Activities and adventures near Budleigh Salterton

Budleigh is home to many relaxing pastimes like Golf and Cricket, but there are more adventurous activities available too. Whether you're looking for something a bit more active, or you have an energetic family that need occupying while you relax on the beach, there are plenty of sports and activity centres along the coastline.

 Horse riding

Devon offers a good choice of hacks depending on your ability, plus a range of interesting events such as Easter-egg hunts, cream-tea hacks and pub-centrered rides. Nearby dartmoor is an amazing setting for hacks and advanced rides if you know where to go, and rides can be organised with stop-offs at cafes and pubs on the moors for lunch or dinner during a ride.

If you're visiting through the winter and spring months and have the appropriate experience, you will also have the choice of a beach gallop along the Devonshire coastline.

Where to go:

Heatherways Stables - www.devonriding.co.uk - Based in Budleigh Salterton up Dalditch Lane, with a friendly staff and horses to suit all abilities, this stables offers lots of fun events through the year or the chance for a standard relaxing hack.
Skaigh Stables - www.skaighstables.co.uk - This stables provides Dartmoor treks and advantures of varying lengths, for beginners and advanced riders, those who wish to walk or those who wish to learn a little and use the natural terrain to test their skill.

 Windsurfing

Waterfront Sports offer lessons in both windsurfing, kitesurfing and a variety of other sports including surfing. Exmouth's sea front and estuary are perfectly suited to kitesurfing and windsurfing however, and for a day of fun windsurfing is perhaps nearer to the budget of someone just wanting to get wet and try something new.

The company will supply all the equipment you need, and if the weather doesn't play fair your lesson will either be rescheduled at no charge, or cancelled if you wish with a full refund.

Where to go:

Waterfront Sports - www.waterfront-sports.co.uk - Based in Exmouth and just a 15 minute drive from Budleigh Salterton, this company offer a range of watersports including windsurfing that takes advantage of Exmouth's estuary and beach front.

 Whitewater Canoeing

The river dart and the river exe offer the perfect setting for canoeing, providing different levels of difficulty to suit everyone from the beginner to the advanced canoeist. A couple of companis specialise in the area, sorting permits and tailoring the trip to your skills levels for you, with varying levels of difficulty up to grade 2 moving water. You can also enjoy more relaxed river canoeing sessions for those not interested in whitewater or too much work, and many of the trips can be coordinated with a stop-off at a riverside pub for lunch half way through a day-long session.
Prices are cheaper if you go in a group (perhaps as a family) but you can book per person too.

Where to go:

Back Water Adventures - www.backwateradventures.co.uk - This company offer a choice of sedate or adventurous whitewater canoeing, plus courses in bushcraft, camping and combination days. Canoeing trips down the river can break for a pub lunch.

 Coasteering

There are quite a few companies offering coasteering in the Devon area, with affordable prices for a half-day of cliff-jumping, scrambling, swimming and exhilerating fun. An activity rapidly growing in popularity, you will be guided by an expert and often your route will be tailored to the strength of your group. Kitted out with bouyancy aids, wetsuits and helmets, you'll be in for a pulse-quickening time, without ever having to worry for your safety.

Companies often offer the chance for individuals to sign up and join a group of other individuals, and if you have a small group or family you may be able to get favourable rates booking together. Powerful seas in winter will make this activity ever rougher, and Summer temperatures might make it more favourable for some.

Where to go:

Essential Adventure - www.essential-adventure.co.uk - Covering the South of Devon area and offering a choice of sessions, plus combination days with caving and climbing too.

 Powerkiting

If you want the speed and adrenaline of something like kiteboarding, but would prefer to stay dry, powerkiting may be the perfect thing (sometimes referred to as kitebuggying, amongst other names). Using a kite for power and propulsion, and a board or trike on wheels for transport, powerkiting uses the long strips of flat sand often found on Devon beaches to provide the perfect setting for high-speed fun.

Beginners can take short taster sessions if they're not sure it's something they'd fancy, or you can take a half day or full day's course. Advanced or intermediate powerkiters can also take improver sessions to advance their skills. An advantage of learning powerkiting is that once you know how to use the kite, you may find it easier to try other related sports such as kiteboarding and kitesurfing in the future.

 Where to go:

Edge Watersports - www.edgewatersports.com - Based in Exmouth and offering tuition, courses and holidays around the area.