WELCOME TO DITTISCOMBE ESTATE & COTTAGES

Relax in the tranquility of our rural valley estate in beautiful South Devon

Come and enjoy the retreat of Dittiscombe Estate Holiday Cottages set in a spacious 20-acre rewilded wildlife valley, close to Slapton and Start Bay.

You’ll be able to directly access the Dittiscombe Rewilding project from your cottage door.

Just 10 minutes by car, you’ll find the historic village of Slapton, and the unspoilt beaches of Start Bay and Slapton Ley nature reserve. And a little further afield the famous Blackpool Sands beach, Start Point Lighthouse, and Dartmouth, Kingsbridge, Totnes and Salcombe.

Much of the South Hams area is within the South Devon Natural Landscapes, renowned for its gentle rolling hills, rural coastline, beaches and five river estuaries, with plenty of walking routes and watersports to enjoy.

Every Sunday during the school Summer holidays Dittiscombe guests can join our free Nature Walk around the valley with local ecologist Ken Neal, 10am-12noon, dogs welcome on leads. For more information go to our Nature Experiences page.

We are dog friendly!

Book your holiday cottage here. 

Dittiscombe Holiday Cottages are surrounded by 20 acres of woodland, meadows, ponds and nature trail, and you can enjoy it all straight from your cottage door. Your self-catering cottage is comfortably furnished and has a private garden where you can soak up the views and peace of Dittiscombe Estate.

All the cottages have Wifi and TVs with streaming, some have log-burners and spa baths, and all are individually laid out and designed around the original farm buildings. Read more on the individual cottage pages.

Dittiscombe’s location is ideal for exploring the South Hams and the South West Coast Path.

Historic Slapton village is just a 10 minute drive away, and there you’ll find two very good pubs serving local food and drink. There is also a freshwater lagoon at Slapton Ley where you can take a gentle walk around the edge, discovering the local wildlife.

The beautiful beach of Start Bay, which is 3 miles long, is nearby too.

See the Thomas Family’s top tips of  things to do in a week!

Forest Bathing – Reconnect with Nature
with Donna McCheyne

“I really enjoyed the whole Forest Bathing experience. A great balance of mindfulness exercises and meditations in a lovely setting. I left feeling grounded and refreshed and learned some new practices to do when out in nature.” LG
Donna will guide you through the magic of our woods to help build resilience from within, deepen your appreciation and gratitude for nature, boost your immune system, and increase balance, focus and clarity in your life.

FBAutumn1 23Booking 2024 dates now:

Saturday 30th March 11.30 – 2.30pm
Sunday 2nd June 10 – 1pm
Sunday 1st September 10 – 1pm
Saturday 9th November 10 – 1pm

Each 3-hour session costs £25 per person.
Book direct with Donna here or call her on 07941 508004.
Sorry no dogs.

Enjoy a quiet moment amongst the trees and cottage gardens of Dittiscombe Estate with our short video.

The location is stunning and we loved the opportunity to explore the estate. We felt this was particularly excellent for families with the opportunity to learn about nature and the biodiversity in the area.” Clayson Family

Check out our Summer Family Nature Walks, free to guests staying at Dittiscombe Estate.

Dittiscombe Estate & Cottages video

A truly dog friendly holiday at Dittiscombe

The cottage very cosy and the dogs loved the walks round the grounds, through the woods and round the pond starting right from the front door, so dog friendly.” Mr & Mrs Horne

Visit our We Love Dogs page to find out more.

Dogs welcome on South Devon beaches

The Thomas Family’s top 6 things to do in a week: 

  • Horse riding just at the top of the road from the cottages (Dittiscombe Equestrian Centre)
  • Superb meal at the Cricket Inn, Beesands
  • Swimming at Slapton Sands/Torcross and Blackpool Sands
  • Although not cheap the Rib rides from Salcombe were great fun
  • The nature walk at Dittiscombe with Ken was really interesting with lots of fun facts
  • Paddle boarding and kayaking with Salcombe Watersports was great then leave your car walk to the passenger ferry which takes you into Salcombe

Beach at Torcross, South DevonTime to book your holiday with Dittiscombe Estate here

Read our blogs to find our more

Forest Bathing at Dittiscombe Estate & Cottages

Rewilding Reflections by Ruth Saunders

As the conversations around rewilding grow and widen, we can all revisit the lost skills of observation, patience and trust to help us understand, appreciate and re-engage with the natural world.
The future look - rewilding the landscapeRewilding Britain

Rewilding at Dittiscombe by Ruth Saunders

We started rewilding at Dittiscombe in 1998 which became a journey in understanding a new set of nature's rules and learning to love a different type of landscape.
Cricket Inn, Beesands, South Devon

Memorable Eating Out Places in the South Hams, by Ruth Saunders

Holidays are of course memorable for many reasons, but sometimes those stand-out moments might just be the simple pleasure of eating and drinking in a beautiful place. Ruth finds some of the most memorable places to eat in the South Hams.

What our guests say about us

Cattle grazing in upper valley

What a wonderful place to stay – so much nature all around, literally outside your door. Easy access to different walks, dog friendly, supermarket delivery is easy, facilities are great. Really lovely place. Great place from which to explore the South Devon coast. Would recommend for sure and look forward to a return visit soon.

ditbeachesbanthamoct2-18

We had a lovely stay in your cottage. The location is great with lots of lovely walks for our dog. Rafters cottage was very clean and had everything we needed during our stay. Ruth was a great host.

SUP at Frogmore

We loved our stay at Dittiscombe. The location is absolutely beautiful and the grounds are an absolute pleasure to walk around. Our elderly dog had a new lease of life and enjoyed her stay as much as we did. We we welcomed by Ruth who walked us to our accommodation and showed us around. Everything that we needed was there and very clean. The kitchen very user friendly and the newly fitted shower room a super luxury.

Aerial View of Dittiscombe Estate, South Devon

We really enjoyed our stay in such a beautiful, tranquil setting. We felt very welcome, and nothing was too much trouble. Our dogs loved the space in the cottage to stretch out, and private garden. We wish we could have stayed longer and will definitely book again.

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