Exploring North Devon

North Devon was a pleasant surprise. Although there aren’t many country houses and stately homes, this region still offers a lot to explore. Needless to say that North Devon’s main attraction is the coast with its sandy beaches and dramatic rock formations. However, because of the milder climate Devon has amazing gardens to explore as well.

Big seaside towns with massive beaches like Westward Ho! or Ilfracombe with its controversial statue don’t do anything to me, so these are not included in this post.

I’m much more interested in the countryside, the different landscapes, nature and whatever we discover during our walks. Unlike travel bloggers, I don’t like running around quickly to visit as many places in a day as possible. Instead we explore areas in a relaxed pace to allow ourselves to take everything in and to enjoy our stay. So did we in North Devon.

In this post I’ll show you the places we explored during our four day mini holiday. This, of course doesn’t mean that there’s nothing else to explore in North Devon.

Hartland Quay

Lets’ start with Hartland Quay – famous for its breathtakingly beautiful and rugged coastline.The iconic triangular rock formations, the wild sea, the sea thrift and a hotel tucked away in a small bay have a special ambience.

There are several trails along the coast. We did three different ones and one of them led to the gorgeous Speke’s Mill Mouth Waterfall close to Hartland Quay.

Our next trail was to the famous Blackchurch Rock which is far bigger than I ever imagined. Its size is impressive and almost scary. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take a shot I wanted to as the low tide was still very high and I couldn’t approach it in the angle I wanted to. Well, next time, I suppose.

The trail led through a woodland where we came across this cottage that looked rather spooky. Not sure if it’s lived in but it didn’t appear to be deserted either.

Our third walk was to the famous Peppercombe Beach. Yes, you guessed it right: on our way down to the beach we passed the Instagram famous pink thatched cottage as well as the old coast guards cottages. All of them are holiday lets. Although it was hot, we didn’t feel the heat even when walking uphill because the trail leads in a shaded woodland.

Hartland Point

Walking around Hartland Point Lighthouse is not only worth because the view is spectacular but also because in clear weather you can see Lundy Island.

Hartland Abbey

If the place looks familiar it’s not a coincidence: it has been used as a filming location to a number of films and series, perhaps the most famous one being Malory Towers.

Approaching the house on the Abbey Drive full of rhododendrons in bloom the house already makes a statement. Although the estate may seem to be on a smaller side at first glance, there’s actually quite a lot to explore.

We walked back to the kitchen garden and rose garden which are stunning and have a homely feel. I particularly loved the conservatory and the old greenhouses, not to mention the Home Lodge wearing the distinctive, red estate colour on its bargeboards and gates.

After the gardens we walked down to the beach through the deer park and woodland which hides a summer house as well as a gazebo. The charming Blackpool Mill Cottage close to the beach is a holiday let, so if you fancy staying there, you can.

Last but not least, I have to mention that the tea room serves amazing cakes and obviously the peacock knows that as he comes to beg for food!

As Hartland Abbey has been and still is the home of the Stucley family, sadly no interior photos. You just have to go and see the gorgeous Gothik Strawberry Hill House like interior for yourself. Trust me, it won’t disappoint.

Clovelly

I’ve seen Clovelly many times on social media, but I have to admit I had no idea ir was a heritage village and you have to pay a ticket and go through a massive visitor centre to visit it.

This, however, didn’t distract from the whole experience at all especially that we arrived towards the end of the day when people were leaving the village.

The village was inherited by John Rous in 1983, however it was in the family’s possession since the 18th century.
The charming fishing village is really unique and takes you back to days gone by. It’s worth having a bite to eat at the traditional tea room or having a drink in the bar of the hotel down by the harbour making your visit even more memorable.

I have to admit I was a bit worried about the climb back to the visitor centre but we took our time and it was totally fine. During the day there’s a Land Rover service for the visitors, so it’s not a problem getting down to the harbour and back up the hill if you have mobility issues.

The village is still lived in, so it’s a living heritage village effectively. Don’t miss it if you are in this area but make sure you arrive either early or towards the end of the day to avoid the crowds.

Watersmeet

Watersmeet isn’t only the name of the tea room owned by the Nation Trust but the Nature Reserve around it.

The tea room at Watersemeet has been serving tea since 1901. However, it was originally built as a hunting and fishing lodge in 1832 for Revd. Walter Stevenson Halliday, lover of romantic poetry. He couldn’t have picked a better spot: the house stands at the bottom of a deep gorge at the confluence of the East Lyn River and Hoar Oak Water surrounded by ancient oak woodlands.

The healing and calming sound of the forest river with birds singing in the background and the view of lush green forest and flowing water is absolutely beautiful.

 

Lynton and Lynmouth

If you visit Watersmeet it’s worth popping in to Lynton and Lynmouth. Although they are equally famous holiday towns they are nowhere near as big as Ilfracombe or Newquay and have an olde-worlde character.
The hydraulic powered funicular provides a fun ride and an amazing view from the top.

Gardens

Due to the pleasant climate in North Devon there are amazing gardens in the region. We visited two: to a smaller, privately owned charming garden and to RHS Rosemoor.

Docton Mill Gardens

As the name suggests, the garden is laid out around the local mill and the original garden was created in the 1930s. As many gardens at some point in their history, Docton Mill Gardens also fell in despair in the 1970s. Luckily the garden as well as the mill were restored in the 1980s. Today it’s an enchanting little garden with a lovely tea room where robins eat from your hands.

RHS Rosemoor

RHS Garden Rosemoor was a very pleasant surprise. It was like being on a treasure hunt: the different garden rooms were separated but you could walk from one to another. I was excited to see what the next garden room looks like and what treasure it would hide.

The garden had everything: from rose gardens to exotic and Mediterranean gardens, from Croquet Lawn to Woodland gardens, Cherry garden, Herb, pottager and cottage garden. I particularly liked the so called Cool Garden with its ponds and water features.

As we’ve only every been to one RHS garden (RHS Wisley) it was refreshing visiting another RHS garden in the countryside.

 

I can definitely recommend North Devon, it’s such a lovely part of the world with loads of beautiful sites. Trust me, it won’t disappoint.