Lookout, Devon! Our overnight stay in a 1940s observation post

A clifftop bunkhouse built for the RAF during the second world war is perfect for a kid-friendly escape – with great views, sea swims, hiking and otter spotting

It’s not always possible to take a holiday, but sometimes the yearning to be somewhere else, to leave the pressures of daily life behind, is too hard to ignore. Last bank holiday weekend, with a 13th birthday to celebrate and a row of suns on the weather app, we found a solution. Our family of four, plus two of my sons’ friends, would drive two hours west, to Devon. We’d stay by the sea, go cycling and swimming, play Perudo and sit around a campfire, eating birthday cake. And be home the next day. We’d be 24-hour party people. Only less rock’n’roll, more rock pools and bacon rolls.

The catalyst was discovering Brandy Head on a Google Maps scroll. Like a mini youth hostel, sleeping six, with one double bed, two twin bunks, a shower room and an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area, this boxy little building sits on the clifftops between Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton, accessible only on foot. Perched nearly 60m above sea level, its terrace is the big selling point, enjoying such gull’s-eye views of the sea that it feels like surfing a very tall wave every time you step on to it.