Rockpooling in Devon – beach and Berry Head nature reserve

The Met Office swore that it was going to be cool and cloudy. I’d packed coats and checked the umbrella as a result, while contemplating a good indoor activity for our second day in Devon, during our weekend in Brixham.

The Met Office, as it turns out, were wrong. The sky was blue, there wasn’t a single cloud, and a light breeze fooled me into thinking that the sun wasn’t strong enough to burn me. Although I had an umbrella, I didn’t have SPF. This was an error.

But with Minnie shaded by a new hat, there was no way I was going to lurk indoors. So we followed up our first spontaneous day’s exploring in Brixham with some Devon rockpooling, on our day out at Shoalstone Beach and Berry Head Nature Reserve.

Check out my ultimate guide to Devon for families or more ideas of the best rockpooling in Devon

In the helpful booklet of local info left in our cottage, the owner and family had recommended Shoalstone as a great place for rockpooling in Devon.

And there was already a school group scuttling around in search of crabs, shrimp and other exciting rockpool dwellers.

It’s a bit trickier with a wobbly two-year-old, especially when you have to rescue whelks accidentally dislodged by tiny feet. Or possibly sea snails. (I’m sure to them we’re just eyeballs in the sky!)

But we had so much fun scrambling and clambering from rock to rock, with huge flat red rock and bleached boulders, finding different types of seaweed, eyeing up the schoolkids’ finds and then venturing to a quieter corner where we found a huge red crab.

Tucked under another piece of seaweed, I suspect he may have been an ex-crab as one claw looked like it was no longer attached. Minnie, thankfully, was left in blissful toddler ignorance to be wildly excited.

The beach also has a separate sea water swimming pool, which dates back to the 19th century. Perhaps as a result, it was closed for cleaning and repairs on our visit but otherwise it’s free to swim in, 25m long and manned by lifeguards during the summer.

There’s also a car park (pay and display) with toilets nearby.

Then after grabbing an ice cream and some lunch, we headed to the cliffs above the sea for our afternoon’s excitement.

Berry Head Nature Reserve is a great mix of lovely scenery and history, with a fort built during the Napoleonic wars, another relic from the Cold War, plus a lighthouse.

There’s also a small visitors’ centre with information about the local wildlife and conservation.

The South West coast path also runs alongside, while there’s a huge limestone quarry nearby. And if you’re more energetic/active than us, you can kayak and rock climb apparently.

Wandering along was quite enough fun though, with a buggy-friendly path and endless gorgeous views for me and long grass with some big rocks in for Minnie.

Then a cafe for tea and cake in the sunshine. After which, the M5 was calling. All good things have to come to an end unfortunately. And I had to get home to my aftersun…

For more tips on where to go rockpooling in Devon, the Natural History Museum has tips on where to go and what to look for – and for more ideas of things to do in Devon with kids, check out my ultimate guide to Devon for families and top beaches in Devon with kids

Images copyright MummyTravels

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