Bude With Little Ones
KIDS ARE GENERALLY CREATURES OF HABIT, THEY KNOW WHAT THEY LIKE, AND WHAT THEY DON’T. OURS HAVE A FEW FAVOURITE THINGS WE SIMPLY MUST DO EVERY TIME WE VISIT BUDE, SO WE HAVE COMPILED SOME OF OUR TOP TIPS FOR THE PINK HOUSE’S LITTLEST GUESTS.
The first thing that makes them feel like they’ve truly arrived, come rain or shine, is to take the two-minute walk down to Rosie’s Kitchen for an ice cream — we usually join them for a scoop of Marshfield Farm’s finest, the clotted cream is very good! Next, it’s a stint in the perfectly positioned playground adjacent to the café to burn off some energy, or it’s a race over to the pirate ship next to Crooklets Beach Café to play imaginary treasure island games — cue endless walking of the plank! The skate park is also a stone’s throw away, it’s a huge space and its super smooth with ramps and rails, so it’s as popular with our wild youngest on a scooter, as well as the older one on a skateboard.
On a sunny day, you can’t beat taking our body boards, buckets and spades down to the beach (we’ve got good quality, sustainable ones that are available for use). The lifeguards clearly mark out where it’s safe to swim and bodyboard. Our girls enjoy pottering around in the tide pools and beach-combing for shells and other treasures. Bude Sea Pool is awesome for small kids in the warmer months, with a shallow area kids can get in and out with inflatables and body boards. With a rash vet or wetsuit on, you’d be surprised how long they can splash around in there.
Bude Sea Pool
Another must do every time we visit is to go horse-riding. Broomhill Manor is just a 10-minute drive away and offers taster rides for toddlers and very young children (under 5 years) which is a nice easy activity and they have some very sweet little ponies. Otherwise, our secret place is Little Margate near Cardinham Woods, Bodmin. It’s around a 50-minute drive but worth it - in the holidays they arrange fun activities for kids, from a ‘trick or treat’ treasure hunt at Halloween, to Christmas Carols on horseback at Christmas. They also have fantastic instructors for first timers (and are insured to take little ones from two-years old) as well as more experienced riders, we absolutely love it.
Combine a visit to Cardinham Woods just a couple of minutes down the road, where you can walk or join cycling trails (the Lady Vale trail is perfect for all ages and not too long at 1.5 miles). Then refuel at the beautiful Woods Café located by the river (and another playground!) which serves an incredible savoury cream tea and an array of freshly baked cakes.