Belle Cottage Holiday Guidebook

A Trip to Devon Craggy coves and cream teas 48 hours in. . . Devon Day one MORNING There’s no better way to clear away the cobwebs than with an exhilarating dip in the sea (take a wetsuit to reduce the initial chill); and if you go early, you’ll have usually packed beaches to yourself. With safe, shallow swimming from a perfect crescent cove, South Sands is my go-to destination, and you can warm up on the sunny terrace of beachside South Sands Hotel (Bolt Head; 01548 845900) afterwards with a steaming mug of coffee and delicious brunch. It’s a quick boat ride into Salcombe, or a short walk along the coastal path to National Trust property Overbeck’s (Sharpitor; 01548 842893) where you can gawp at the town's best waterside views, framed through the sub-tropical foliage in their pretty gardens. Overbeck's National Trust property Overbeck’s has waterside views, framed through the sub-tropical foliage in their pretty gardens AFTERNOON Invigorated from your morning swim, you'll be ready to take on one of Devon’s most spectacular stretches of coastline. Buy a picnic from beachside café The Winking Prawn (01548 842 326) on North Sands, and strike out for the eight-mile walk from Salcombe to Hope Cove, tracing jagged peaks, secluded sandy coves and bucolic Devonshire pastures dotted with doe-eyed cows and gambolling lambs. A tip: if you're actually staying at the South Sands Hotel, they will give you a free lift back from wherever you are. Afterwards, return to the hotel’s terrace for a well-deserved gin and tonic – try Salcombe Gin which is distilled in a former sail loft. South Sands, Devon The small but lovely South Sands beach is a good spot for a dip, followed by a G&T on the terrace at the hotel LATE You're spoilt for choice for dining in these parts, although most places are a drive away so book a taxi if you want to drink. Opening their doors to non-residents for the first time in years, Art Deco Burgh Island (Bigbury-On-Sea; 01548 810514) now offers black-tie dining every evening. Cut off by tides twice a day, getting there is all part of the fun – a high-sided sea tractor ferries guests across the parting tides. On the harbour, stop for a drink at The Pilchard Inn, a weather-beaten smugglers’ pub which serves Devon real ales alongside a hearty portion of piratical history. A less formal dinner option is Millbrook (01548 531581), a cosy pub set on a tranquil creek in South Pool which serves exceptionally good modern British-style cuisine. For a rustic experience, The Beach House (01548 561144) is a clapboard shack on South Milton Sands, offering superb seafood on communal tables overlooking Thurlestone sea arch. The Beach House is a clapboard shack on South Milton Sands, offering superb seafood on communal tables The Beach House is a clapboard shack on South Milton Sands, offering superb seafood on communal tables Day two MORNING Head inland to the vast expanses of Dartmoor National Park, where you’ll enter a mythical world of Bronze Age hut circles, remote thatched hamlets, ancient glades and open moors roamed by wild horses and birds of prey. A road trip is the best way to see this wilderness; our favourite route starts in the idyllic thatched village of Lustleigh, where you can fortify yourself with tea and cake at the pretty Primrose Tearooms (Lustleigh; 01647 277365). From there, head to Grimspound, one of the most complete examples of the moor’s prehistoric villages and inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'. Your legs may not be up to another long hike, but if you do one walk, make it to Wistman's Wood, an ancient dwarf-oak woodland where giant mossy boulders and lichen-encrusted trees look like a Lord of the Rings set. Park at Two Bridges (01822 892300) hotel for the easy hour-and-a-half walk. The next stop is to Dartmoor Prison Museum (Princetown; 01822 322130), a fascinating, if somewhat macabre collection of items confiscated from prisoners, including makeshift weapons and escape gear such as time-worn knotted sheets. Dartmoor National Park, Devon Spend the morning exploring the vast expanses of Dartmoor National Park. AFTERNOON Drive to local beauty spot Dartmeet and through the exceptionally pretty thatched hamlet of Buckland-in-the-Moor, then on to remote Widecombe-in-the-Moor, where you can stop for a lunch and pint of Dartmoor real ale in the Rugglestone Inn's pretty garden, where ducks frolick in the stream (01364 621327). The final stop on your Dartmoor scenic drive is Hound Tor, a jumble of towering granite boulders offering some of the best views. Look out for 'letterboxes' – Tupperware boxes containing messages hidden between the rocks by children. A gentle half-mile walk from the car park takes you to the top; continue 15 minutes further and you'll reach the remains of a medieval village. Rugglestone Inn, Dartmoor Enjoy a pint of Dartmoor real ale poured straight from the barrel at the cosy Rugglestone Inn LATE Later, head to Bovey Castle (01647 445000), a grand estate near the thatched village of North Bovey, for a sundowner on the terrace overlooking Dartmoor. The hotel has two restaurants: the more casual (and cheaper) Smith’s Brasserie, which serves West Country staples such as burgers and fish and chips, or the glamorous fine-dining Great Western restaurant. Otherwise, head to the Ring of Bells, a 13th-century coaching inn also in North Bovey, where you’ll rub shoulders with sheep shearers, bee-keepers and blacksmiths. Bovey Castle, Devon Head to Bovey Castle, a grand estate near the thatched village of North Bovey, for a sundowner on the terrace