As if the style of this blog wasn’t clue enough, I kind of like the colour pink. So, imagine my delight at discovering that our South Devon holiday cottage was painted the most wonderful hue of light pink, like so many of the little coastal houses that I lust after on a permanent basis. It was like it had my name written all over. Except it actually had the name “Cloverwell” written all over it, because that was actually its name, duh.
Interesting side note: this was actually the second place we have stayed within a year that was pink – the first being in Italy. I’m starting to see a theme appearing here…
We rocked up to the cottage mid-afternoon, and discovered that it lay on the grounds of a big farm (although no stinky manure in sight – fear not!) and the cottage formed part of a larger farm house. From our bedroom window, we could see chickens and a couple of pigs, and out to the many fields beyond. It was so peaceful and quiet.
Ours was a Devon cottage for two, in that there was only one double bedroom, along with a large open-plan living room/kitchen, bathroom and separate private garden with bbq grill. It is the perfect size for a couple with a dog (or perhaps even a baby) who don’t need much room but want a peaceful location within driving distance of many of South Devon’s towns and beaches.
What impressed me most about the cottage was the little touches that had been left for our arrival. There was a welcome basket for the dog, which included towels to wipe off muddy paws, poop bags and treats – these were much-appreciated by the Basset, who made herself feel right at home in her new abode (we have moved so much in the last two years that the poor hound probably thought this was another new house!)
There was also a selection of homemade marmalade, jam and honey made by the owners of the farm, from their own produce and on-site bees, and the company that runs the cottage had even left us a welcome box from Riverford Organic filled with locally-made apple juice, fresh bread, salad, eggs, sausages and bacon. It was so nice to arrive to a few staples after a long drive, especially when you have no idea where the nearest supermarket is yet.
The location of the cottage near Kingsbridge was great, because not only were we close to what was to become our favourite cream tea of the whole holiday (more on that later), but we were also only a 15-minute drive from Bantham Beach and a 20-minute drive from Salcombe.
Although we spent many of our days out exploring (read: eating scones), we did spend a couple of evenings at the cottage, grilling up halloumi kebabs, drinking Devonshire wine and listening to music. Then we would take walks in the surrounding fields, which the dog absolutely loved, and would all collapse into bed at the end of the day through an excess of fresh air (it is true what they say about sleeping well after lots of the stuff).
Perfect night for a BBQ and some wine in our @CandCC cottage garden. Local Dart Valley wine, at that. Who knew? pic.twitter.com/aXUZxwU7af
— Julia (@ConfusedJulia) July 6, 2016
It was pretty special, you guys. And it totally reminded me of holidays as a child spent in cottages, excited to wake up every day to go to the beach and eat fish and chips! In fact we loved it so much that we’ve vowed to make it a regular occurrence. Because really, you can’t beat a good old English seaside holiday – especially when you can take the dog with you and come-and-go as you please!
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