Family Holidays in Devon

What the 59 family stays in Devon actually are

If you picture a family holiday in Devon as a cottage with a creaky staircase, the numbers here will surprise you. Of the 59 family stays published on BritStays in this region, 20 are camping, 19 are holiday parks and 19 are caravanning — with just one cottage in the set. That shapes everything: you're mostly choosing between pitches, lodges, static caravans and apartments on sites built around children, rather than self-contained houses in villages.

It also explains the facilities list. Swimming pools appear at 28 of them and playgrounds at 27, so roughly half the set has the two things that rescue a rainy afternoon. A bar features at 19 and a gift shop at 20 — small details, but they mean you can eat on site and buy the forgotten bucket and spade without moving the car.

Coast or countryside: which areas suit which trip

Woolacombe and Salcombe both have six family stays each, with Sidmouth on four, and Dawlish, Paignton, Exmouth and Dawlish Warren on three apiece. Another six are listed simply under Devon, which tends to mean somewhere more rural than a named seaside town.

• Beach-first holidays with young children: look at Woolacombe, Dawlish Warren, Paignton and Exmouth, where sites cluster close to sand and the day can start and end without a long drive.
• Older children and teenagers: Torquay, Paignton and Ilfracombe give you more to do on foot in the evening, and Salcombe suits families who like boats and water.
• Quieter, greener weeks: the inland options — places such as Webbers Country Park at Woodbury, Kingsford Farm Lodges at Longdown near Exeter, Upton Lakes Lodges at Cullompton and Farway Countryside Park at Colyton — put you within reach of the coast while keeping evenings calm.
• North Devon: Bulworthy Forest Lodges at Webbery near Bideford and Romansleigh Retreat at South Molton, near Barnstaple, suit families who want woods and lanes rather than promenades.

Dog owners have a decent choice: 22 of the 59 are pet friendly, which is a little over a third. Check the specific listing rather than assuming, and ask about extra charges and whether dogs are allowed in the pool building or bar area.

What the example stays tell you about space and access

Most of the examples sleep six — Beverley View in Paignton, Red Rock Apartments and Brunel Boutique Holiday Park at Dawlish Warren, Brixham Holiday Park and Webbers Country Park among them. If you need more room, South Bay Holiday Park at Brixham and Torquay Holiday Park sleep eight, Woodbury Woods sleeps eight, and Combe Martin Beach goes up to 12, which makes it worth a look for two families travelling together or a grandparents-included trip. Kingsford Farm Lodges sleeps four and Romansleigh Retreat sleeps five, useful if you'd rather not pay for space you won't use.

Access matters more than people expect with children in tow. EV charging nearby is the most common facility in the whole set, listed at 36 stays, and 21 are near a bus stop. Beverley View, Red Rock Apartments and Brunel Boutique Holiday Park are all near a train station as well as a bus stop — genuinely useful if you want to arrive by rail or leave the car parked all week. WiFi is listed at 20, so if you rely on it for work or for downtime, confirm it before booking rather than hoping.

Days out once you're there

Paignton Zoo is the obvious fixture for a family day, and it sits right among the Paignton and Torbay stays. For older children and drizzly days, Dartmoor gives you open walking country, while Dartmouth Castle and Tiverton Castle turn a history lesson into something with battlements. Hemyock Castle is another heritage stop, and the National Trust properties — Overbeck's Museum and Gardens, Coleton Fishacre and Bradley Manor — suit gentler afternoons with gardens to run off in. Escot House adds a stately-home option.

Smaller museums fill the gaps: Tiverton Museum of Mid Devon Life, the Coldharbour Woolen Museum, St. Lawrence Chapel, Church House, Dulverton Heritage Centre and the Plym Valley Railway are all on the list. Check opening days directly before you set off, as smaller sites often close midweek out of season.

When to book, honestly

With only 59 family stays in Devon and heavy demand on the school holidays, the pattern is predictable. The pools-and-playground sites in Woolacombe, Dawlish Warren and Paignton go first for late July and August, and the larger units sleeping eight or 12 go earliest of all because there are fewest of them. Book those by late winter if you can.

For May half term and September, you have more room to move, and camping and caravanning pitches often stay available closer to the date. If you want a pet-friendly stay, treat that as a booking constraint from the start — it narrows 59 down to 22 before you've looked at anything else. And if you're travelling by train, filter for the stations first and choose the town second.