Cofton Holidays

About 20 minutes from the M5 at Exeter
Premium5 starSelf-catering

Cofton Holidays is a family-run holiday park spread across 80 acres of a wooded South Devon valley at Starcross, near Dawlish Warren, run by the same family for over fifty years. Families come for the warm indoor pool, the free outdoor pool and splash pad in summer, early evening entertainment built around younger children and a Blue Flag beach a short drive away. Mumsnet lists it among Devon's best parks for toddlers.

A family walking on a sunny grassy hillside above the Exe Estuary, with the South Devon coast in the distance.
The setting The Devon countryside above the Exe Estuary, near Dawlish Warren.
On this page
  1. Is it worth it?
  2. Quick facts
  3. The setting
  4. Where you'll stay
  5. Pools and water
  6. The beach
  7. Babies and toddlers
  8. Eating and drinking
  9. Things to do
  10. The area and days out
  11. Getting there
  12. When to go
  13. Loves and gripes
  14. How it compares
  15. Practicalities
  16. Questions
  17. Photo gallery
The short version

Is it worth it?

Who Cofton suits, what's included and what isn't, plus the facts to skim first.

Cofton is a well-kept, family-run park with a lot for young children, and it's held VisitEngland's top 5-star holiday-park rating for years. The draw is a self-contained valley setting with plenty on site: a warm, shallow indoor pool, a free outdoor pool and splash pad in summer, a pump track guests rave about and early evening entertainment that starts before bedtime. It's self-catering, so you cook for yourselves or use the on-site places to eat, and the accommodation runs from luxury lodges with hot tubs down to touring pitches. The main thing to weigh is the extras, since the indoor pool is charged per session rather than included, and a few activities cost more, so a week here isn't as all-in as an all-inclusive abroad.

Best for

You want a self-contained UK park with a warm toddler-friendly indoor pool, a Blue Flag beach nearby, early evening shows for young children and space to self-cater in a lodge, cottage or caravan.

Maybe not for

You want the indoor pool included rather than paid per session, a big-brand park with fairground rides and a water park, or you're booking for a large group, since Cofton takes families and couples only.

Best ages

Babies and toddlers upwards. The soft play, Aquatots, splash pad and early evening shows are pitched at young children, with plenty for older ones too, but there's no crèche or babysitting.

What stands out

The flat 30°C indoor pool, the free pump track, the wooded valley setting and staff that guests single out.

What to check

That you've pre-booked your indoor pool sessions and how you'll reach the beach with a pram.

Where is it?

In a wooded valley at Starcross, near Dawlish Warren in South Devon, about 20 minutes from the M5 at Exeter.

Quick facts for families

BoardSelf-catering, so no board is included, but the on-site food is unusually good for a UK park: three places to eat and a fish-and-chip takeaway, plus a shop and supermarkets nearby.
The siteA family-run park across 80 acres of a wooded South Devon valley at Starcross. Compact and walkable, with no golf buggies, so you get around on foot.
PoolA heated indoor pool at 30°C and a flat 1.2m, charged per session and best booked ahead, plus a free outdoor pool and splash pad in summer.
BeachDawlish Warren, a 1.5-mile Blue Flag sandy beach, a very short drive away or a woodland walk with a steep hill.
BabiesTravel cots and high chairs in the cottages and holiday homes, a warm shallow indoor pool, Aquatots and an under-8s soft play. No crèche or babysitting.
Getting thereAbout 20 minutes from junction 30 of the M5 at Exeter, with free parking on site. No airport shuttle, and Exeter Airport is 15 to 20 minutes by car.
A valley of its own

The setting and site layout

Where the park sits, how it's laid out across the valley and how you get around.

Cofton spreads across 80 acres of a wooded South Devon valley on the Eastdon Estate at Starcross, midway between Exeter and Dawlish Warren, and the valley gives it a tucked-away feel that guests often describe as a sort of holiday bubble. The heart of it is the central Ashburn Springs complex, which holds the indoor pool, gym and spa, Amelia's Pantry, the Warren Retreat entertainment room, the Swan pub, the arcade, the soft play, the shop and reception. Accommodation fans out from there: the main park, with most of the caravans and the touring pitches; an outer park with the hot tub lodges, the fishing lakes and Cofton Woods; and the quieter Eastdon Estate a short drive away, with the listed apartments and estate cottages.

