A sound and light show at Exeter Cathedral only on this week: finishes on Saturday 25th March. See details on cathedral website and how to book. Very immersive and well worth a visit. 

It doesn’t always work that the daffodils in our gardens and parks are at their peak for Mother’s Day but 2023 is spot on! There are thousands of mini-daffodils lining the roadsides around Dawlish Warren & Dawlish and thousands more of the full size varieties wherever you go. Torquay (see pic on right below), Powderham, Sidmouth, all have particularly large displays but from containers to hedgerows daffodils will be  shining brightly this weekend whatever the weather.

All our local attractions and eating places will also be shining brightly: Happy Mother’s Day!

We are shaking off the winter here at the Warren with some blue sky days and signs of Spring all around us. There is a brand new batch of 6 cygnets on the brook in Dawlish and all your favourite places are waiting for you. If you want to be able to park, eat anywhere, and enjoy everywhere without the crowds then now is the moment. Plenty of availability during March at Sandays and we would love to hear from you. 

If you like to see a mass of snowdrops check out the churchyard at St.Mary’s Cofton which is looking really beautiful at the moment. The church is found directly next door to the holiday park just off the A379, services most Sundays at 11am.

There is always a bit of a buzz in Exeter any day of the week but it is looking particularly lively this weekend with the Inter-varsity Folk festival in full swing. Saturday saw eight different Morris sides dancing in various locations around the city centre and finishing down on the quayside. Brilliant music and dancing from all, a few sample pics here but a still photo doesn’t do justice to the swirling energy & exuberance of these groups. Perfect on a bit of a grey day!

This amazing Art Installation created by Luke Jerram is in Exeter Cathedral during February. A scale model, this artwork is 1.8 million times smaller than the earth but is an impressive sight swaying slightly suspended in the centre of the cathedral. Along with music, lighting, astronaut conversations and plenty of other information this is a fascinating piece of art. Entitled “Gaia” which in Greek mythology is the personification of the earth.
The cathedral has other interactive and thought provoking displays around water, earth, fire and air in the chapels and of course the cathedral itself never fails to move and impress.
£5 entry charge unless of course you are there for a service.

If you are visiting Dawlish look out for some new residents and some familiar ones too. The swan seat on the green is looking quite well established now and meanwhile the black swans which inspired it are nesting again: 8 eggs in this nest apparently!

Along the brook children (of all ages!) can interact with the new giant models and play boards.

Sandays will be open to guests again from next Monday 23rd for the rest of the month, and we will be open for part of February. Please make an enquiry, preferably by email info@sandays-devon.co.uk to check dates.

It is another lovely world here in the winter months but, if you are planning a walk on the Warren, don’t forget your wellies!

Happy New Year to you all!

Having had a request for January we are re-opening on Monday 23rd, and will be open for part of February. For more details please get in touch. 

We will be able to start firming up requests for the summer season from end of January.

As we move from November into December Christmas seems a whole lot nearer! If you would like a break before it is upon you then this is what is available at Sandays at the time of writing this post. We close for our own winter break on Sunday 18th December.  There is lots going on around here including the Exeter Christmas market around the cathedral and the Winter Wonderland in Northernhay Gardens. Or you can ignore all the fuss and just enjoy the coast and all the wintering birds.

This weekend 2nd/3rd/4th December: 1 double and the twin are both available. The double remains available up to and including Thursday 8th Dec.

The weekend of 16th /17th December: also 1 double and the twin are available.

A big thank you to all our 2022 guests, enjoy the festive season.

We try to be environmentally friendly in lots of ways here at Sandays and this Autumn we took another big step forward by replacing our oil heating system. We have moved onto an Air Source Heat Pump installed by a local company and, although we haven’t had winter weather to test it thoroughly yet, we are very pleased so far. The pump is powered by electricity which we buy from Octopus Energy, a British renewable energy group specialising in sustainable energy. We do produce some electricity ourselves by means of solar panels on the roof, but that goes straight to the grid. 

It was quite a major undertaking with planning starting around Easter and several different steps to achieve before the full installation at the end of September which in itself took a week! As part of the process we upgraded some of the radiators and added a radiator into the lounge of our downstairs twin room.

We are so fortunate that Haldon is one Forestry sites chosen to exhibit the winners of the Earth Photo competition. This is an outdoor exhibition that is beautifully presented and freely accessible to all. Each picture has some background information with it and every image tells a story. Take your time and enjoy it. There are already lots of reasons to visit Haldon – walking, cycling, bird watching, segway, go-ape, a closer look at the Belverdere – but this is an extra one, available until beginning of January.