Things to do
Set out on the following page is information about the surrounding area that will help you to get the best out of the area during your stay.
Shops
Religious Services
Public Transport
Music in Hartland
Pubs
Restaurants
Things to Do
Gardens to Visit
Places to Visit
Days with Young Children
HARTLAND
Shops
We are one mile from Hartland.
Hartland is a real village with the sort of community and spirit long abandoned by most of England. From brass band to carnival, from skittle team to football team, from dart board to cribbage board, from Church bell to child’s yell, from Harvest Suppers in the village hall to Carol Services in the village Square, Hartland is what an English village was fifty years ago.
There is a lovely circular walk to Hartland from Downe that takes you to the village through the picturesque Vale and back up through a wooded hillside by Cheristow to Downe. The walk takes a lazy half- hour there and a lazy half-hour back. The footpath through the wooded Vale runs beside a small river before leading you into the centre of Hartland. The footpath back starts besides the local tennis courts in the village and brings you over a small river back up the side of the valley through lovely woodland to Cheristow and then back to Downe. Beware; the walk can be very muddy.
In April when the bluebells are in flower the walk through the Vale is a walk through a Monet painting. In autumn when the blackberries are ripe the walk is likely to stretch well past its allotted time.
In Hartland there is a small collection of village shops including a grocery shop along Fore Street (The Pop In). The Pop In also supplies dvds and alcohol and frozen meat from a nearby butchers. It also offers a useful cashback service, and Sunday newspapers can be bought there. The Pop In is open from 8.00 a.m. until 7.30 p.m. every day and from 8.30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays (closing between 1.00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m. on Sundays).
Hartland has a Post Office on the High Street (where you can buy newspapers and a limited selection of groceries and fresh bread) and a small hardware shop (The Handy Store) which sells fishing tackle and bait. The Handy Store has a wide and eclectic range of goods from socks to kitchen equipment. It is possible to order your newspaper at the Post Office if you are staying for a few days.
At the far end of the High Street is the Hartland Farm & Tea Shop. David and Diane Heard run the Shop which sells vegetables (many of which they grow themselves), fresh meat from their own cows, sheep and rare breed pigs, home made preserves and fresh home made cakes. It’s well worth looking in. They also run a small cafe in the back which serves breakfasts, light lunches and afternoon teas.
The Pop In and the Post Office are open on Sunday.
If you want to order flowers for a special occasion whilst staying at Downe do ring 01237 441 291 and ask for Christine. Christine will deliver arrangements or bouquets to your cottage at Downe but she does need at least a day’s notice. She doesn’t take payment by credit card but a cheque can be left with Jeremy or Lynda who will make sure Christine receives it.
Hartland boasts a fine antique shop and a very special pottery.
The antique shop, called The Darville Gallery, is owned by George Morgan and can provide excellent value. It is on West Street just as you turn into the centre of the village. It’s a lovely shop and provides a very enjoyable browse even if you’re not interested in purchasing a new dining room table.
Springfield Pottery is run by Philip and Frannie Leach. Philip is a grandson of Bernard Leach, the doyen of Twentieth Century English potters. They make earthenware pottery hand-made from local clays. We think their pottery is exceptional and very collectable.
(The standard of the pottery in the immediate area is very high - see Local Potteries in the section entitled ‘Day Trips’.)
Clive Pearson runs a small boat (the Jessica Hettie) which you can take from Clovelly to visit Lundy Island. Phone Clive on 01237 431 405 or 07774 190 359 to make bookings. You can charter the boat or take one of his scheduled trips on a Wednesday and Thursday. Clive’s boat trip to Lundy is not for the faint hearted if it’s at all choppy (it’s a small boat travelling quite quickly in open water) and we do advise you to wear waterproofs as the trip can be a wet one. On a beautiful day with a calm sea it can be magical.
Milthorne Chairs is also located in Hartland (at 10 Fore Street) and supply handmade Windsor chairs in Beech, Ash and Elm. The chairs reflect traditional designs and (although very expensive since Dutch Elm disease) they still use elm with its beautiful grain and its resistance to splitting for the seats. Beech and Ash with their straight, close grains are used for the turned parts and also for the hoops.
