When you book with us you’ll be sent a confirmation letter by e-mail which will cover arrival and departure, dogs, security deposit and detailed local directions (these are also available on the Directions page).

You may have other questions before booking so please take a look at the frequently asked questions below.

If you’d like to know anything else which we haven’t covered please get in touch with us by e-mailing [email protected]

Thank you, and we look forward to welcoming you to Dittiscombe!

Ruth & Jon

About your Booking

Our prices are fully inclusive of heating, electricity, bed linen.

We supply cots, highchairs, and stairgates free of charge.

All bookings are commission free.

We charge £25 for each dog for a full week and £10 for a short break.

Yes, we welcome well behaved dogs here at Dittiscombe. You can bring two dogs to the following cottages: WillowsDovecote, Buddleia, Rafters and  one dog to Honeysuckle.

We do not permit pets to be left unattended in the cottages and we ask that you do not allow your dog on the furniture or bedrooms.

There is more information about bringing your dog on holiday on our Dog Friendly Dittiscombe page or our dogs holiday website here.

You will be required to agree to the terms and conditions before making your booking, If you need to change your dates or cancel your booking we make every effort to re-let the cottage for your original dates. If we are able to re-let it then we will issue a refund which is based on the re-let price, less an administrative charge of £25 – £50 depending on how late you cancel your booking.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact Ruth or Jon on 01548 5212752.

We also have a Guide for Guests which you can find here.

We ask you for a £100 refundable security deposit which is for damage and exceptional cleaning.  This is automatically added to your online booking.

Once the cottage has been checked after your departure, and according to our terms and conditions, we return the deposit.  The security deposit will be refunded to your credit/debit card; or to your bank account (we would require your account name, sort code and account number).

Yes, we accept both Mastercard and Visa cards through our online booking system here. We are unable to take Amex.

About your Cottage & Surroundings

All cottages are fully heated. Honeysuckle and The Owlery have central heating, with thermostats on the radiators and adjustable programmers, and woodburners.

Willows and Rafters have night storage heaters in every room, plus flame effect electric fan heaters and back up convector heaters as required.

Buddleia and Dovecote have woodburners, night night storage heaters in every room plus a wall-mounted convector heater in the sitting rooms, and portable convector heaters as required.

Yes, we make up the beds ready for your arrival. If you are under occupying the cottage but wish all the beds to be made up we would be grateful if you could let us know in advance.

Duvets and pillows are filled with microfibre and have protectors. We do not use any duck or down bedding.

Yes.  BuddleiaRafters, Honeysuckle and Willows all have gardens which are fenced with gates. However, some small dogs may be able to escape under the fencing and if you think your dog might do this, please discuss this with us and we will endeavour to block up any exits!

We do not permit pets to be left unattended in the cottage.

If you wish, you can leave your dog for the day at a luxury licensed kennels, The Dog Lodge, approximately 1 mile away, www.dog-lodge.co.uk or 01548 581159 and details of vaccination requirements can be found on their web site.

Dogs are not allowed in bedrooms or on sofas. If you think your dog will sneak up onto a sofa at night, please bring lots of throws or we can let you have some for the duration of your holiday. We ask dog owners to keep dogs under control in the gardens and grounds, and clear up immediately after their dog. Please bring your dogs bedding, towels and a crate for puppies.

We have a stairgate which we can lend out.

We supply towels in Honeysuckle and The Owlery and you can request towels for other cottages by e-mailing [email protected]

We have a communal car park which is next to the Farmhouse and can take around 9 cars in total. However, we do ask that if you are bringing more than one car with you that you let us know so that we can plan the parking during busy times. Honeysuckle is the cottage furthest away from the car park, a level walk on gravel of approximately 100 metres.

You are welcome to park your car outside the cottage to unload, but we ask all guests to park their cars in the communal car park for the duration of the stay.

Honeysuckle is our only cottage which we would recommend as suitable for people with limited mobility. There are two small steps at the front door, one step from the sitting room to the kitchen/dining room and bathroom, and two steps from the sitting room to the bedroom. The garden is accessed from the front door to the side of the cottage where there is a level seating area.

We would advise anyone with limited mobility to speak to Ruth and Jon on 01548 521272 first to discuss your needs so that you can fully enjoy your holiday at Dittiscombe.

You can walk around our grounds – there is about 20 acres to explore: woodland, ponds, streams, an orchard and meadows, and lots of places to sit and just enjoy the tranquility.

You can also walk to Slapton village which is approximately 2.5 miles away (we supply a map in your cottage).

About the Area & Services

We have two dog-friendly pubs in Slapton village (The Tower Inn and The Queens Arms) which is just over 2 miles away. It takes about 10 minutes in the car, or a 50 minute walk from Dittiscombe.

There is a Community Shop in Slapton village. The next nearest shops are in Chillington (larger village store, 5 miles) and Stokeley Farm Shop (4.5 miles). There are supermarkets in Kingsbridge (6 miles) and Dartmouth (7 miles).

There is car hire available at both Newton Abbot and Totnes railway stations. These are the last two stations before us on the mainline route into London Paddington.

We can provide a list of taxis – some of whom will take dogs in their cars. Please remember that if you are coming at a busy time of year you may need to book a taxi in advance as not all taxi services will come out to Dittiscombe.

About Us

Yes. Dittiscombe is a family run business. We, Ruth and Jon, live the Farmhouse which is in the centre of Dittiscombe. We are available most of the time to help with any problems during your visit, and also to offer suggestions and help with places to visit and where to eat out.

We have been running Dittiscombe Holiday Cottages for 25 years.  We used to come on holiday to the area ourselves before making the move to live here in 1998.  We therefore know what it’s like to be both a holidaymaker and resident of the South Hams, and can recommend lots of places to visit during your stay.

We believe there has been occupation of Dittiscombe for at least four to five hundred years. The farmhouse certainly shows signs of great age, and the stone barns are probably 200-300 years old. Unfortunately we have been unable to discover much from before the turn of the twentieth century, but do know that in the early part of the last century Dittiscombe was a thriving farm of about 500 acres, one of the largest in the area.

During the Second World War Dittiscombe was, like many other properties and farms of the area, evacuated for the D-Day landing practices which were held in and around Slapton village and Start Bay.  It was occupied by allied forces for many months, and unfortunately fell into disrepair afterwards.  It was converted into a holiday complex in 1989.

FAQ didn’t answer your question?

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01548 521272
Address: Dittiscombe Estate & Cottages, Slapton, Kingsbridge TQ7 2QF.

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