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You are here: Home / ADVENTURE / Days out in Devon: Becky Falls

Days out in Devon: Becky Falls

October 18, 2017 by Molly 8 Comments

This time last week I was limping towards the end of a very bad day on the parenting front-line. Effie had emptied an entire tub of glitter all over the living room floor, then trod it through the entire house. She’d done a wee on the sofa, smeared vaseline up the walls and had multiple threenager tantrums. We didn’t get along very well that day.

So, on Thursday, I decided we needed to draw a line under the preceding day and go on a bit of a trip. It was an exercise in Love Bombing, if you will. Anything to avoid another day that ended with us both in tears, anyway.

And that’s why, at 10.30am last Thursday morning I found myself on top of a very high hill, looking over some of the most beautiful landscape with my three year old. We were on our way to Becky Falls, an ancient woodland park hidden in the depths of Dartmoor.

The weather was textbook autumn: crisp, cold and bright. Perfect for exploring the outdoors and going on a “benture”, as Effie likes to call it. And if you’re looking for a “benture”, Becky Falls is the place to go.

Where is it?

Becky Falls is on Dartmoor, near the little village of Manaton and a short drive from the town of Bovey Tracey. It also happens to be very near where we live, which is handy. This means that before you’ve even arrived at Becky Falls you’ve had an adventure, savouring some of the best British landscape there is to see and very probably spotting a gazillion Dartmoor ponies on the way.

 

What’s there?

The real draw of Becky Falls is the landscape. Think ancient woodland scattered with huge prehistoric style boulders, babbling brooks and plenty of wildlife (including the odd otter, if you’re lucky). It reminds me of a cross between a fairytale setting and Narnia. In fact, I half expected to stumble across a mythical creature along the way. There are hiking trails and picnic spots, along with a selection of animals (Effie loved the goats and meer cats), a reptile house, craft centre, gift shop and cafe serving everything from cream teas to organic soup and sandwiches.

Who would it appeal to?

Well, anyone who likes nature, really. Obviously with the hiking trails it’s not appropriate for anyone who might find walking tricky. And you’d need a baby carrier rather than a buggy (you can borrow carriers from the site). But you don’t need to be a super-fit hardened hiker to enjoy it – there’s an option between an easy or more challenging route. And even if you didn’t want to walk it’s still a lovely place to take in the scenery, have a picnic, see the animals and just chill out in nature.

Is there food?

There’s a cafe with indoor and outdoor seating, which serves hot and cold food, ice-creams and a whole range of drinks.

What activities are there?

Aside from the hiking trails, there’s a letterbox trail where children can find stamps along the route and get a free prize at the end. There are also various activities depending on the time of year you visit (including some pumpkin Halloween crafty activities over half term), with hands-on animal encounter shows at weekends and school holidays, and twice daily animal feeding sessions.

For us, the highlight of Becky Falls is the scenery. It’s breathtakingly beautiful and gives you a glimpse into a part of Dartmoor you wouldn’t otherwise see. Effie loved spotting mushrooms, acorns and trying to find a Gruffalo (!) and was excited by the idea of exploring somewhere “secret” and “magical”. It was the ideal antidote to the hellish day before, and the trip bouyed us both giving us a chance to enjoy each other’s company again.

 

You can watch a video I made of the day here: 

 

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Thanks to Visit South Devon and Devon’s Top Attractions for working with us on this series of posts.

If you missed the others in the series, you can read more here:

Days Out in Devon: Bicton Botanical Gardens

Days Out in Devon: Wildwood Escot

Days Out in Devon: Pennywell Farm

**

For more information about how I work with brands check out my Work With Me page. 

Filed Under: ADVENTURE Tagged With: Becky Falls, day trips, days out in Devon, Devon, Devon day trips, Family days out

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Comments

  1. Isadora Guidoni says

    October 23, 2017 at 4:49 pm

    Sounds like an awesome place, I’d love to visit there too!