Bob Seymour, the proprietor of Milthorne Chairs, is a very talented photographer. Some of his photographs of objects found on the beach are remarkable and take on the shape and mood of abstract paintings. In addition he has a number of breathtaking landscapes taken on the Hartland Peninsula. He is starting to exhibit the more abstract of his photographs in galleries and to gain a reputation well beyond the Hartland parish boundaries.
Merlyn Loveridge is a painter and printer who has a tiny studio at No 2 Harton Manor just off The Square in Hartland. Her work is quite varied. She has some lovely paintings of pebbles, some quite abstract paintings and some interesting wood block prints. She’s also a photographer.
A delightful few hours can be occupied by strolling down to Hartland and visiting the pottery, the studios of Bob Seymour and Merlyn Loveridge and the Darville Gallery. Very simple but very relaxing and artistically quite varied.
Three times a year (Easter, Summer and Autumn) the Hartland Arts and Crafts Society holds a ‘Craft Fayre’ in The Parish Hall just off The Square in Hartland. Well worth a visit if it’s on while you are staying at Downe.
Just off the Square is Harton Manor Workshop. This is a teaching workshop run by David Charlesworth that has won national repute. David is an author and furniture maker who has specialised in teaching since 1977. He runs courses at Harton Manor teaching fine furniture making to exhibition standard to no more than four students at a time. A variety of courses are available and the standards are quite exceptional. If you are interested in furniture making do visit David’s website at www.davidcharlesworth.co.uk.
In The Square in the centre of Hartland is ‘The Glorious Wood Gallery’ which is a permanent gallery of fine furniture produced by a seven craftsmen who are resident in the workshop behind the Gallery.
Just outside Hartland in Stoke you will find the best cream teas in the immediate area and the best we have eaten in Devon (other than those at the Health Spa!). These are served at Stoke Barton Farm (just opposite St Nectan’s Church in Stoke). The cream teas really are excellent with homemade scones and a very generous serving of lovely clotted cream and strawberry jam. Helen Davey insists on customers taking home any uneaten scones, jam or cream in a doggy bag. So don’t panic if you find you can’t manage it all in one sitting! The home made cakes are also delicious if you can’t manage a cream tea. (Try the Bakewell Tart or the Fruit Cake with a scoop of double cream - they really are something special.)
Helen also serves a full English breakfast at the farm and a high tea. Breakfast should be ordered the night before and you do need to book the high tea. These meals are excellent traditional farmhouse meals. Helen’s phone number is 01237 441 238.
We often walk down to Berry Cove (our nearest beach), then along the Coastal Path to Hartland Quay and then back along the road to Stoke and then to Downe. It takes about two hours at a gentle pace and if we time it well we stop off for a cream tea at Stoke Barton. It makes for a very pleasant afternoon’s stroll.
In summer the tearoom is closed on Monday and Friday. On other days it is open from 8.30 am- 9.30 a.m. for breakfast and 2.00 p.m. - 5.30 p.m. for cream teas, pasties and salad. It is also open for Bank Holiday Mondays in the Spring and Summer. Unfortunately it is closed from the end of October until the week before Easter.
Stoke Church is a landmark that gives a bearing to many a walker as they travel around Hartland Point. The church is framed by beautiful rolling countryside and rook filled woods. The tall tower is the reason why the church is known as ‘The Cathedral of North Devon’. The rood screen in the church is magnificent and provides a stunning backcloth to the small concerts and musical evenings that are regularly held in the church.
The graveyard is lovely and has the peace that only an old English churchyard can provide. On a summer’s day time seems to slow when you stroll amongst the gravestones and listen to the rooks in the high trees.
Religious Services
Church of England
St. Nectan’s in Stoke is the nearest church and holds services every Sunday at 11.00 a.m. There is also a St. Nectan’s in Welcome that holds services every Sunday at 9.00 am. Communion is also given at the Catholic Church in Hartland on Sunday at 8.0 a.m.
Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic mass is said every Friday evening at ‘Our Lady and St. Nectan’ in Hartland at 6.0 p.m. It is necessary to travel to the Stella Maris Church in Bideford for the nearest mass on a Sunday. Phone 01237 472519 for times.
Methodist
There is the Hartland Methodist Chapel at the top of Fore Street in Hartland that holds services every Sunday. Phone 01237 441271 for times.
Public Transport
Hartland has an infrequent bus service seven days a week that runs from Northgate Green in Hartland to Bude in one direction and to both Bideford and Barnstaple in the other. A timetable is available in each cottage. Although few of our guests use the bus service to journey into the towns many use it as a drop off or collection service for the longer walks along the coastal path (e.g. for the return journey after a walk to Clovelly). The service isn’t frequent so planning ahead is required if the service is to be useful.
It is possible to take a train from Barnstaple to Exeter although we do not find that service of much assistance. The nearest mainline station is Tiverton (which is an hours drive away) and it is possible to organize a taxi to collect guests from Tiverton.
Music in Hartland
Hartland is a delightful community that continues to surprise us. One of its continuing surprises is the strength of its musical life.
Hartland has two major musical groups: the Hartland Brass Band and the Hartland Chamber Orchestra. If your visit coincides with one of their concerts given by the Brass Band or the Chamber Orchestra we do recommend that you take the opportunity to attend even if the programme is slightly outside your normal tastes. The location often transforms highly professional performances into something quite memorable.
The Brass Band frequently performs on Hartland Quay on Sunday evenings during the summer. If the weather is kind these concerts can be magical. The backdrop of the cliffs and the Atlantic and the occasional pint from the Wreckers create something quite special. A lovely sunset makes them quite perfect evenings. Performances in the Square in Hartland after the Carnival or at Christmas can also be delightful.
The Chamber Orchestra is very professional and regularly gives concerts in Hartland and nearby villages.
The Chamber Orchestra’s concerts in Stoke church are often lovely evenings. You can experience the orchestral music of Haydn, Bach, Beethoven and Mozart in the way that most of the generations before radio and recording contracts experienced this music: arrangements dictated by the musicians available to the orchestra and played by highly accomplished neighbours and friends.
Each year Hartland hosts a music festival called ‘One Week in summer’. It takes place in mid to late July and is a celebration of music in Hartland.
The concerts generally take place in St Nectan’s Church in Stoke but occasionally take place in Hartland Abbey. The Jazz Concert is usually excellent.
NEARBY PUBS AND RESTAURANTS
Pubs
We are delighted to say that the Hart in the Square in Hartland now provides excellent meals (we eat there at least once a week). The food is imaginative and well presented in a pretty little pub that occupies pole position at the top of the Square.
The Wreckers’ Retreat, which is a bar in The Hartland Quay Hotel, is stunningly located and a pint at the Wreckers is a must for those jaded souls who have journeyed to us from the Land of Starbuck in the East. It is about a mile and a half away on the other side of Stoke and the hotel nestles on the side of the cliffs. It is well worth a visit just for the view and on a stormy evening it is an exhilarating place for a drink. If there is a good sunset it can be memorable. You will pinch yourself and ask yourself if this is really England as the sun sinks gloriously to the horizon and the light burns great flames across the sea.
On some Sunday afternoons in the summer the Hartland Brass Band plays at the Quay. The location acts as alchemist and transmutes brass into gold.
Sitting outside the hotel on a warm evening with a pint of ‘Wreckers’ in your hand watching the sun slowly set is a very popular activity amongst men of a certain age and disposition. It is highly recommended as an antidote to the M25.
Children are very welcome and they can play around you as you sit drinking on the benches outside the bar.
Hartland Quay Hotel provides very basic pub food that doesn’t try to be of restaurant quality but the Wreckers Retreat has a lovely atmosphere and on a nice day is crowded with walkers and day-trippers down to see the Quay.
The Anchor Inn in Hartland provides simple pub food in the village - please ring 441 414 as booking is advisable.