It's a compact, walkable site. Most accommodation is under a ten-minute walk from the central complex, and there are no golf buggies of the kind you find at some larger resorts, so you get around on foot, with e-bikes to hire from reception for the Exe Estuary Cycle Trail or the woodland route down to the beach. The paths through the valley are tarmac with gentle gradients and are generally fine for a standard pushchair, though there's some grass and gravel between the pitches. Cofton has been independently owned by the same family for over fifty years, now into its third generation, and it holds VisitEngland's 5-star Holiday Park rating across its campsite, cottages, lodges and apartments, an AA 5 Pennant Gold award for the touring side, a gold for Holiday Park of the Year at the 2018/19 South West Tourism Excellence Awards and the UK's Best Caravan or Campsite title from the iTravel Staycation Awards in 2020/21.

A cream two-storey Georgian farmhouse with a columned porch, sash windows and chimneys, a paved path leading to the front door across a lawn under a blue sky.
Eastdon House, the Grade II listed Georgian farmhouse
A row of red-brick barn-conversion holiday cottages with tiled roofs, behind a low trellis fence with lavender beds and coral parasols under a blue sky.
The holiday cottages, converted from the estate's old buildings
A grey static caravan with a timber deck on a grassed pitch, a large shade tree beside it and more caravans set back behind.
A static caravan on its pitch in the grounds
A large green family tent on a grass pitch beside a paved park lane, with a lamp post, timber fencing and a wooded hillside behind.
A pitch on the touring and camping grounds
More in the photo gallery →
Lodges, cottages and caravans

Where you'll stay

The lodges, cottages, apartments and caravans, what comes with them and which suit a family with a baby.

Cofton is self-catering, and where you stay ranges from luxury lodges with private hot tubs to static caravans, listed Georgian apartments and pitches for tents, tourers and motorhomes. Whichever you pick, one thing helps with a baby. The cottages and holiday homes come with a travel cot and high chair already in place, so there's less to pack. In the lodges those are hireable instead, so ask for them when you book.

The hot tub lodges are the top of the range: two- and three-bedroom lodges sleeping four or six, with beds made up in Egyptian cotton, a full kitchen with a dishwasher, a private hot tub on the decking and a welcome hamper. A couple are dog-friendly, Kingfisher and Chapelwood, the latter looking out over Cofton church. Luxury lodge bookings also include complimentary VIP passes for the indoor pool and gym, which is worth knowing, because those passes come only with the lodges and not with the caravans or cottages.

The holiday cottages are barn conversions and original estate buildings, on the main park and over on the quieter Eastdon Estate. Among the two-bedroom cottages, sleeping four, Westwood is arranged over two floors, Middlewood has open-plan living and dining and Cockwood has two doubles on split floors; Woodside and Little Orchard are two more on the estate. Eastdon is the three-bedroom cottage, sleeping six with a kingsize master plus a double and a twin room and two bathrooms, and Cofford Farmhouse is the largest, for a bigger group. Some have hot tubs, some are dog-friendly and some have sea views, and all come with linen and WiFi. Set slightly apart on the Eastdon Estate are six apartments in Eastdon House, a Grade II listed Georgian farmhouse, sleeping four to six across names like Meadowside, Eales Park, Warren View, Bluewaters and Parklands, with estuary or woodland views and a calmer, off-park feel.

The static caravans are the middle of the range and the widest choice, twelve named models sleeping four to six. Beds are made up before you arrive, and each has central heating, double glazing and a fitted kitchen with a fridge freezer and microwave, though not the dishwasher the lodges have. A few are dog-friendly and a couple have their own hot tub. Floor sizes aren't published for most units, so the table sticks to bedrooms and how many each sleeps.

