Last week, Team Coates traded our usual Skegness getaway for a new adventure by heading south to the stunning coast of North Devon for our 2025 summer holiday. The sea? A dazzling blue, not the familiar brown of the North East and a place that if you dare ask for gravy on your fish and chips, you were laughed at…Yes, that actually happened!

Our home base was the delightful Ruby’s Retreat, a cozy upside-down cottage nestled on a working farm. Right outside our windows? A curious crowd of rescue alpacas, sheep, pigs, chickens, and ducks that we had the pleasure of feeding them a few times. We also spent far too much time leaning out of the windows making baa-ing and oinking noises, just to see who’d say hello.

Between animal encounters, we soaked up the sunshine on some of North Devon’s best beaches, devoured our fair share of fish and chips (with home made gravy…come on Southerners, it’s 2025, gravy ain’t going away), did a bit of shopping, flew my new drone (first time flying one, and now love it) and squeezed in some card games.

All in all, a perfect five-day breather in between wedding madness. Devon, you were a dream!