A little further away is The Red Lion in Clovelly harbour. Another superb location and a lovely place to go for a drink on a summer’s evening. Regular informal folk music evenings are held here. If you are going to the Red Lion at night you can drive down to the hotel and park on the pebbles.
The Coach and Horses at Buckland Brewer (Phone 01237 - 451395) is one of the pubs in the area that we really enthuse over. It is a lovely pub and has good food, good beer, bags of atmosphere and in Oliver a very friendly landlord. We also think that their steaks are the best in the area whether you are in pub or restaurant. (On one occasion we asked for two filet steaks and the chef came out to apologize. They were out of fillet steak but they’d phoned the butcher. The apology was for the fifteen-minute delay while the butcher finished his tea!) It’s worth booking a table in the bar before travelling over. The only down side is that service can be very slow if the pub is crowded.
The Bush Inn at Morewenstowe is a lovely looking pub that serves good pub food. It also serves a very acceptable Sunday lunch using locally reared beef and pork.
The Bell at Parkham (Phone 01237 - 451201) serves good food and, because its larger, booking tends not to be necessary. (For Sunday lunch however booking is essential.) Michael and Rachel are the landlord and lady. Rachel is usually behind the bar and is very friendly and welcoming. Michael is the chef and the food is good. We particularly like the chicken breast cooked in garlic butter. Ideal if you are watching the calories.
The Beaver Inn on Irsha Street in Appledore (01237 474822) is very acceptable with an emphasis on fresh fish. Do try and get a window table looking out to the Estuary. On a Saturday you will often find a folk singer or band in the bar.
The location of The Beaver is excellent. It has lovely views over the estuary and Irsha Street is lovely to walk through on a nice evening, tremendous charm and character.
One pub that we should mention that is not ‘nearby’ ‘ and is not really a pub anymore! - but is a good stopping point for lunch or dinner on the way to or from Downe Cottages is The Mason’s Arms at Knowstone. Knowstone is a mile off the A361 and about twelve miles from Junction 27 of the M5. The Mason’s Arms is signposted and it’s well worth planning your journey so that you can stop here for lunch. More restaurant than pub in the kitchen, the pub is now the proud possessor of a Michelin Star. We call there for lunch or dinner if we’re travelling to and from the wide world beyond Bristol. (01398 341 231)
If you do eat at one of the above pubs please mention to the proprietors that you are staying at Downe Cottages. If a proprietor knows that our guests regularly eat at his or her pub it can only encourage the right quality of service for individual guests.
Restaurants
The first restaurant on our list of recommendations is the nearest restaurant to us. It is the Cheristow Country Kitchen and is no more than a four hundred yard walk from us along a beautiful high-hedged single-track lane. Graham and Wendy run the Country Kitchen and it is a delight to have such a lovely little restaurant so close to Downe.
Graham and Wendy breed rare breed cows, sheep and pigs. They also raise ducks, turkeys and rabbits. The motivation behind the Country Kitchen is their wish to utilise their own meat and Graham’s secret ambition to cook. It is an extraordinary that nearly everything you eat in the restaurant (other than the fish which is landed at Clovelly) has been grown by Graham and Wendy.
The menu is very small and changes frequently. It is surprisingly imaginative (one starter that was both delicious and novel was Orange Potato with Lamb Chippolattas in Mint Gravy - the dish was a great success and we have certainly never encountered the combination of tastes before).
The internal décor of the restaurant is lovely and the gardens look down on a lightly wooded valley. The best recommendation is that a lot of the visitors to Downe are now eating at the Country Kitchen twice during their stay at Downe. The restaurant experience is excellent and to that is added the pleasure of ambling there and back along a deserted Devon lane.
Do book ahead by phoning 01237 441 522.
Appropriately for such a coastal area the best news about the local restaurants is that there is a selection of good fish restaurants very near to us and one of the best fish restaurants in the country not so far away. In practice, you can eat beautifully cooked fish every night of the week at a different restaurant during your stay at Downe. The only caveat is that it is always sensible to book before you begin your journey because some of the restaurants are quite small.