Cofton Holidays static caravan models, how many bedrooms they have, how many they sleep and their key features
ModelBedroomsSleepsNotes
Ashburn36A double and two twins, a roomier choice for larger families
Mardle36Master en-suite and two twins, 38ft by 12ft, with a patio and picnic table
Tamar26Modern and spacious, with a pull-out bed in the lounge
Dart26Dog-friendly, with a pull-out bed in the lounge for a fifth and sixth berth
Meldon26A newer model, with a pull-out bed in the lounge
Otter26Bold, modern styling
Bovey26A double, a twin and a pull-out sofa bed
Foxcombe (6-berth)36Dog-friendly, with a private hot tub on the deck
Foxcombe (4-berth)24Dog-friendly, with a private hot tub on the deck
Burgundy24Modern styling, with a Bluetooth speaker and Blu-ray player
Tavy24Compact, suited to couples and small families
Teign24Wheelchair-accessible, with a ramp, wide doors, a wet room with grab rails and a portable helper frame

For touring and camping there are grass pitches with electricity included, hardstanding pitches with a 16-amp hook-up and metered electricity, premium super pitches with water and waste connections, RV pitches for large motorhomes, a tent-only Orchard area and accessible pitches. Hardstanding pitches take units up to 10 metres long. Up to two dogs are welcome per touring pitch, and there's a dog exercise area on site.

The private hot tubs, on the lodge and some caravan decking, aren't for children under 12, and they can take up to twelve hours to heat up on arrival day, so plan around that for the first evening. Check-in is from 4pm for the cottages, lodges and caravans and from noon for touring and camping, with check-out at 10am. Cofton takes families and couples only, not groups.

A timber-clad lodge with full-height glass doors and a decked terrace holding a private hot tub and rattan sofas, looking out over the park under a blue sky.
A luxury lodge, with a private hot tub on the decking
An open-plan static caravan kitchen with grey fitted units, a wood-effect worktop and a breakfast bar with high stools.
The kitchen in a static caravan
A modern static caravan living area with a grey corner sofa, green cushions, a wall-mounted TV and an open kitchen and dining space beyond.
The open-plan living area in a static caravan
A holiday cottage living room with blue sofas, a wood-effect electric stove in a brick fireplace and a coffee table on a patterned carpet.
A holiday cottage living room
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Two pools, a splash pad and the sea

Pools and water

The heated indoor pool, the summer outdoor pool and splash pad, plus the hot tubs.

The indoor pool in the Ashburn Springs complex is the year-round heart of a family day here. It's heated to 30°C and a constant 1.2m deep with no deep end, which is what makes it work for toddlers and nervous swimmers, with water cannons and jets, bubbling hydrotherapy loungers and a splash zone, plus a glass window through to Amelia's Pantry so a non-swimming parent can sit with a coffee and watch. One reviewer calls it reasonably small, though the sightlines throughout are good. The hours vary by day, and it's open all year bar Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

It isn't included in your stay, though. Swimming is charged per one-hour session, and there are two rates: residents, meaning guests staying at Cofton, pay £4.75 for an adult and £3.65 for a child, while day visitors pay £7.50 for an adult and £4.50 for a child; under-3s go free either way (all last checked July 2026). Sessions are booked online up to 28 days ahead and fill fast in peak weeks, so book yours before you travel rather than counting on a walk-in. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Babies and toddlers need both a swim nappy and a tight neoprene cover, and an accident closes the pool, so the cover matters. The changing rooms have warm showers, baby-changing, family cubicles, free hairdryers, swimsuit spinners and £1-coin lockers. There's a sauna and steam room alongside for over-16s, and adults-only swim sessions at set times.

In summer there's a free outdoor heated pool, open daily from mid-morning to early evening roughly from late May to early September, weather permitting, right beside the Swan's patio so you can grab a drink while the children swim. There are no changing facilities at the outdoor pool itself, so you change back in the main complex. Next to it, the free Forest Run Splash Pad is a forest-themed, ground-level splash zone with woodland sprinkler posts, tipping buckets and water cannons, safe for toddlers to potter about in and open through the summer. Several lodges and some caravans have their own hot tub, and there are hydrotherapy bubbles in the indoor spa area.

