Autumn holidays in the South Hams…

Do you like to travel in September or October? As summer turns to autumn, red and golden leaves begin to add a warm glow to the West Country countryside. With the evenings getting shorter and temperatures dipping slightly, what better excuse to dig out your comfy knits and gather together around an open fire after a fun-filled day out in the popular South Hams area.

At The Stables, a mile from Ermington, sheltered by trees on a hilltop with tremendous uninterrupted views to Dartmoor, you can see lovely sunsets – a perfect spot for relaxing after a long bracing walk along the glorious coast three miles away at the river Erme estuary. There’s a superb indoor heated swimming pool too, as well as a rustic woodburner to warm your toes.

Swallowsmeet, near Battisborough Cross, is surrounded by rolling farmland leading down to the open sea. This impressive, excellently converted, ‘upside down’ house has been cleverly designed to retain original features from its former function as a stone-built barn to Alston Manor Farm. Lovely exposed scissor-beams and comfy leather corner sofas in the superb, spacious open-plan living/dining/kitchen area make for delightful evenings in after days out exploring. A great base for visiting south Devon’s beautiful coastline, beaches and pretty villages.

On a quiet lane in Washbourne you’ll find Bridge Cottage, a pretty, detached stone cottage sympathetically renovated to a very high standard. Berry Pomeroy Castle and Dartmouth Castle both make ideal nearby places to visit, and on the way back you can pick up some award winning, classic English wines and cheeses from Sharpham Vineyard. The area is rich with foodie pubs and restaurants for delicious lunches and dinners.

Number 4 Garden Cottages, in the heart of Kingsbridge, is in a brilliant position for restaurants, cafés and good pubs. You’ll enjoy walking up and down Kingsbridge high street, window shopping and ducking into quaint shops and galleries. Discover the many-creeked Kingsbridge estuary on a boat trip or head to the stunning beaches at nearby Salcombe and Bigbury-on-Sea for countless watersports.

Browse through our holiday cottages in the South Hams to find just the right place for a relaxing break in September or October.

Cornish charm and Devon donkeys…

From an eco-friendly haven to a former village sweet shop, we've some fantastic and unique holiday cottages to add another dimension to your next West Country break.

Rainwater harvesting, heat reclaim ventilation and an air source heat pump for heating and hot water give the recently refurbished The Linhay in the South Hams an attractive, forward-thinking quality many holidaymakers seek. On the site of an ancient settlement and surrounded by five acres of fields with distant views to Dartmoor and south to Noss Mayo, the proximity to nature - including a private woodland with a stream and sightings of rabbits, pheasants, a barn owl, woodpeckers and buzzards - is superbly fitting.

The Linhay is a detached, upside-down property near a collection of small villages. Essential shops and good food pubs can be found in Newton Ferrers. At low tide, follow the footpath across the creek or use the pedestrian ferry to coast walk to the secluded beach at Wembury. Mothecombe has the nearest sandy beach and is 4 miles by car.

Collaton Farmhouse and Collaton Farm Cottage are on the same site as The Linhay and can be rented together. A semi-detached and more traditional building, Collaton Farmhouse is clad with roses and wisteria, with a large and lovely, sheltered enclosed walled garden and sun trap terrace. Collaton Farm Cottage is a pretty, part slate-hung, west-facing end of the original house, with its own entrance and sunny, lawned garden with terrace looking over fields and woodland beyond.

Cornish charm is found in abundance in Mousehole, on the western tip of Cornwall. This pretty fishing village is a horseshoe of granite cottages, shops, good restaurant, cafés and pub round its harbour. Fisherman’s Haven, an enchanting 18th century Grade II listed cottage,nestles in a tiny cobbled lane and the interior reflects its artistic owner’s flair and imagination. Plenty of good walks on your doorstep and the superb Minack Theatre and sandy Sennen cove within 10 miles.