We do suggest that you take advantage of the selection of restaurants that we identify in these pages and eat at a different one each evening. They really are quite lovely and offer very good value. Each restaurant also provides a very different experience and together they give a real variety to your evenings.
Going North from Hartland on the A39 takes you to Appledore on this side of Bideford. (Appledore is a lovely old fishing village and well worth a visit on a sunny afternoon.) The village hosts a restaurant called Benson’s at No 22 The Quay. The service is friendly. The food is good and the restaurant has real atmosphere. It’s necessary to book on most evenings during the season (01237 424 093) as it’s a very small restaurant.
Instow on the other side of the Estuary to Appledore has an excellent restaurant situated at the far end of Marine Parade, the road running along the sea front.
Decks is one of our favourite restaurants. Downstairs it’s more a bar with the emphasis on food but upstairs It’s a smart restaurant. The restaurant area is more formal than a pub but, because it’s a holiday area, it’s never that formal. Ties are not required; smart casual is the order of the day. The decor is lovely and the service excellent. The views across the estuary from the upstairs windows are lovely and sunset on a summer’s evening is magical. The food is very good and is well presented. Its menu is international and imaginative. It is now an established entry in the ‘Good Food Guide’. Do book (01271 860671). We have recently had truly excellent meal at Decks which is very encouraging for the future.
Further along the sea front is The Commodore Hotel. The Commodore is beautifully located with lovely views across the estuary. The snacks in the bar are quite good and we particularly enjoy morning coffee or afternoon tea on the terrace looking across the bay to Appledore when the weather is fine.
The coffee shop attached to the Burton Art Gallery and Museum in Bideford is a good place for a coffee or a light lunch. The Gallery is located in Kingsley Road adjacent to Victoria Park that in turn is next to the large car park by the Quay. The opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm.
The fish and chip shop on the Quay in Bideford is very good for traditional fish and chips. On a nice evening when we are ‘fish and chipping’ we tend to buy our fish and chips and drive into Instow. We park on the front and enjoy a lovely view across the estuary while we ‘dine from the morning paper’. Chose a public bench and the beach wall provides an acceptable resting-place for feet, drink or whatever. Not very sophisticated maybe but it can be great fun on the right evening.
A recent addition to Bideford’s restaurants is ‘The Silver Bridge’ a Chinese restaurant located in East the Water on the other side of the estuary looking back into Bideford. It’s a small restaurant providing the sort of food you would be served in a Chinese home in Hong Kong. Different from the normal run of Chinese restaurants and all the better for it.
The best restaurant in Bideford is Lathwells. Located in Cooper Street just off Mill Street in the centre of Bideford it is an intimate little restaurant and provides a very pleasant restaurant experience. Do book - 01237 476 447.
The best place to have a coffee and a cake in the area is Tea on the Green on Golf Links Road in Westward Ho! Located on the front it is a beautifully decorated and maintained little tea room with an exceptional pastry chef producing superb cakes. The Blueberry and Apple Cake is just one of number of quite exceptional cakes that make ‘going off diet the natural route. It is a quite exceptional tea room. It is open from 10.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday during the Summer. To check opening hours do phone 01237 479 265.
A little closer to Hartland is The Penhaven Country House Hotel. The welcome is always warm and the surroundings are very relaxing. We’ve had a number of delightful evenings at the Penhaven. You will need to book and the number is 01237 - 451 711. The menu is quite varied and reasonably imaginative. Sunday lunch at the Penhaven is excellent with a fixed three-course menu at under £14 that offers a choice of four starters and four main courses with desserts from the trolley.
Going in South on the A39 from Downe takes you into Bude.
The restaurant we enjoy most in Bude is ‘Life’s a Beach’ which is a beach bistro. Located on Summerleaze Beach in Bude it has a sensational location overlooking the sea. Getting there might discourage you (past the public loos, through two car parks) but don’t be discouraged - persevere! It’s casual, crowded and fun. The food is very good and we have recently had a truly excellent meal here. Again it augurs very well for the future. We think it offers the best fish in the area.