Dawlish Warren

The beach

Dawlish Warren beach is a 1.5-mile stretch of gently sloping sand backed by dunes and a national nature reserve, and it has held a Blue Flag for 27 years running, confirmed again for 2026. The sands shelve gently, the dunes take the edge off the wind and RNLI lifeguards patrol through the summer, so it's a reassuring spot for paddling with little ones, though an outgoing tide can expose sandbars.

Getting to the sand takes a little planning. The Dawlish Warren entrance is barely any distance from the park by road, but the walk down through Cofton's private woodland is a 20-to-30-minute one with a steep hill that isn't wheelchair-friendly and is hard work with a pram, or about 12 minutes by bike. Most families with young children and beach kit drive instead. It's a very short drive from the main park, a little longer, around 10 minutes, from the touring and camping pitches further into the site, and there's a paid car park at the beach. In summer the park also runs a charged trailer tractor ride through the Eastdon Estate down to the sand. Dogs are allowed on the beach year-round in designated sections, with stricter rules from the start of April to the end of September.

The beach itself has amusements, arcades and eateries in Dawlish Warren village behind it. Further afield, Coryton Cove is a quiet cove near Dawlish and Teignmouth's town beach is about 15 minutes' drive, with the wider south Devon coast within easy reach.

For the little ones

Babies and toddlers

The baby kit, the pool and soft-play sessions, the clubs and the early evening shows.

Babies and toddlers are what Cofton does best, and the reason Mumsnet picks it out for toddlers in Devon. The cottages and holiday homes come with a travel cot and high chair already in place, so there's less to pack, while in the lodges they're hireable, so request them when you book. The park mascot, Digby the Dinosaur, turns up to meet children at the Kids' Club and the early evening shows.

In the indoor pool, Aquatots is a parent-and-baby water soft-play session with floats and toys, running Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am to noon in term time only, so it isn't on during the school holidays when the park is busiest. Adults pay £7.50 a session (last checked July 2026), under-4s go free and a swim nappy is needed. Beside Amelia's Pantry there's an indoor soft play area for under-8s with a separate sensory section for under-3s, free when you're eating in, with seating around it so you can supervise over a coffee.

The daytime Kids' Club runs from Easter to the end of October and on selected school holidays, with named sessions like a Digby meet-and-greet, Cosmic Adventures, Pirates Ahoy and dance workshops, plus face painting, circus skills and pond dipping. Most are free and a few are paid, and they're pitched broadly at children of all ages rather than split into separate toddler and older-child clubs. The early evening entertainment is a real strength for young families. The venue opens at 5pm, earlier than many parks, so the evening runs from a free family activity through Digby stories and shows and children's party dances into the adult bingo, quizzes and a 9pm cabaret, with child-friendly food served from 5pm. It runs nightly from Easter to the end of October.

There's also a small paddock near the outdoor pool with donkeys, ponies and sheep, and pond dipping at the fishing lakes. No babysitting or in-room childcare is advertised, so check with reception if you need it.

Three places to eat, and a chippy

Eating and drinking

The cafés, the pub, the entertainment venue and the chippy, plus how self-catering works here.

Cofton is self-catering, so no board comes with your stay, but you won't go hungry on site: three places to eat and drink plus a fish-and-chip takeaway, with local Devon produce running through the kitchens.

Amelia's Pantry is the all-day café-restaurant, upstairs in the Ashburn Springs complex overlooking the indoor pool, with a balcony over the outdoor pool. It opens at 8am, serves food from 8:30am to 9pm and keeps the bar open until 10pm, starting with a buffet breakfast and running through light lunches to full mains, cakes and cream teas, much of it from named Devon suppliers such as a Brixham fishmonger, a Crediton dairy and a Dawlish bakery. High chairs are on hand, there's a children's menu with crayons and the soft play sits alongside within sight of the tables. It has won gold at the Food Drink Devon Awards. A mid-week deal outside the school holidays bundles an adult meal, a child meal and bottomless tea or filter coffee for £12.95 (last checked July 2026).

