NAME OF OWNERS: Park Holidays UK
THE PROPERTY: The site and the caravans themselves are clean and well
maintained and include everything you need for a comfortable stay. Your
standard 6 berth Bronze or Bronze plus caravan comprises of the lounge area
with TV and Freeview box, A kitchen with all mod cons, 1 double bedroom and 1
twin bedroom with sleeping for 2 in the lounge area, plus a bathroom with
shower, WC and wash area.
THE SURROUNDINGS: Dawlish Sands Holiday Park is situated just 10 miles from the
end of the M5 in Exeter. It’s within walking distance of a blue flag beach
and a nature reserve and in close proximity to a variety of attractions. Plenty
of local shops, takeaways, cafes and pubs for anything you might need whilst in
the area.
PRICE: prices vary depending on amount of people per unit and
length of stay. Park holidays do support the “sun holidays” scheme and offer
price guarantee if you re-book for the same week next year during your stay,
whereby you pay the same as you did this year for the following years holiday.
EXTRAS: £35 per dog per week.
DOG-FRIENDLY PROVISIONS: Bring your own supplies of poo bags, treats and
blankets for your dogs. There are plenty of shops in the area that sale dog
food and anything you might forget to pack. There is a designated dog walking
area on site.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS: A short walk from Dawlish Warren beach,
crazy golf, arcades, some rides, a few shops and the nature reserve.
A very short drive from Dawlish, Teignmouth, Shaldon and Starcross.
A little further out is Goodrington, Paignton, Brixham and
Torquay.
There are many dog friendly attractions close by or within a
short drive. Some of our favourites include Becky falls; which is a lovely walk
around a natural waterfall with fantastic views of Dartmoor (Bring your camera), they also have
an animal encounter section with rabbits, ponies and other cute and furry
friends. Some of the walk is a little challenging and there are some large
steps and rocks to climb towards the end. There are 3 colour coded walks,
ranging in difficulty. The short, flatter blue walk takes you around a river
and the children’s nature trail but does include a couple of trip hazards, this
leads on to the more challenging red route; running the full length of the park
and past the main falls area (this is the route which consists of some big
steps and those rocks at the end of the route). There is also a purple route
which is a much tougher 200ft climb up from the lower falls and involves a lot
of obstacles along the way; however, if you’re feeling fit, it is a great way
to spot birds and wildlife. For the very daring they also have the option of
taking on the boulder clamber but I don’t think the dogs would enjoy this so
much. There is a café/restaurant and gift shop for you to purchase snacks and
drinks or that special souvenir of your day out.
Another nice waterfall in the
area is Canonteign falls; the highest sheerdrop waterfall in England (220ft).
You can climb to the top; or if you prefer, it also has some nice walks around
lakes and gardens and a nice little picnic area over looking the pond where you
can watch the resident black swans swimming.
We also recently visited Hay Tor. Hay Tor is a lovely area
for a nice brisk walk on an afternoon; there are wild Dartmoor ponies and Dartmoor cattle roaming free and an
information centre and gift shop in the bottom car park, as well as 2 ice cream
vans on site for a well deserved ice cream at the end of your walk. If you are
feeling energetic you can combine a visit here with one of the previously
mentioned waterfalls as they are all in the Dartmoor National Park.
For the family of animal lovers you have Crealy adventure
park which has something for the whole family; including thrill rides, soft
play, adventure play, plenty of animals (such as goats, horses, rabbits, ponies
and pigs), a show dome (during peak season), picnic area and some lovely country
walks amongst the trees.
Also nearby is Babbacombe model village. You can upgrade your
day ticket to either a 24 hour pass (so you can come back at night to watch the
illuminations) or a 14 day pass. Both will cost you just an extra £1 per person
on top of your entrance price. The model village has plenty of model scenes to
look at from well known locations such as Stonehenge to the very local attractions such
as the Babbacombe cliff railway. Dogs are permitted in all areas excluding the
4D cinema, model railway and café. The Babbacombe cliff railway itself is also
dog friendly and runs down to Oddicombe beach, which unfortunately isn’t dog
friendly all year round; however, dog friendly Babbacombe beach is a short walk
from here and is right next to the Cary arms; a dog friendly pub and restaurant
over looking the beach.