On a warm summers evening you will need to be reminded that you are still in England. The restaurant has ‘a new-world feel’ about it. Lovely views through open glass doors with the waves crashing below. (Do book if you can: 01288 355 222)
Another interesting restaurant in Bude is the “El Barco” restaurant in The Bencoolen pub. Juan, the proprietor and chef, is Spanish and the food has a heavy Spanish influence. The fish is the best choice but do be careful of the quantities, there can be very substantial portions on the plate and it’s easy to over order.
El Barco’s particular contribution to our recommended fish evenings is the paella. It is genuine paella made freshly when ordered and therefore takes half an hour to arrive. It’s rustic and unsophisticated but it’s delicious. We suggest you consider ordering the paella when booking your table to avoid disappointment or an overlong wait. But do beware of quantities. The ‘Paella for Two’ is much more than the two of us can manage. We find the quantities so large that they can easily overwhelm the dinner and spoil the meal so we do emphasize caution. El Barco does however provide ‘doggy bags’ to take the remnants of the paella home for lunch the next day.
The restaurant has lots of atmosphere with tables close together and the service is friendly. (We recommend that you book: 01288 354 694).
Going a few miles past Bude on the coast road between Bude and Widemouth Bay is Elements a restaurant that has lovely views over the ocean. The food is modern and international with the chef and owner having trained at The Castle in Taunton. Elements is a lovely addition to the area’s restaurants. The phone number is 01288 352 386 and booking is essential.
The choice of ethnic restaurants is limited in such a rural area. Barnstaple is the nearest town offering a reasonable number of acceptable ethnic restaurants, including Chinese, Indian and Greek restaurants, and we will be happy to provide recommendations. They tend to be ordinary of their kind rather than exceptional but you can still find a pleasant Italian or Indian meal.
If you have deep pockets and are prepared to travel a good hour for your meal we do have the following recommendations:
The first recommendation is either of the two restaurants run by the television celebrity Rick Stein at Padstow: Rick Stein’s Fish Restaurant or Rick Stein’s Bistro (one number for both: 01841 532 700). Don’t bother to try and get a meal at these unless you have booked a table. The queue for even the least prestigious of his eateries (Rick Stein’s Café) was out into the street when we were last there. (The existence of his restaurants, his café and his delicatessen has caused the locals to re-christen the village “Padstein”!) The food in his restaurants is excellent although we do prefer the Fish Restaurant to the Bistro. (We take an hour and a quarter to drive to Padstow from Downe and we know the road.)
The second recommendation is Northcote Manor at Burrington near Umberleigh. This has established itself as one of the places to eat in Devon over the last three years. Lovely food, lovely surroundings. It’s £38 for a three course fixed menu dinner. Lunch midweek is £15 for 3 courses, £18.50 for 2 courses and £25.50 for 3 courses at the weekends. Light lunches are also served. Do book before travelling over. (The phone number is 01769 560 501.)
Northcote Manor is off the A377 from Barnstaple. The entrance is on the right hand side of the road four and a half miles past Umberleigh. The entrance is signposted just past the Portsmouth Arms Railway Station and opposite the Portsmouth Arms public house.
It’s worth noting that morning coffee and cream tea is available to non-residents. It can make a lovely stop in the middle of a busy day. Beautiful service in lovely surroundings. The Manor has the happy knack of letting it’s visitors take their time over their coffee or tea and we’ve spent a leisurely hour and more having tea in their lounge. (We take about forty-five minutes to drive to Northcote Manor but again we do know the road.)
Our third recommendation is Percy’s at Virginstow. Percy’s is a forty-five minute drive from Downe and is just off the A388 just south of Holsworthy. (Drive south to St Giles-on-the-Heath and just as you enter St Giles-on-the-Heath turn left. Percy’s is signposted from there.) Tina Bricknell-Webb, the chef-cum-proprietor, is an excellent chef. Her cooking is rated as a five in the latest Good Food Guide and is original and intelligent. Do book (01409 211 236). Children under 12 are however not permitted in the restaurant. (We take forty-five minutes to drive to Percy’s.)
The fourth recommendation is the furthest from us which is ‘Andrews on the Weir’ at Porlock Weir. (See our suggested Day Trip to Porlock Weir.)
