ELTIPS AV R T
How big were they? How many teeth did they have? Why did they die out? Are there any left? Who would win in a fight between an ankylosaurus and a velociraptor?
So you can imagine the excitement when I announced to four-year-old twins Charlie and Harry and their two-year-old brother Teddy that we were going on holiday to the Jurassic Coast – where dinosaurs once roamed and ruled the earth. Many more questions followed.
For those who don’t know, the Jurassic Coast is a world heritage site, 95 miles of coastline from East Devon to Dorset, with rocks recording 185 million years of the planet’s history.
More importantly, it’s about 150 miles and a three hour drive from where we live in London. So it’s brilliant for a short break.
We stayed at Ladram Bay Holiday Park, by Budleigh Salterton, one of the UK’s largest family-owned holiday parks.
It started out in the 1940s as a field for campers to pitch up in. Now it has a range of accommodation, from camping pitches and glamping pods to holiday homes, apartments, and luxury lodges complete with hot tubs. They are all dotted across the cliffs of South Devon, with amazing sea views and easy access to a secluded pebble beach surrounded by red rugged sandstone.
A perfect place to start our very own walk with dinosaurs.
Apart from the team of mini fossil hunters, my wife Liz and I were joined by her parents Barry and Jill so we opted for the luxury Jurassic Lodge. It was big enough for all of us, with one double and two twin bedrooms. It even had a private decked balcony, complete with a hot tub, which the boys jumped into one day to warm up.
There’s plenty to do at Ladram Bay – there is an indoor swimming pool with a sauna, steam room and water slide, a soft play area, an amusement arcade, an adventure playground with a pirate ship and even Jurassic adventure golf.
And there is a restaurant on the site and a takeaway or we could eat in the luxury lodge, which has a fully equipped kitchen. In the evenings there’s a bar for the adults and live entertainment for the youngsters.
You could quite easily spend all your time at the holiday park, either lazing on a deckchair on the beach or going for walks along the coast without any distractions. And the lack of distractions was a bonus. ASK holiday park staff for advice about family-friendly coastal path walking routes for a real adventure for little legs. WHILE you are in the region, try to visit as many resorts as you can – Sidmouth, Lyme Regis and Exmouth are all great days out. SIGN up for a boat trip to see the full stunning stretch of the Jurassic Coast up close. You might even see dolphins and seals too. Visit jurassiccoast.org for details.
Perfect
Soon after we arrived we discovered the phone reception in the area wasn’t great.
No emails, no text messages or phone calls. Just a beach, some sun and the family. Perfect.
It’sI not quite The Lost World but it feltf like it at times.
TheT peace and quiet didn’t last long,lon though, not with our intrepid teamtea of junior palaeontologists who werewer determined to discover a new speciesspe of dinosaur, or at the very leastle some crabs and a new flavour ofo ice cream.
Armed with buckets, spades and nets, they left no stone, pebble or rock unturned and were diving in and out of rock pools. With the help of Mum, Dad, Nan and Grandad, taking it in turns to oversee the project while the others had a rest, the boys found all sorts. Crabs, shrimps, fish, shells and even some rocks with signs of fossils but sadly no dinosaur bones. Not even a footprint.
Undeterred, once we had searched what felt like the whole of Ladram Bay we also had days out in nearby Sidmouth and Exmouth, which are only a short drive away.
They are both great spots for kids with beautiful beaches, friendly shops and plenty of bars and restaurants. But again, no sign of any dinosaurs.
In the end it didn’t matter. Despite some dodgy British weather, we spent most of the time on the beach and, if not, the kids were running around the playground, soft play area or swimming pool.
It was great for the family to spend time together and relax and the boys loved being with their grandparents on holiday. They didn’t have any luck with dinosaur bones but they were delighted with their buckets full of seaside treasure.
Despite being completely worn out on the way home, they still had one question.
When can we go back? FACTFILE: Seven nights during school holidays range from £395 to £1,895. Glamping pod summer weekends start from £360 per pod, based on four sharing for three nights. To take advantage of 10 per cent off week- long holidays starting on August 27 in holiday homes, luxury lodges or glamping pods call 01395 568 398 or go to ladrambay.co.uk.