Paignton and Dartmouth steam railway runs between Paignton
and Kingswear with a ferry crossing to Dartmouth at the end. This is a nice day out
with some interesting views from both the train and boat. Kingswear and Dartmouth are quite old market towns and still
have their character intact although this means there’s not a lot of
entertainment in these areas. There is a nice tea room/bakery in Dartmouth which
do some exciting cake choices that is worth a visit and if you don’t mind it a
bit more busy then pay them a visit on market day (second Saturday of every
month) and the fish and chips from the station restaurant (just as you get off
the lower ferry) is worth a try, especially since they welcome dogs both on
their patio area and inside the premises itself. During peak times the trains
and boats do get very busy and it is best to avoid the first train out/last
train back as these understandably are the busiest. Dogs travel for just £1
each and are permitted everywhere except the “Devon Belle” observation carriage
and are not allowed to sit on seats (on laps appears to be fine).
Stover Country Park is a nice free day out with several
walks, a picnic area, lakes and ponds and plenty of wildlife to look out for. Just
be careful of the squirrels if you have a dog that likes to chase small
fluffies. We had an incident a couple years ago when “Cat” forgot she was a retired racing greyhound and managed to get away from us, chasing a daring
squirrel across the picnic area resulting in pulled nails and plenty of bloodshed
(the squirrel escaped unscathed).
Another interesting place to visit is Cockington court. Just
a mile from Torquay seafront, Cockington court is a lovely old village with
dedicated craftmen studios and galleries, Thatched cottages, Horse and cart
rides, ornamental lakes, woodlands and formal gardens.
Berry head national nature reserve (in Brixham) has been
featured on many television shows and is a hotspot for spotting wildlife
including bats, deer, seals and dolphins (if you’re patient and very lucky) it
is also just a nice area for a walk on a summer evening with plenty to see
including wild flowers and old Napoleonic war fortifications and historic
ruins. It also has a café and information centre with webcams observing some of
the caves and bird hides in the area.
Our favourite place to eat nearby is “the
beachcomber café” in Teignmouth which is very dog friendly; dogs are welcome
inside the café and on the promenade seating overlooking the beach. They serve
a variety of foods, including cooked breakfasts, snacks, main meals and ice
creams. They always come out to give the dogs ear rubs and don’t mind when we
order an extra breakfast for Eddie and Cat to share (in their own bowl of
course) They even offered to come out and sing happy birthday to Eddie when we
had breakfast on their promenade on his 13th birthday this year.
Another favourite is the dog friendly “Smugglers inn” on Teignmouth road,
Dawlish. They welcome dogs inside the bar, on the balcony or garden area (but
not in the restaurant); their food is delicious, very reasonable prices and big
portions of well cooked meals. Views from their garden over looking the sea are
amazing and it is well worth a visit.
There are also some dog friendly boat trips, including a
wildlife cruise and night time illuminations on offer. They depart from
Paignton or Torquay at various times throughout the day (weather permitting).
Also, worth a day trip is Exmouth (it’s only 3 miles by boat
but quite a journey by car) which has a lovely dog friendly beach, some dog
friendly pubs and cafes and a lovely park to look around.
OUR HOLIDAY EXPERIENCE
We stayed at
Dawlish Sands last October; it was our first time on this site although we had
stayed at other park holiday sites in the past. Our caravan was about half way
between the clubhouse and the train line meaning we regularly heard noise from
these; although it wasn’t a major problem. The club was usually quiet by 2300
and you get use to the sound of the trains pretty quickly.
Caravan was clean and everything worked as you'd expect it to, Dogs are allowed
in all bronze or bronze plus accommodation. Accommodation includes Gas cooker,
WC, shower, toaster, microwave, fridge and kettle. Plus quilts, pillows and
bedding.
Shop on site was
well stocked, take away didn't have some of their menu available, and they also
seemed to close quite early on an evening but it was the end of season so that may
explain this. The bar staff and entertainment staff are all friendly, helpful
and happy to chat to punters. Entertainment was good. Especially the Thursday
night show which was themed around west end musicals. Of course Loopy rabbit
the mascot was a hit with the younger guests and they seemed to spend more time
with loopy on stage than other park holiday sites I've stayed on. Typically
they did 2 - 3 songs plus some games with loopy and the children. They also do
bingo and quizzes as well as the nightly entertainment by the on site team or
guest entertainers.
The near by area is full of places to visit including beaches and parks. Dawlish
Warren beach is a short walk from the caravan park and part of it is dog
friendly year round, Goodrington and Teignmouth beach also has dog friendly
sections.
ACCOMMODATION: All you need
WALKS: lovely and plentiful
DOG SUITABILITY: Great choice
VALUE: Good value
OVERALL: Excellent
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