Rick Stein’s, Northcote Manor, and Percy’s are lovely restaurants that provide lovely evenings. The drives there are through charming countryside and are usually quite easy drives. (Don’t try driving to Padstow on Friday evening in the summer though!) We often compare it to driving up to London for the theatre or an evening meal when we were living in Surrey - it takes about the same time although you are travelling greater distances in Devon.
We are often asked our favourite places to eat and we reply as follows:
Best pub meal and environment: The Coach and Horses at Buckland Brewer .
Best local restaurant: Decks at Instow going North and Life’s a Beach at Bude going South. Both are excellent restaurants that are clearly getting better.
Best restaurant within a comfortable drive: Rick Stein’s Restaurant in Padstow.)
Before we sign off on our guide to restaurants we should mention ‘Sunday Lunch’. In our opinion The Country Kitchen provides the best Sunday Lunch close to Downe. Excellent value, the lunch is beautifully presented in delightful surroundings. The Penhaven in Parkham also provides a very good Sunday lunch as does The Coach and Horses in Buckland Brewer.
Our advice to every visitor to Downe is enjoy the cuisine close to Downe and we recommend that you seriously consider the following during your visit as your basic mealtime agenda:
1. For your first night at Downe order a meal from our menu of meals served in the cottages. This avoids any problems in the event of delay on your journey down. We suggest a two or three course Gourmet Dinner in your cottage on the first night. The standard of the meal is exceptional.
2. Eat at Cheristow Country Kitchen on one night and at the Hart in Hartland on another.
3. If time permits do eat at Decks in Instow and at Life’s a Beach in Bude.
4. Thereafter the choice is to run through our recommended list or to repeat a visit to one of the above.
If you do eat in any of the above restaurants or tearooms please mention to the proprietors that you are staying at Downe Cottages. If a proprietor knows that our guests regularly eat at his or her restaurant it can only encourage the right quality of service for individual guests. It can help if a reservation needs to be made at the last minute on a crowded evening or if there is a special occasion to be celebrated.
THINGS TO DO
Brochures giving details of things to do in the area are available in the Health Spa. The following is a selection of those activities.
Horse Riding
If you want to go horse riding contact Debbie at Gooseham Barton Stables near Morwenstow (01288 - 331 204). She’s set up stables with over forty horses from 11 to 16.2 hands. Mounts are allocated according to your size and experience. The countryside is perfect for hacking and they are a well-organized riding stables. Debbie provides American saddles as well as English for transatlantic visitors. Her prices are very reasonable (English saddles - £20 for one hour, £12 for half an hour). A two hour hack through the coastal scenery near Morwenstow is a fabulous morning or afternoon’s activity. (If you are a complete novice your first ride is limited to an hour.)
For the experienced rider who wishes to spend a good part of their holiday with horses contact Chantal Hackford at the Lutsford Riding School (01237 - 441 629) in Hartland. Chantal provides individual lessons on an all weather sand school and has regular all day workshops.
Fishing
Stafford Moor Fishery
Stafford Moor Fishery at Dolton (which is near Winkleigh) is a good coarse fishery. The fishery comprises four lakes, which total some 25 acres, set in some 60 acres of moorland. It’s been very highly recommended by previous guests. The phone number is 01805 804 360.
(The Royal Oak at Dolton provides very good pub food, as does The King’s Arms in the old central square of Winkleigh.)
Tamar Lakes
The beautiful Tamar Lakes, which are located towards Bude, provide excellent coarse fishing. The lakes have good numbers of carp to 28lb. They are stocked with carp, bream, tench, roach, rudd and eels. The lakes are open all year, 24 hours a day. (Phone 01288 321 262). There is also a Tea-shop on site open 1st April to 31st October from 11 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
Melbury
This fishery, located near Bideford, was opened in 1990. Mirror and common carp were stocked. The best mirror caught to date is 27lb. Good mixed bags of roach, rudd, bream and pole are taken. It is open all year from 6.30am to 10.00pm. (Phone 01837 871 565)
Jennets
Another fishery near Bideford, Jennets has gained a national reputation for its carp fishing. It regularly produces 20lbs commons and mirrors. It also produces quality bags of smaller carp, roach and tench. It is open all year from 6.30am to 10.00pm. (Phone 01837 871 565)
Sea Fishing
One of the joys of the area is a fine day spent in a boat sea fishing.
