Teignmouth Grand Pier & The Boathouse

Sorry for the lack of posts! I've had these photos on my laptop since we returned from Devon but I just haven't had the time to sit down and do a post. I'm saving up for my first car so I've jumped straight back into working over 60 hours a week again. I rewarded myself with a weekend of doing the bare minimum. Most of it has been spent chilling in my pjs with my hair up, drinking tea and listening to Alabama Shakes on repeat. (Watch this if you haven't come across them before! Those vocals, those guitars!) My feet have only now stopped aching, my legs muscles have loosened up again and I feel well rested, energised. Ready to do it all over again this week.

I've been reflecting back to our little holiday in Devon this weekend, and I've been wishing for more hazy days eating ice cream, watching the seagulls bathe in the rockpools as the trains whizzed past overhead.
Today on the blog I'm doing a little throwback post to when we visited beautiful Teignmouth and the loveliest nautical pub, the Boathouse in Dawlish Warren. It's going to be quite a photo heavy one!

I'm feeling pretty happy with how these pics turned out, but you really have to visit Teignmouth to see how pretty and whimsical it is in real life.
The pier was built in 1865 with the original purpose of allowing people to step off the Steamboats onto land. Teignmouth quickly became a popular holiday destination for Victorians and doctors in the big smoky cities even prescribed exhausted patients a trip to the seaside to help their ailments. I reckon they were onto something, breathing in fresh sea air and a dip on the cool salty sea water does wonders for the body and mind!

Teignmouth Pier has all of the traditional rides and amusements, a coffee and ice cream shop inside and panoramic sea views outside. Everything about this place is old fashioned and quaint which makes it a popular British seaside attraction! Teignmouth is a quaint seaside town that reminds me of a bigger, more urban version of St Ives, with it's winding streets, endless choices of places to eat and ice cream parlours and bakeries every few metres. On the day we visited, the weather was a little indifferent; overcast one minute, little glimpses of the sun the next. Despite the threatening clouds above us, Teignmouth as always had the perfect relaxing seaside atmosphere and holiday makers were out in force, braving the chilly sea breeze in shorts and flip flops. The pier is so picturesque and whimsical; I found myself thinking back to what it must have been like in Victorian times. I can just imagine mustachioed gentlemen in tail coats and top hats strolling along with elegant ladies in petticoats, gloves and bonnets. I wonder if they got pooped on or had their ice creams stolen by pesky seagulls too?

This lovely little puppet show reminded me of seeing a similar larger sized one in a huge wagon at Murdoch day (my town's annual celebration day of William Murdoch) when I was about 5/6, before Murdoch day turned crap! Sadly, this one was out of order but it's so charming, I'm sure the staff couldn't bear to get rid of it.

You know you're a 90's child when standing under here reminds you of Britney Spears' Sometimes video! 

My favourite spot in Teignmouth is when you step outside the amusement arcade onto the wooden pier and catch the first view of the panoramic sea and countryside views. It's a great spot to grab an ice cream (just please be aware of seagulls!), park yourself on a bench and watch the sea roll in and out. The contrast of shimmery silver sea and lush green rolling fields is beautiful and for me, sums up why living in the South West is the best.

Another must for our trip was a meal out in the Boathouse Grill in Dawlish Warren. We all remembered this nautical themed pub/restaurant fondly for their stacked burgers and generous portions of locally-made Devon ice creams. I have one particularly vivid memory of eating so much ice cream here when I was about ten that I had to run to the seaside toilets on the way home to be sick. Nice.

The Boathouse is a nautical themed pub situated right on the sea front in the heart of Dawlish Warren, a stone's throw from the sea and amusement arcades! There's the option of sitting outside on the terrace on sunny warm days, or there's plenty of cosy sofa chairs inside to make yourself comfy while absorbing the warm atmosphere and admiring the many artefacts and ocean themed trinkets adorning the walls and cubby holes.



I bought this dress, (along with 3/4 other polka dots dresses ...) in a small boutique shop in Falmouth a few years ago and I bought it with me just on the off chance we'd go out for a meal one evening. I was delighted it still fit me, despite pigging out on yummy pastries and cakes all week! You can't go wrong with polka dots and a collar can you??

We did originally choose some lovely outdoor seats with a sea view to enjoy our ice cold drinks (mine had to be a Raspberry & Rhubarb Crabbies!), but the table next door to us had some unwelcome, hungry visitors scavenging for leftover chips and as we were looking forward to a nice, relaxing supper we decided to relocate indoors - and I'm really glad we did!
The inside of the Boathouse is a real treat if you love traditional, nautical themed pubs as much as I do! There's something interesting to look at everywhere you turn, from vintage looking brass lanterns to dusty old tin boxes that once held old fashioned sweets and treats. Even the bathroom doors have porthole windows; maybe I'm just easily pleased but I thought it was a lovely, unique touch.

Unfortunately, my meat free diet slipped while I was away. I still kept my meat consumption to a minimum but I did allow myself fish and chips a couple of times and a non-veggie meal at the Boathouse. The Boathouse has a varied menu with something for everyone, and as usual, I was completely indecisive and spent 10 minutes poring over the menu trying to decide what I wanted to eat. As my family were getting a bit impatient with me taking so long, I went for something I knew I'd like, Salt and Pepper Calamari as a starter and the Chicken Fillet burger for main. I was already eyeing up the dessert menu as I worked through my calamari but my eyes are bigger than my belly and the portion sizes are pretty generous so I didn't end up having a dessert. Next time, I'd try the Hippy spiced falafel burger and I'd definitely leave room for dessert!

Our next stop was the amusement arcades! This is definitely a must if you're visiting Dawlish Warren - you can't leave without at least one cuddly toy and a handful of sweets and keyrings from the 2p machines!
My brother would happily spend all day in the arcades if he could, whereas I tried my luck at the bingo machines and gave up after only winning £2 after half an hour of playing!
He was determined to win a Wonder Woman plush for mum on the claw machine ... and after about 15 tries, he did! 

Our evening was topped off by this amazing view when we left the arcade - the Strawberry Moon!
I can honestly say I've never seen a sky as beautiful as this one, it didn't look real. I must have been living under a rock that week because I hadn't heard anything about the Strawberry Moon happening so it came as a complete surprise to us! I was curious to find out why this event is called a Strawberry moon (apart from the obvious pink sky), and Google says, June's Full Moon was a sign for ancient tribes that it was time to start gathering their ripening fruit!

Did you catch a peek at the Strawberry Moon? I'd love to see your pics if you did! Don't forget to follow me on BL to stay up to date with my posts - I still have so much to show you from my little trip to Devon and I'm getting my first car next week so keep an eye out for a post about that soon! Exciting times!
I hope you're having a lovely weekend :) xx