The Warren Retreat is the evening entertainment venue and bar, open nightly from Easter to the end of October with cabaret from 9pm, and it serves bar meals and a children's menu from 5pm to tie in with the early evening shows. It's also the home of the Sunday carvery, served every Sunday from noon to 4pm, with a child's carvery costing £9.95 and an adult's around £16; booking is advisable. Cofton's two official pages currently quote slightly different adult figures, £15.95 and £16.95, so it's worth checking the current price when you book.

The Swan Inn is a traditional pub on the ground floor, exclusively for guests, with a patio overlooking the outdoor pool, local ales and ciders and pub lunches and lighter meals, and it's dog-friendly. In peak season it opens daily from noon; in winter it opens Friday, Saturday and Sunday only, so check ahead for an off-peak stay. The Swan also runs an online pizza order-and-collection service, the Swan Pizza Kitchen. Over at the takeaway, Cofton Chippy is open daily from 5pm to 9pm, with fish in a gluten-free batter alongside sausages, burgers, crispy coated chicken and loaded chips, and you can order online for collection.

Nuts are used in the kitchens at both Amelia's Pantry and the Warren Retreat, and allergen information is available from staff on request.

Filling the days

Things to do on site

Everything that's included, everything that costs extra and the ones worth planning around.

A lot here is included with your stay. Free to use are the summer outdoor pool and splash pad, the Kids' Club and evening entertainment in season, woodland walks through the estate, a multi-use sports court for football and basketball, three play areas (two traditional ones and a woodland adventure playground in Cofton Woods with a zip wire, climbing nets and a low ropes course), pond dipping and the animal paddock. The concrete pump track in the Barnfield area, for bikes, scooters and skateboards, is free too.

Plenty more is bookable for a charge. In the pool there are Cofton Swim Stars swimming lessons with STA/ASA Level 2, DBS-checked instructors, working through Swim England's stages 1 to 7: a child's one-to-one lesson costs £25 for 30 minutes, and a small-group or adult one-to-one lesson costs £30 (last checked July 2026); there are also Scuba Scooters in the school holidays. There's a Technogym gym with a free-weights area for over-16s, at £5.25 for residents and £10 for non-residents (last checked July 2026). Group fitness classes like Aqua Fit and Zumba run too, plus e-bikes and a new pickleball court to hire. Outdoors there's a high ropes course at £12.95 a head (last checked July 2026), with a minimum age of 8, a minimum height of 1.2m and a maximum weight of 120kg, taking about 45 minutes to an hour; any under-16 needs an adult with them. There's also a scenic trailer tractor ride through the estate down to the beach. In the school holidays there's a teddy bear workshop, a Breakfast with Digby and Forest School sessions in the woods.

Cofton has four coarse fishing lakes, Mamhead Match, Powderham Tench, Ashcombe and George's, from match pegs to specimen carp, with guided Try Fishing sessions for families and an on-site tackle shop hiring rods and selling bait. Indoors, the cashless arcade has a four-lane Highway 66 mini bowling alley, American pool, coin pushers, prize machines and rides, and the refurbished Beauty Room offers massages, facials, nails and waxing, checked in at the pool reception. Through the year the park runs themed weekends and an annual American Car Show each June.

Off the park, and when to come

The area and days out

Map of the area around Cofton Holidays, showing the resort, the nearest airport and the main family days out

The beaches, towns and days out nearby, getting to the park and the best months to come.

The park sits in a well-placed corner of South Devon. Cockwood Harbour, a small fishing village with crabbing and a couple of pubs, is about a 15-minute walk or a 4-minute cycle, and Dawlish town, with its river, crazy golf and sea wall, is a 20-minute walk along the woodland path, though that path has the same steep hill as the beach route and isn't pram-friendly, so many families drive.

A short drive opens up much more. Powderham Castle is about 10 minutes, Teignmouth's sandy beach and pier about 15 and Crealy Theme Park, voted a top small theme park for toddlers, about 25. Haldon Forest Park, with waymarked cycling and walking trails, is around 20 minutes, Stover Country Park with its lake and raised walkway 20 to 25, Canonteign Falls about 30 and Babbacombe Model Village in Torquay, a long-time toddler favourite, 35 to 40. For a bigger day out, Paignton Zoo is about 35 minutes and Dartmoor's open moorland and ponies about 35 too.

