Ladram Bay Holiday Park, Devon - travel review

Looking out to sea after we had arrived at Ladram Bay, near Budleigh Salterton, this was a shining example of why this country is so wonderful in the sunshine.

The setting was idyllic. We were staying at the family-owned Ladram Bay Holiday Park on the rugged Jurassic Coast.

Sitting on the private beach nestled in the sheltered bay, there was the hustle and bustle of motor boats, kayaks and paddle boards. Overlooking t he sea was the Beach Shack, which served food and also any accessories you had forgotten for a visit to the beach.

As the glorious sunshine beat down on us, we hired a motor boat and the three of us sauntered around the coastline, admiring the scenery and people watching.

Back on land, we settled into our accommodation for the long weekend. We were staying at a Budleigh Premier holiday home, which sleeps six.

The caravan was contemporary and spacious in the living area with three bedrooms - the added touch was the view out to sea.

There's a wide range of accommodation from tents and glamping pods to caravans and luxury lodges with their own hot tubs.

Ladram Bay Holiday Park started in 1943 when farmer Frank William Sydenham Carter decided to allow a few campers on his land. Years later, the site in a rather envious location is now run by his son and daughter.

Activities are aplenty and if the beach isn't your thing you can splash around in the heated swimming pool with water slide and there's also access to sun loungers outside.

Jurassic Adventure Golf is a gentle challenge and if adventure is the name of the game there is the new indoor climbing wall, which is 5.8m high.

I gave my son a good run for his money as we tackled the walls. How do children make it look so easy? As he and two other youngsters scampered up the walls confidently, I was left plodding along under the watchful eye of our instructor.

There's more than enough to keep the whole family occupied with Panna soccer, sea scooters and raft building.

And while we were climbing, dad was left exploring.

Everything you need is on the site, so you really don't need to venture far.

There's a shop if you need to stock up on self-catering options, there's also a takeaway and then there's the Pebbles Restaurant, which has spectacular views out to sea.

During the evening there was the Entertainment Team who got the crowd on the floor participating in dance moves or quizzes.

If the entertainment is not for you, you can also slope off back to your holiday home and watch the free view TV.

Our weekend at Ladram Bay had been action-packed, but the adventures didn't stop when we left.

Just a 35-minute drive away and ideal to do on your way home there's Diggerland at Cullompton close to the M5.

My husband and son were as happy as pigs in muck as they made their way around the site.

It was very hands-on for all three of us as we tried our hand at excavating, digging and dumping.

We used Dirt Diggers to look for buried treasure, mini diggers and drove around in dumper trucks.

Daniel had a go on Joyrider, driving a 4x4 – his first attempt behind the wheel. You can whizz around on the rides such as Spin Dizzy or take a bird's eye view of Diggerland on Skyshuttle - I didn't realise dirt and digging could be so much fun.

Staff at the park were so friendly and chatted away quite happily about the machinery.

Diggerland is every boy's dream, but all of us were in our element. We certainly didn't have to dig far to find the perfect weekend.

Factbox:

Prices for a three-night bank holiday break within a comfort holiday home inclusive of pool passes and full entertainment access on August 25 start from £543(based on availability) Details on the park can be found on www.ladrambay.co.uk or by calling 01395 568398.

Adventure golf costs are £3.50 adult; £2.50 child and £10 - family, and climbing wall is £6 per session

For information about great days out in Devon visit www.lotstodo.co.uk/

Diggerland: children under 90cm are free and children and adults above that price are £19.95