Laura and Liam Fletcher Newbold have a busy week ahead as their trip to south Devon brings with it many places to visit and see.
Kitchen
We spent the week at the Old Dairy Barn, set on a working farm at Challacombe, in beautiful surroundings. The property was clean and welcoming with a basket of local goodies left on the kitchen table, including milk, eggs, bread and fruit cake. There were two bedrooms downstairs, with a large open-plan kitchen and lounge area upstairs where our German Shepherds (Klausand Beorn) stayed. Lyndsey, the host, was helpful and attentive, and we loved our cow ‘neighbours’ in the barn and field next door.
Master Bedroom
After picking up supplies in Barnstaple we stopped at Arlington Court and the National Trust Carriage Museum. Dogs are allowed in the formal Victorian garden, walled kitchen garden and conservatory, which grows exotic plants from around the world. Dogs are also allowed into the Carriage Museum in the stables, which displays a range of historical coaches and carts. Dogs are not allowed inside the main house, so we took it in turns to look around inside, before choosing one of the main walks around the estate. We chose the Old Lake Walk, as we were assured by the staff that, although steep, the terrain was suitable for our daughter’s pushchair. After an enjoyable few hours and quick browse through the shop, we drove the 15 minutes back to the Dairy Barn.
View from the decking
The next day, we drove to Lynmouth, just over 20 minutes away. We parked at the Esplanade car park and then walked across the road to pay for tickets to travel on board the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway, which connects the twin towns of Lynton and Lynmouth. The cliff railway opened in 1890 and is the highest and the steepest totally water-powered railway in the world. Tickets can only be bought on arrival (£3.90 per adult, £1 per dog, children under four travel free). At the Lynton station, is the aptly named Cliff Top Cafe, with dogs welcome in the inside and outside seating areas. We bought a drink and cake and sat outside to enjoy the beautiful view across Lynmouth Bay. We spent the next day at RHS Rosemoor, a 50-minute drive away. The gardens were gorgeous and we spent an enjoyable few hours following the suggested dog friendly walking route through the woodland and exploring the many different gardens. It is the only RHS garden that accepts dogs between Monday and Wednesday every week, and Klaus and Beorn were allowed everywhere except the children’s play areas, the fruit and vegetable garden and a small part of the cottage garden, all of which are clearly marked. The main restaurant is not dog friendly but the cafe is, and there is plenty of outdoor seating.
View to the Valley of Rocks
On Tuesday, we had a chilled morning at the property and then decided to try the local dog friendly Black Venus pub for lunch. Inside was small and cosy and we could see why it had been recommended to book; by 1pm almost every table was full, despite it being term time and midweek. There was a wide variety of items to choose from the menu, the ingredients of which were mainly locally sourced. The venison burger and steak ciabatta with caramelised onions we ordered were fantastic, and the thick cut chips were possibly the best we had ever tasted. After lunch, we visited the Exmoor Pony Centre, just under half an hour away. The centre is free, dog friendly with a tiny gift shop and, although small, is a lovely place to spend an hour, with informative staff on hand to tell you about the ponies and the wonderful work the charity do. The next day, we visited Quince Honey Farm for lunch. We have visited here before a few years ago and this second visit did not disappoint. We ordered their version of an afternoon tea which included two sandwiches of our choice, crisps, two pots of tea and two clotted cream scones with one portion of jam and one of honey. It was delicious. The large restaurant is bright and welcoming and welcomes dogs throughout. You can buy tickets to access the full attraction, which includes the gardens and many other activities. Dogs are simply not allowed in the indoor play area. And do not forget to browse the well-stocked gift shop before you head off on your way, which has many lovely gifts and souvenirs to take home, the majority of which are bee and honey related, of course.
Exmoor Pony Centre
We were up early on our last day and spent it visiting the Valley of Rocks, which we had seen signposted when we visited Lynmouth earlier in the week. We parked at Lynton and then followed the signs for just under a mile that led to the Valley of Rocks, famous for its spectacular rugged cliff edges and feral goats. As with the wild horses, we were fortunate enough to see some of the wild goats grazing on the rocky hillside. The walk to the Valley of the Rocks was a few miles, which we could have extended at the valley and followed a walking route. But we decided against it as some of the routes were narrow and we had our daughter in the baby carrier with two big dogs. We then drove to Heddon’s Valley, only 15 minutes away, and parked in the National Trust car park (free for members). It was a short walk of just over a mile to Heddon’s Mouth, which is a small, pebbly dog friendly beach where Beorn and Klaus enjoyed a salty swim. After saying a fond farewell to the Dairy Barn, our home for the past week, we started the long journey home up north. We stopped at the Cotswolds Wildlife Park and Gardens, which was a few hours from Exmoor to stretch everyone’s legs (and paws). The park is huge and extremely dog friendly. We absolutely loved it here and would definitely return if we ever visit this part of the country again.
Fact File
Property – Old Dairy Barn, Challacombe, Banstable, EX31 4TU
Contact – See Website
Price – 7 nights (Friday to Friday £690 including £20 per dog fee plus a £53 booking fee
Website – holidaycottages.co.uk
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