    Reply
  2. Sam | North East Family Fun Blog says

    October 21, 2017 at 9:46 am

    What a lovely day out – you’ve really captured the autumn sun too. I love the little ponies, my daughter would be smitten x

    Reply
    • Molly says

      October 23, 2017 at 9:58 am

      It was such a lovely day xx

      Reply
  3. Lauren - Dilan and Me says

    October 20, 2017 at 8:21 am

    Wow what a gorgeous place to visit. Sometimes we have to do the same – just wrap up warm, head outside and blow the cobwebs away. Love bombing is so effective and getting outdoors in beautiful scenery like that makes it all better doesn’t it!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      October 23, 2017 at 9:59 am

      Getting outside tends to make everything better x

      Reply
  4. Nicola | Mummy to Dex says

    October 19, 2017 at 10:51 am

    The Halloween crafts activities sound perfect for us! So glad you both had a lovely time, isn’t it great to just get outside and enjoy breathtaking scenery sometimes?

    Reply
  5. Emily Nellist says

    October 18, 2017 at 9:16 pm

    It looks like you guys had a fantastic day, well deserved too after last week. The setting itself looks absolutely beautiful

    Reply
    • Molly says

      October 23, 2017 at 9:59 am

      It was stunning! x

      Reply

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Hello and welcome! I'm Molly Forbes - podcaster, presenter and blogger with a passion for positivity, confidence and body image chat. Regularly writing and vlogging about empowering female issues from a motherhood angle, I also cover lifestyle and fashion topics for like-minded mums who want to rediscover themselves after having children. Thanks for stopping by! Read More…

