were only a 15 minute drive away.

We had a pretty relaxing afternoon enjoying the hot tub with a glass of champagne that was left by the owners of the lodge as a welcome gift and a nice little walk around the grounds of the lodge, we then just slowly started to get ready before heading out to dinner at The Imperial in Torquay. The food itself was lovely but it lacked atmosphere, there was no music and it was really quiet, it was just a bit awkward but overall it was a really lovely day.

On the Sunday we headed to the seaside town of Paignton. It was a little windy but the weather overall for out trip was actually amazing, we had no rain which we were expecting so it being dry was a bonus. We spent a little time by the sea, I find it so calming just watching the waves, then we spent time exploring the pier and amusements. I mean can you ever go to a seaside town and not go in the amusements? I think not.

Walking back down the beach we spotted mini golf so obviously that was the next stop. I didn’t win which I’m still not happy about fyi. We had some lunch and looked around the few shops Paignton has and picked up some hot doughnuts on the way back to the car. I think once we’d got back to the lodge we were all pretty tired so spent the night watching The Greatest Showman with a few snacks.

On out last day we had to be out of the lodge by 10 so it was a pretty early start with packing up etc. As we had some time on the way back home we stopped at Glastonbury to see the Abbey but we soon realised it was closed on Monday’s, yeah we probably should have checked before we got there but we didn’t so we had a quick walk around the town and decided to get back in the car and go to a designer outlet we had passed on our way into Glastonbury.

We spent a good couple of hours looking round having lunch and I picked up a new Calvin Klein set so it was a pretty good afternoon. I’m pretty sure we got home around 6/7ish so it was a longish day.

It was a lovely staycation in Devon and I would definitely recommend where we stayed, it was in such a quiet location and I couldn’t fault the views from the lodge. The lodge itself was beautiful and I wouldn’t hesitate in going back but maybe staying in another lodge for a different perspective of the lake.

Have you ever been to Devon for a staycation?

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