You can get a boat to take you fishing from Clovelly or Appledore.
Clive Pearson, one of the potters in Hartland, runs a small boat at Clovelly (the Jessica Hettie) which you can charter for fishing trips. Phone Clive on 01237 - 431042 or on his mobile 0374 - 190359 to make bookings.
Stephen Perham runs boat trips from Clovelly Harbour on the ‘Neptune’. Phone 01237 431 761 to book. He will also take you out fishing for the day.
Sea bass and mackerel fishing trips are available from The Sea Chest in Appledore. Phone 01237 476 191 to make bookings. The cost is £10 per head for a two-hour trip including rod and tackle.
Boat Trips
Tarka Cruises are based at Appledore. They run a boat trip of about an hour’s duration from Appledore Quay towards the mouth of the Taw and Torridge Estuary, then back up to Bideford, back down to the West Bank of Torridge past Instow and back to Appledore Quay. The cost is £10 per adult and £8.50 for children under 12 and OAP’s. Phone 01237 477 505 or 01237 476 191 to book.
A trip to Lundy Island is an option for any holidaymaker spending a week in Hartland. If the weather is good the day will be a marvelous day out.
Lundy Island was the first designated Marine Nature Reserve in the UK. It is remote, wild, spectacular and unspoiled.
Clive Pearson, who runs the Hartland and Clovelly Pottery, also runs a small boat (the Jessica Hettie) which you can take from Clovelly to visit Lundy Island. It has a maximum capacity of ten people. Phone Clive on 01237 - 431 042 or on his mobile 0374 - 190 359 to make bookings. You can charter the boat to Lundy or take one of his scheduled trips on a Wednesday and Thursday. The boat is also available for charter for a day’s fishing.
Clive’s boat trip to Lundy is not for the faint hearted in choppy weather (it’s a small boat travelling quite quickly in open water) and we do advise you to wear waterproofs as the trip is a wet one. If you prefer to use a larger boat to visit Lundy then take the MS Oldenburg that sails from Bideford and Clovelly. This takes 267 passengers and has bar, buffet and shop on board. Phone 01237 - 470 422 for up to date sailing information and to book your tickets.
If you go to Lundy do pack a picnic, as the pub meals on Lundy are disappointing.
Tennis
Hartland has two tennis courts in the village, which are available for hire. Phone Bridget Stowell on 01237 - 441 492 if you want to arrange to hire a court.
Cycling
The whole of the immediate area around Downe is ideal for the fit cyclist. Most of the roads are single track framed by the lovely Devon hedgerows that give the countryside so much character. It’s possible to cycle for miles down the Coast towards Bude without touching an A road and crossing the A39 brings you into a veritable wonderland of little lanes that criss-cross the County.
For those of us who are less than fit (or just less ambitious) the Tarka Trail provides a leisurely series of rides over less demanding terrain. Cycles can be hired from ‘Gifford’s Cycle Hire’ in Kilkampton (01288 321 829, “Bideford Cycle Hire” (01237 424 123) or ‘Yelland Cycle Hire’ (01271 378 794) amongst others. For a small charge Gifford’s Cycle will deliver cycles to Downe and have very reasonable rates (£5 per day for an adult’s cycle, £3 for a child’s and £7 for an adult’s mountain bike).
Golf
Downe Cottages are ideal for golfing breaks, particularly out of season when long weekend or mid-week breaks are readily available. The two and three bedroom cottages are ideal for a golf party of two or three couples. “Tee Times” can be arranged when booking the cottages to ensure the smooth running of the golf break.
Royal North Devon
The closest senior golf course is the Royal North Devon in Westward Ho. This is the oldest seaside links in England. Its reputation is that it is a very friendly club with a demanding course. We have arranged concessionary guest rates.