You can also leave the car behind. Dawlish Warren station is a short drive or woodland walk away, and the train reaches Exeter in about 15 to 20 minutes along the GWR Riviera Line, one of England's most scenic stretches of railway, running right along the sea wall, so a day in Exeter for the shops, the RAMM museum, the cathedral and the quay is easy without driving. The flat Exe Estuary Cycle Trail and the South West Coast Path both pass within a mile of the park, so estuary cycling and coast walking are on the doorstep too.

Several electric hire bikes with helmets, parked on a cobbled quayside beside the water.
E-bikes, to hire for the Exe Estuary Cycle Trail
A couple sitting on a sea wall eating ice-cream cones, with a red beach hut and the sea behind them.
Ice creams at the seaside
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Getting there

Getting there

Cofton is easy to reach by car, about 20 minutes from junction 30 of the M5 at Exeter and signed from there, with a dedicated space at most accommodation and free car parks around the site. Without a car, the Stagecoach number 2 bus stops right at the park entrance, running to Exeter one way and towards Torquay and Paignton the other, and Dawlish Warren railway station is under 10 minutes away by car. There's no airport shuttle; Exeter Airport is roughly 15 to 20 minutes by car, so families drive or take a taxi. For electric cars, there's a Pod Point charging station about 5 minutes' drive away, and several lodges and cottages have their own charging points.

When to go

When to go

Dawlish sits on the south Devon coast and enjoys one of the mildest, sunniest climates in England. July and August are the warmest months, with daytime highs around 20°C, and they're also the busiest, while June and September bring similar weather with lower prices and thinner crowds. The outdoor pool and splash pad run roughly from late May to early September, weather permitting, which is the window for combining the beach, the outdoor pool and warm-enough days, and the heated indoor pool gives rainy-day cover all year. The lodges, cottages and caravans are open year-round; the camping pitches are seasonal, and the daily entertainment programme runs from Easter to the end of October.

Typical monthly weather for Devon
MonthDaytime highOvernight lowRainWet daysSea temp
January9.5°132 mm1510°
February10°99 mm13
March11°86 mm12
April13.5°69 mm1010°
May16°8.5°64 mm912°
June19°11°63 mm915°
July21°13°67 mm817°
August21°13°76 mm1017°
September19°11.5°70 mm917°
October16°10°130 mm1416°
November12.5°6.5°129 mm1514°
December10.5°4.5°145 mm1612°

Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. Sea temperature is the open-water figure, so a sheltered bay can feel a degree or two warmer.

What guests say, and the everyday details

Loves and gripes

What guests rate, what they flag, how it compares and the practical details.

This is our read of what families consistently say rather than a stay of our own. Guests rate Cofton highly, at 4.5 out of 5 across around 2,584 Google and Review.io reviews shown on the park's own site and 9 out of 10 from 244 reviews on UKCampsite, and Mumsnet lists it among Devon's best parks for toddlers. The same strengths and the same handful of gripes come up again and again.

What families love

  • The cleanliness, described as spotless by repeat visitors.
  • The warm, friendly staff, often named in reviews.
  • The 30°C indoor pool, warm and shallow enough for toddlers.
  • Amelia's Pantry, for the food and the soft play alongside.
  • Enough on site to fill a week without needing to leave.
  • The woodland setting and the walks through it.
  • The quality of the lodges.
  • The free pump track, singled out again and again.
  • Shows that start early enough to fit before bedtime.
  • Strong loyalty, with many families returning year after year.