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I am not “bossing” it. Or “slaying”. Or “hustling”. Or “smashing” it. I’m not even juggling or spinning plates or doing any of the other words we use as a glossy, marketable, Instagram friendly way to package up burnout culture, under the guise of “empowering” women (💪🤢). 
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What I have been doing, though, is working too hard. Call a spade a spade. I’ve been working too hard, neglecting my health, my relationships, my life away from my laptop. I can not be everything to everyone AND work at the level I’ve been working at BECAUSE I AM A HUMAN BEING. And you are too. We are not robots.
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I care deeply about all my work, and things aren’t always this intense, but I wanted to sprinkle some reality into the Gram because I am so over this lie that *any* type of success or achievement doesn’t come at a cost, or involve many failures in the background, or require many other people to help make things happen. 
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I guess what I’m saying is, let’s be real about all that, as well as showing the achievements. I’m bloody proud of my book. And I’m so excited to launch the social enterprise @bodyhappyorg properly next month. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy, and that there isn’t a price. 
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And with that, I’m taking the weekend off. See you on the other side 🥰🥰🥰
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[Image description: Molly sits in her office with her hands covering her mouth. On the back of one hand is written “Not bossing it”. She is wearing a pink boiler suit with a black and white top underneath. She has pink leopard print earrings on and her hair is tied back.]
This was taken at the start of half term, when the This was taken at the start of half term, when the kids were still enthusiastic about going for a walk. 1,705 walks around the same bit of countryside later... not so much 😬 
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If you’re struggling to get your kids motivated to move their body at the moment, go gentle. You’re not alone. Bad weather coupled with boredom coupled with the lure of screens is a heady recipe for lethargy - and that’s just me! 
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Seriously though, remember: all movement is valid. Even if it’s just a ten minute @cosmickids sesh or a little kitchen disco, it all counts. And if it comes from a place of enjoyment and fun, kids (and adults!) are going to be far more likely to want to get involved.
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What joyful movement activities are your kids enjoying right now (if any?!)?
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[Image description: Molly and her two daughters are standing in a field. They’re wearing colourful wellies, holding hands and smiling.]
I founded a social enterprise 😵 . Introducing: I founded a social enterprise 😵
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Introducing: @bodyhappyorg 🎉
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We are a Community Interest Company dedicated to promoting positive body image in children. We help adults help the kids in their care be friends with their bodies 🥰. 
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Through workshops and classes, digital and physical resources (both free and paid) we help parents, carers, teachers, youth leaders - and any adults who are ever around children - create body happy settings for kids to thrive in. 
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We launch officially next month with a beautiful new website and lots of resources which we’ll continually be adding to. In the meantime give us a follow at @bodyhappyorg - we start posting from today and our page has been designed as a free resource on its own! 
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I’m privileged to work alongside an incredible team of people on this. Shout-out to the original dream team @chelseacoxstrategist @amysnellingpt @effinitupfaye @lottie_storey @bodyconfidencecards_db @rachel_hobnobs & @aceandping 💕 LOVE YOU ALL! 💕
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[Image description: A blue square with yellow and white text which reads “the body happy org”. This is the logo for The Body Happy Organisation CIC]
Proof that I did wear clothes other than a tea-sta Proof that I did wear clothes other than a tea-stained hoodie and tracksuit bottoms at least once in the past month 😐
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[Image description: Molly is wearing pink dungarees with yellow buttons over a black rollneck long-sleeved top. She has a monochrome striped hairband on and her hair is pink. She is also wearing earrings with boobs on them. She looks very pleased, both with her earrings, the pink hair and the fact she’s not wearing sleepwear, for a change.]
A new report from the Education Policy Institute h A new report from the Education Policy Institute has concluded an obvious gender divide in the well-being of young adults. If you’d like to read more check out this article by Eleanor Peake in @newstatesman (I’ve linked to it in my Stories).
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Every week I get messages from parents and teachers concerned about the impact of social media on their kids’ body image. And of course, I couldn’t write a book about body image in kids and teens without covering social media - there’s a whole chapter in Body Happy Kids dedicated to the subject. 
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The thing is, social media isn’t going anywhere. And just like it can be a force for anxiety, shame and general angst it can be a force for good too. The trick is in knowing how to use it positively (and in holding the platforms to account for not moderating the spread of harmful viral trends and online abuse, and creating algorithms that deliberately create division and harm mental health... but that’s a story for another day). 
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But how can we expect our kids to have a handle on it when we, as adults, don’t ourselves? 
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I don’t believe the answer is to ban social media, but I don’t think kids should be given unfettered access to it either. 
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They need help navigating this stuff, learning about boundaries, developing media literacy skills so they can think critically about the content they’re consuming (just like many adults).
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And we also need to explore how we might be inadvertently contributing to the problem, perpetuating appearance ideals and creating a culture where kids learn it’s ok to body shame under the guise of health and to value each other based on the way they look.
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As ever, it’s complicated. I’d love to know what you think? What are some of the boundaries you have around social media in your house - both for yourself and your kids?
#BodyHappyKids 
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[Full text in Alt Text]
When I was pregnant with Effie I went to a pregnan When I was pregnant with Effie I went to a pregnancy yoga class every week. It was the highlight of my week. I left each session feeling like I was floating on a cloud, and I used the poses and breath work to guide me through labour too. But then I had my baby and found that, as a knackered new mum of two, I couldn’t find the time for yoga. I no longer had the excuse of doing it “for the bump” or “to prepare for labour”, so what was the point?
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It wasn’t until I started reinvesting in myself and unravelling the diet culture perspective on exercise that I found it again, along with running, which turned to hiking, and swimming. 
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It wasn’t about preparing my body for someone or something else. It was about the process itself, the time to unwind my mind and move my body for joy, just for me. I’ve lost a bit of that this past year with lockdowns, and I feel it.
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I recently signed up to @theunderbellyyoga with @mynameisjessamyn and feel like I’m finding it again. I love that my kids can see me taking time for myself, and enjoying movement, and that they sometimes want to join in too. Even if it is a bit annoying sometimes (swipe 👀). 
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#BodyHappyMum 
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[Image description: Molly and her 6 year old daughter Effie sit on yoga and gymnastics mats with their legs crossed and arms in the air. They have their backs to the camera. In the second image they are sitting crossed legged while twisting round to the side, and in the third image Molly is lying on the mat with her eyes closed while Effie leans over her, being a bit annoying.]
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