Dawlish air show from the beach

This weekend we headed to Exmouth – it has a glorious sandy beach and, just as importantly this weekend, a great view across the water to Dawlish. This weekend was the Dawlish Air Show, and we knew the kids would enjoy watching all the aeroplanes and helicopters, as well as enjoying a day at the seaside.

While we waited for the air show to start we found a nice sandy spot to sit and the kids explored, rolled down the dunes, built sandcastles and paddled in the sea. The sea was COLD but the children didn’t seem to mind – even Max when he sat in it! 

The air show started with a fly over from the Sea King helicopter. This was just stunning, it flew right over our heads, so close that you could see the crew inside. The work these guys do is just amazing, and to see the helicopter so close was a real treat.

We sat and watched a real variety of planes perform, from small biplanes to huge Lancaster bombers. But the highlight for me was seeing the Red Arrows perform their amazing routine. It was like watching porty in motion and all 5 of us loved it.

We have never taken the children to see an airshow before. We wondered whether Max would be too small but he loved it, and kept pointing up at the sky, and Gemma and Jacob were enthralled, and happily sat on the picnic blanket watching the variety of aircraft on show. This combined with the fact that we were sat enjoying one of the nicest beaches the Devon coast has to offer made for one of the best family days out we have had in a long time.