Common gripes

  • The indoor pool being charged per session rather than included, which surprises some guests; only the luxury lodges come with complimentary passes.
  • The pressure to pre-book pool sessions, which fill 28 days ahead and can sell out in peak weeks.
  • The strict pool supervision, with some families finding they needed an adult for each young child.
  • Extra costs mounting up, from metered electricity on many pitches to charged WiFi on the pitches and paid activities.
  • Competition for outdoor-pool slots in high season.
  • The beach being further than some expect, a 20-to-30-minute walk or a short drive.
  • No changing facilities at the outdoor pool.
  • Historically patchy paid WiFi on the pitches, though the free WiFi in the buildings helps.
  • Busy peak weeks, given how full the park gets.
Against the other Devon parks

How it compares

Families comparing Devon holiday parks often weigh Cofton against the bigger names, like Haven's Devon Cliffs along the coast, Woolacombe Bay in the north of the county and nearby Lady's Mile. The trade-off is mostly scale and character. The big parks are larger and busier, with more on-site entertainment and, in some cases, a water park. Cofton is smaller, independent and family-run, with a quieter, self-contained valley setting and a clear focus on younger children, from the flat 30°C indoor pool to the early evening shows. If you want fairground rides, a water park and a big-resort buzz, one of the larger parks may suit better; if you want a calmer, well-kept park with the beach and open countryside close by, Cofton is the gentler choice. Group bookings settle it for some too, since Cofton takes families and couples only.

The everyday details

Practicalities

Most of the park is wheelchair accessible, including reception, Amelia's Pantry, the Warren Retreat, the Swan and the shop, with ramps through the main complex and an accessible outdoor-pool patio; the arcade is the exception. There's one dedicated wheelchair-friendly holiday home, the Teign caravan, with a ramp, wide doors, a wet room with grab rails and a portable helper frame, plus several accessible touring pitches. Wheelchairs and walking aids can be hired for a small fee and mobility scooters for a little more per day in peak season, and they can be delivered before you arrive. There's a portable induction loop at reception and staff trained to use it.

The on-site shop is open all year and stocks local eggs, bacon, sausages and pastries alongside household basics, souvenirs and camping bits. For a bigger shop there's a Sainsbury's nearby and a Tesco or Co-op in Dawlish, about 5 to 10 minutes' drive, where you'll also find a pharmacy. The nearest A&E is the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in Exeter, around 20 minutes away by car, though for anything urgent call 999 and check current directions rather than rely on that estimate. Free WiFi covers Amelia's, the Warren Retreat and the Swan, with a charged connection on the pitches; mobile signal is strong on O2, EE and Vodafone and can be slower on Three. Cofton also has its own app for browsing the activities and what's on during your stay.

The questions parents ask

Questions

The things families ask most, the official pages worth a bookmark and when this guide was last refreshed.

Do we have to book the indoor pool, or can we just turn up?

You book online in one-hour sessions, up to 28 days ahead. The popular school-holiday slots go quickly, so it's best to sort your swims when you book the holiday rather than turning up on the day.

Is the indoor pool included in our stay?

No. It's charged per one-hour session, with staying guests paying a reduced rate and under-3s free. Only the luxury lodges come with complimentary pool and gym passes, so if you're in a caravan or cottage and plan to swim a lot, budget for the sessions.

How do we get to the beach with a pram?

The woodland walk to the sand has a steep hill and isn't pram- or wheelchair-friendly, so most families drive the short distance and use the paid beach car park, or take the summer trailer tractor ride down from the park.

Are travel cots and high chairs provided?

They're already in place in the cottages and holiday homes. In the lodges they're hireable, so check which applies to your unit and request lodge hire when you book.

When does the children's entertainment run, and is any of it for toddlers?

Nightly from Easter to the end of October, with the venue opening at 5pm so younger children can catch Digby and the early shows before bedtime. Outside those months only occasional themed weekends run, so check what's on for your dates.

Which accommodation is easiest with a baby or toddler?

A cottage or holiday home saves packing a cot and high chair, and a lodge or caravan with a separate bedroom lets a baby nap behind a closed door. A unit near the central complex spares you a hilly push with a pram.

Can children use the hot tubs?

No, the private hot tubs aren't for under-12s. They can also take up to twelve hours to heat on arrival day, so don't count on one for the first evening.

Is the indoor pool warm and shallow enough for a baby?

Yes, it's heated to 30°C and a flat 1.2m throughout, with no deep end. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

Last updated 13 July 2026.