Nothing beats a UK seaside holiday with the family! The UK has lots of beautiful coastline, but the coast between Sidmouth and Lyme Regis is stunning. It also has a great range of family friendly activities. Here’s my 15 top family-friendly things to do between Sidmouth and Lyme Regis.
The coastline between Sidmouth and Lyme Regis is a great place for a family holiday. This part of East Devon and West Dorset has some great activities and beautiful scenery. To fully enjoy the top family-friendly things to do between Sidmouth and Lyme Regis, I’d definitely recommend having your own car. Public transport isn’t great in this area, so having your own car will give you the freedom to explore the area.
This part of the UK coastline can be great fun all year round. But to have the best chances of good weather, I’d recommend visiting between April and September/October. If you want a higher chance of weather where it’s nice enough to sit on the beach all day, then visit between June and August. Although the UK weather is never guaranteed! But most of these activities can be enjoyed all year round. So whatever the weather, you’ll have a great time enjoying the top family-friendly things to do between Sidmouth and Lyme Regis.
1. Go fossil hunting on Lyme Regis beach
The first of my 15 top family-friendly things to do between Sidmouth and Lyme Regis is to go fossil hunting on Lyme Regis beach. This beach, on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, is famous for its fossils. Hundreds of dinosaur fossils have been found here, with some important scientific discoveries. There’s still a chance to find new fossils now, as the rock falls from the cliffs and changing tides constantly uncover new fossils. You can easily spend a few hours on the beach looking around amongst the pebbles to see what you can find. And as well as looking for fossils, you can also look to see what else the sea has washed up onto the beach.
2. Eat fish and chips in Seaton
No trip to the seaside in the UK is complete without eating fish and chips. My favourite fish and chip restaurant in this area is called Frydays, in the town of Seaton. You can get takeaway and sit on Seaton beach to eat, or sit inside if the weather isn’t nice enough to sit and eat on the beach. It’s great food after a day of exploring!
3. Walk around the pretty village of Beer and Beer beach
One of my favourite villages in this area is called Beer. It’s a really pretty little village, with cute cottages and little shops. The shops sell nice souvenirs from the area, such as local fudge, and also seaside rock and ice cream. It’s a lovely little village to have a wander through. The beach at Beer is nice as well, with lots of boats on the beach to explore.
4. Ride the Seaton Tramway
Kids of all ages will love the Seaton Tramway. This historic tram takes you on a 25 minute ride through the Seaton Wetlands up to Colyton. You can get off here and have a look around – there’s a cafe and play park here. And then get on a different tram to come home. If the weather is nice, get a space on top of one of the open-top double decker trams for the best views. But be warned – the stairs are a bit narrow to get up and down!
5. Relax on the beach at Budleigh Salterton
Budleigh Salterton, just to the west of Sidmouth, has a really lovely beach. The beach is framed by impressive red cliffs, which look amazing in the sun. The variety of rock colours also mean that the pebbles on this beach are lots of different colours too. You can walk along the beach to see the colourful beach huts, or just relax in the sun and enjoy the scenery.
6. Donkey Sanctuary
One of the top family-friendly things to do between Sidmouth and Lyme Regis is undoubtedly the Donkey Sanctuary. It’s just outside Sidmouth, and kids of all ages will love the donkeys. There are talks throughout the day where you can learn more about the donkeys and the history of the Donkey Sanctuary. And then you can walk through the paddocks to see more donkeys. A lot of the donkeys here are really friendly and come right up to the gates, so you can stroke them and say hello. The Donkey Sanctuary also has a good cafe for lunch as well.
7. Walk from Beer to Branscombe
My favourite walk in this area is the walk from Beer to Branscombe. It’s about 2 miles long, but there are some hills so it’s not the easiest of walks for young children. But older children should manage this walk fine. Once you climb the hill out of Beer, you have amazing views along the cliffs. The walk is well signposted, so you can follow the footpath along the cliff towards Branscombe. It’s then a downhill walk to get down to Branscombe beach. You can relax on the beach before heading back to Beer. Or alternatively, you can extend the walk and head into Branscombe village, which is about a 20 minute walk from the beach. It’s a great walk to do when the weather is nice, so you can enjoy all the lovely coastal views.
8. Visit the Lyme Regis Museum
The Lyme Regis Museum is a small museum in the centre of Lyme Regis, with lots of things to keep kids interested. Here, you can learn about the history of Lyme Regis as a sailing port. You can also learn about Mary Anning, one of the most important fossil collectors in the history of the region. The dinosaur fossils on display will capture the interest of any child interested in dinosaurs.
9. Spot wildlife on the Otter Estuary
For a slightly quieter walk, follow the footpath from Budleigh Salterton up the estuary of the River Otter. This wetland area is a great habitat for lots of seabirds, wading birds and other wildlife. Take binoculars and see what wildlife you can spot along the Otter Estuary. The footpath follows the river so it’s really flat.
10. Visit Dinosaurland in Lyme Regis
Another fun museum in Lyme Regis for dinosaur fans is Dinosaurland. This museum, in and old church, has a huge collections of tens of thousands of fossils. It’s just amazing to see so many fossils. But the highlight of this small museum is when you go upstairs. Here, you can see large models of dinosaurs, as well as look down on all the fossils below.
11. Play arcade games in Seaton
This part of the UK coast doesn’t have as many amusement arcades as some other seaside resorts, such as Bournemouth or Blackpool. If you’re looking for some arcade games, one of the best places is in Seaton. There’s an amusement arcade here, with a lot of the classic arcade games you’d expect to see at the seaside.
12. Enjoy a cream tea in Sidmouth
Devon is famous for its cream teas, and it’s a great family-friendly thing to do. Sidmouth is a lovely small town with lots of cafes to choose from. Sit in a cafe and enjoy a cream tea – a scone with jam and clotted cream, with a cup of tea. If your kids won’t want a cream tea, most cafes will have lots of other options as well, such as cakes and milkshakes.
13. Watch seagulls on Sidmouth Beach
Sidmouth beach is a great place to relax and admire the coloured pebbles and red cliffs. It also often has a lot of seagulls. It’s great fun to watch the seagulls as they fly around looking for food, and then try to loudly steal food from each other. These Herring Gulls are such intelligent and charismatic birds. Just be careful if you’re holding any food, as the seagulls might decide they want some!
14. Visit the Lyme Regis Aquarium
Lyme Regis has a small aquarium, right on the end of the harbour wall called the Cobb. It’s only a small aquarium, so might be better suited for younger children. But it’s still a nice place to visit. A lot of the fish here are fish that you’d find in the seas around Lyme Regis, so it’s a great way for children to learn about the local sea life.
15. Watch the boats and seagulls from Lyme Regis Cobb
The last of my 15 top family-friendly things to do between Sidmouth and Lyme Regis is to watch the boats and seagulls from Lyme Regis Cobb. This sea wall is nice to walk along – as long as the waves from the sea aren’t too high to crash over the wall! You can take a leisurely walk along, and look across the harbour. Lyme Regis is a small fishing harbour, so you can see lots of boats in the harbour. You can also see lots of seagulls as they fly around, hoping a fishing boat will be coming in with some food. It’s a lovely place to enjoy the views on this great stretch of UK coastline.
Hope you enjoy the top family friendly things to do between Sidmouth and Lyme Regis! Make sure you also check out my guide to the best coastal walks between Sidmouth and Lyme Regis. You can also read more blogs about this beautiful part of the country, such as North Devon, walks around Bournemouth and Poole, the Jurassic Coast and Dawlish, Devon.