Hartland in north Devon is home to The Olde Sweetshop, a 17th century terraced cottage, once the village sweet shop through which donkeys walked to be shod at the back (now a lawned garden). Hartland itself is an attractive village with shops, pubs and a lovely former abbey set in a remote, beautiful area with spectacular cliffs at Hartland Quay; an ideal base for exploring the coastal path. The nearest town is Bideford and closest beach is Westward Ho! - the only place in the British Isles with an exclamation mark in its name!

Search our selection of more than 600 West Country holiday cottages to find a special place to stay.

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Spoil yourself in the South Hams…

Southernmost Devon, between the River Dart and River Tamar and south of Dartmoor, is an area of lush farmland, wooded river valleys and a beautifully preserved coast that ticks so many of the 'how to unwind' boxes we all have when going away. We’ve scoured the South Hams and hand picked an exceptional range of coast and country holiday cottages. Here are a couple of suggestions to whet your appetite, both with an added bonus: leisure activities on tap.

Fixit and Break House, only a mile from the centre of Kingsbridge and its waterfront, were converted from huge barns by an enterprising farmer and his artist wife. The shared indoor pool and ‘The Hen House’ - a fitness, health and beauty centre with a team of professional massage and beauty therapists - add another dimension to a stay here. Holidaymakers are also welcome to fish (at half price) in the three coarse fishing lakes well stocked with tench, bream, roach and carp - 25lbs is the catch to beat! And when it's time to venture out for a pub lunch, how about visiting the Millbrook Inn which recently won Pub Chef of the Year 2011 at The Great British Pub Food Awards?

Estuary life and beautiful beaches are all within easy reach of The Stables, a sheltered hilltop retreat amidst rolling farmland, a mile from Ermington. With tremendous uninterrupted views to Dartmoor and lovely sunsets, this private cottage beside the owners' manor house is set in eight acres of gardens and paddocks; a great place to relax. Or you can burn off some energy with a game of tennis or a refreshing swim (hard tennis court and indoor pool are shared with the owners). Pets are welcome at The Stables and don’t forget, dogs stay free in 2011 for all bookings made between 2nd April and 2nd May 2011 (National Pet Month).

There are many places to visit and things to do in the South Hams, whatever the weather. For a blast of entertainment, head to the colourful Salcombe Festival from 10th to 12th June. Both of these holiday cottages are also near Sharpham Vineyard, featured on our new vineyard trails.

View a list of our holiday cottages in the South Hams to find just the right place for a happy holiday at great value.

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The Venus Company - loving the beach...

We love the West Country, and being environmentally aware comes naturally. So when we heard of a local, forward-thinking organisation who was championing these principles, we were keen to know more.

The Venus Company has six environmentally friendly and socially responsible cafés, five in stunning beachside locations in south Devon and north Cornwall - Blackpool Sands, East Portlemouth, Bigbury-on-Sea, Tolcarne and Watergate Bay – and their most recent enterprise at the Shops at Dartington centre near Totnes.

Their cafés are renowned for their delicious menus of quality, locally sourced organic food and drink, whether you’re eating in or taking away. From full English breakfasts and beef burgers to paninis, salads and cream teas, Venus caters for gluten-free, vegetarian and meat lovers alike and children are made very welcome. Blackpool Sands also has a restaurant where alfresco, Mediterranean-style evening dining is available and special occasions can be catered for – the views are to die for. Venus also has a watersports arm to the business based at Bigbury-on-Sea and Blackpool Sands to help you work up an appetite!

Set up in 1995 by Michael Smith, his wife Louisa and Lee Porter, the company adopted the tagline ‘Loving the Beach’. A key business aim was to create a quality concept which encompassed their keen interest in environmental issues. The South Hams-based family business has gone from strength to strength, winning numerous sustainability awards along the way. From supporting wildlife charities to fundraising for schools, the company continues to have a positive impact at its venues and further afield.

Michael Smith says: “At Venus, we are passionate about looking after the environment. We consider the environmental impact of every business decision we take. Our goal is to minimise the impact of our business, using local and organic suppliers, reducing food miles and employing local people. We hope that our contribution - through saving energy, recycling products, centralising our operations and using sustainable materials - will help to ensure that future generations are able to enjoy our beautiful coastline and countryside as much as we do”.

