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You are here: Home / ADVENTURE / Days out in Devon: Bicton Park Botanical Gardens

Days out in Devon: Bicton Park Botanical Gardens

May 17, 2017 by Molly 10 Comments

days out in Devon - Bicton Park Gardens

Being a parent is full of dream vs reality moments, isn’t it? The dream of a wonderful family meal together, for example, versus the reality of a toddler throwing food on the floor and climbing on the table. Our trip to Bicton Park Botanical Gardens on Saturday was one of those dream vs reality moments, where the dream actually happened (minus a rather chaotic picnic, which you can see evidence of if you watch the video I’ve popped at the bottom of this post). This is the first in a series of Days Out In Devon posts that I’m working on for Visit South Devon, so it was a relief the day itself didn’t go wrong and was as great as we’d hoped!

A short drive from Exeter, on the way to Budleigh Salterton in Devon’s Otter Valley, the drive to Bicton alone is worth the trip. Rolling countryside, lush green valleys and picture-perfect houses litter the way until you arrive at Bicton, nestled in the heart of all the greenery.

It’s well worth a visit if you a) have young children b) love gardens c) like to take pretty photographs or d) enjoy a cup of tea (or glass of cold cider) while taking in a magnificent view. In short, Bicton has something for everyone. It would make a fantastic multi-generational family trip with the grandparents (which is something we’ve already planned, actually) but, equally, is a brilliant option for a fun family day out. If you’re in Devon over the summer, or you already live here, then I can’t recommend it enough. 

Our day at Bicton Park Botanical Gardens

As soon as you walk into the gardens you’re confronted with some beautifully Instagrammable old greenhouses, full of light and colour. The girls enjoyed exploring these, pretending they were in some sort of secret garden film (it’s really sweet seeing Baby Girl getting into this imaginative phase of stories and pretend play at the moment).

A short wander along the path and we came to another garden which contained a rather stunning Palm House (pictured above and below). This was built in the 1820s and, we were told, contains thousands of separate panes of glass. It’s an impressive structure and, inside, is full of palm trees.

days out in devon - Bicton Park Botanical Gardens

Built in the 1700s, the main house at Bicton is now an agricultural college, but the gardens themselves include an orangery (now a cafe), an indoor and outdoor play area, a mini steam train and plenty of those beautiful little greenhouses to explore.

The thing I loved most about the place was the element of surprise. Around every corner there’s a new garden to explore, often with an unexpected take-your-breath-away view. Each garden has a different theme, and the Italian Garden includes a huge pond with a large fountain. It reminded me of Versailles (which we visited on our recent trip to Paris), which is funny because I later found out that garden was inspired by the French designer who originally created Versailles. That made me feel very gardeny and clever. Eat your heart out Alan Titchmarsh.

After a stroll through the gardens, multiple games of hide and seek and a hairy moment when my fearless toddler threatened to throw herself in the pond, we settled down in the Stream Gardens for a picnic. There are plenty of picnic tables around the outdoor play area, but we knew the girls would lose interest in food as soon as they saw a climbing frame, so we headed in the opposite direction.

The picnic was a typically chaotic affair, involving unexpected toddler nakedness and a game of sandwich chase, but this was OK because we were the only ones in the garden at the time. This is another lovely plus about Bicton, there’s so much space you never feel like you’re crowded or on top of other visitors.

We found the outdoor play area next, which is on the other side of the gardens near the Great Lake. The girls were straight on the huge climbing frame and down the enormous slides, before running over to the swings, pirate ship and various other inventive pieces of play equipment which I’m not sure of the name of.

We ended the day with an icecream, ride on the mini steam train which goes around the gardens (you have to pay a small extra charge to go on this) and another explore of the greenhouses. By this time Baby Girl was hyper and over-tired, so we passed up the chance of a relaxing drink overlooking the gardens, but we’ll chalk that one down for next time.

Obviously it helped that the weather was sunny, but had it been raining we’d have been able to dive into the cafe for a drink, and head to the indoor play barn which is basically a soft-play heaven for young children. So don’t discount a day at Bicton if the weather isn’t fabulous, because there’s still plenty to do there.

Check out this video of our day if you’re still not persuaded (or want to see that chaotic picnic in all its glory)…

We’ve lived in South Devon for nearly four years now, but there are still SO many places we’re yet to explore, so in many ways we often feel like we’re on holiday here at this time of year. If you’re planning a trip to Devon this summer then make sure to come back and check out the other places we visit in our series of posts. Hopefully the next places we go to will be as much of a success (minus the naked toddler and food throwing, obviously).

Pin this for later…

 

Thanks to Visit South Devon and Devon’s Top Attractions for working with us on this series of posts. To see the others in the series check out:

Days Out in Devon: Wildwood Escot

Days Out in Devon: River Dart Country Park

 

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

 

Filed Under: ADVENTURE Tagged With: bicton park gardens, Devon, Family days out, family days out in Devon, family travel, South Devon

« Some thoughts on “keeping it real” as a mum
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Comments

  1. Jen Walshaw says

    May 19, 2017 at 12:20 pm

    I LOVED places like this when my boys were younger. There is so much space for kids to run around outside and I get to look at pretty flowers. Win/Win. Now they need to be able to take a football everywhere!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      May 19, 2017 at 12:47 pm

      It’s such a gorgeous place. I can’t wait to go back!

      Reply
  2. Sarah says

    May 18, 2017 at 6:02 pm

    I love botanical gardens – we used to go to the ones in Ventor on the Isle of Wight all the time but these look a lot bigger. Lovely pics x

    Reply
    • Molly says

      May 18, 2017 at 7:14 pm

      I love Ventnor! Never been to the Botanical Gardens there though. Will put those on my list for next time. Thank you for your lovely comment. x

      Reply
  3. Talya says

    May 18, 2017 at 9:08 am

    What a gorgeous day out for all the family looks like you had a marvellous time!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      May 18, 2017 at 7:14 pm

      It was so much fun!

      Reply
  4. Happy Mummy says

    May 18, 2017 at 6:40 am

    We love a family day out. It looks amazing there. I love your photos. Sounds like you all had a lovely day 🙂 x

    Reply
    • Molly says

      May 18, 2017 at 7:14 pm

      It really was – if you’re ever in Devon you should totally check it out!

      Reply
  5. Lauren Belle du Brighton says

    May 18, 2017 at 6:28 am

    You can’t beat a botanical garden! They bring back so many memories for me of Kew and other places and my kids love them too! When we next venture to Devon I’ll visit here!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      May 18, 2017 at 7:16 pm

      You totally should – you’d all love it there!

      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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Back in January I was on the brilliant @school.for Back in January I was on the brilliant @school.for.mothers.podcast - we talked diet culture around kids and practical things we, as parents, carers and teachers, can do to dismantle some of the messages and create body happy environments for children to thrive in. Here’s a little snippet and you can listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts ❤️ 
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Reminder: my book, Body Happy Kids is out 1st April and available to order now!
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[Video description: a pink square with blue audio wave and closer captioned text of a clip from an episode on diet culture and kids with Molly on the School for Mothers podcast.]
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 cannot 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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