The company uses countless innovative methods to boost energy efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint. Venus re-develops sites using recyclable materials and sympathetic landscaping (East Portlemouth), uses its own environmental specifications for new builds (Bigbury-on-Sea and Tolcarne) and uses innovative, environmentally friendly approaches when upgrading sites (Blackpool Sands). But there's also the everyday eco-savings, like low carbon vehicles for deliveries, low energy lights, motion sensors for storeroom lights and a study into encouraging customers to recycle efficiently.

Venus's suppliers are happy to help the company in its quest, too: In 2009, a 5 litre bag-in-box organic fruit juice was developed for Venus by Luscombe Organic Juices saving some 3,000 glass bottles.

Helpful Holidays and Venus are forging a long-term partnership and working together on a range of marketing activities, in particular to develop a ‘sustainable cottage scheme’ to highlight the particularly environmentally friendly holiday homes in our portfolio. We’ve seen a consistent demand from holidaymakers for information about the ‘green’ credentials of our holiday cottages on issues such as recycling, composting, water and energy saving and using local transport. We’ll keep you posted on our progress with the scheme.

So if you’re staying in the South Hams or north Cornwall, or even just visiting for a day, why not head for one of these spectacular beaches and enjoy a tasty treat from Venus? Next month, look out for our post about the Venus SUP Championship in May.


View holiday cottages in the South Hams
View holiday cottages in North Cornwall

10% off Christmas cottage breaks…

Here are some more ideas for special places to celebrate Christmas in the wonderful West Country - and we’re now offering a 10% discount!*

This beachfront property in Kingsand, south Cornwall, has fantastic sea views from every floor. A semi-detached Georgian house, it has been recently renovated and is smart, stylish and excellent quality. It has a bright nautical style with three sea-facing terraces. There’s a brilliant basement den for youngsters, complete with pool table. A large kitchen with dining table makes this an ideal base for a Christmas with a difference. Sleeps 8.

In the heart of the popular village of Boscastle, north Cornwall, this Grade II listed, stone and slate cottage has bags of character for a cosy Christmas. A very homely living room with inglenook and woodburner makes for the perfect place to eat mince pies and watch Morecambe & Wise. The cottage also has a lovely big kitchen with dining table but if you prefer someone else to do the cooking, there’s a good pub and an excellent restaurant just a short walk away. Sleeps 8.

A half-case of wine is being given away with this beautiful south Devon waterside house in Newton Ferrers to kick start your Christmas party. Friendly good food pubs are a short stroll away or you can walk the coast path to work off lunch. Otherwise, just relax and enjoy the wonderful watery views from the cosy drawing room while you sip another glass of wine! Sleeps 10.

We’ve lots of holiday homes in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset for you to choose from. We’ve visited and star rated them all and can tell you about each one in detail. To find just the right holiday cottage for your festive break, use our advanced search or call us on 01647 433593.

View a full list of our holiday cottages available over Christmas

P.S. We’ve 10% off New Year breaks too*

View a full list of our holiday cottages available over New Year

* This offer is for a minimum 3 night stay and cannot be used in conjunction with another special offer.

Late deals for an April getaway...

Now that spring has finally sprung, it's easy to feel inspired to dash away for a refreshing week by the sea or in the country - and we've got some great special offers on holiday cottages during April to tempt you down to the West Country.

There's 30% discount on this delightful coastal retreat for two in the South Hams (pictured above) for the weeks commencing 17th and 24th April, now just £122 per person per week (short breaks also available). High in farmland, a mile from Noss Mayo, this is a perfect base for exploring the nearby beaches and coast path or simply watching the boats sail by on the lake-like River Yealm estuary.

For larger parties, how about this roomy barn conversion on a five acre organic smallholding in East Devon (pictured left) with lovely views across miles of countryside? It sleeps 12 and with 50% discount for the week commencing 23rd April is a snip at £40 per person. There's lots of good walking and plenty to do in the local area and all the homely comforts you need when you just want to relax. If the comments from our holidaymakers are anything to go by, you can expect a warm welcome and a very enjoyable stay here.