The Great Short Break Escape, by Ruth Saunders
Outside the main season is a great time to take a short break in the South Hams
Prices are lower, beaches are empty, and the logs are piled high ready for a night in front of the woodburner with a good book!
Your ideal 3-night break might include coastal walks, excellent food in pubs and restaurants with menus offering local ingredients, and unique shopping in pretty towns overlooking rivers and estuaries at Dartmouth, Kingsbridge and Salcombe.
Dittiscombe Estate & Cottages is set in a tranquil South Hams valley, with lovely gardens surrounded by a 20 acre private estate exclusive to guests, 2 miles from Slapton village and the dog-friendly beaches of Start Bay beaches.
In the village and surrounding area you’ll discover:
Two excellent dog-friendly pubs, The Tower Inn which offers a locally sourced gastropub menu, and The Queens Arms with great beers and ciders on tap. In front of the log fires you can read up on the many stories of the D-Day landing practices which took place here during the Second World War. Both pubs welcome dogs inside.
The freshwater lagoon at Slapton Ley is a national nature reserve where you can enjoy fabulous views of the lake and the sea. Take the nature trail around the reedbeds and you might spot rare winter migrants or see Starling murmurations at dusk.
Start Bay, a sweeping curve of dog-friendly beaches, is great for a bracing winter walk beside the sea, or sit and just weather-watch in the local cafes and seaside pubs at Torcross and Beesands. Here too you can join up with the South West Coast Path and take in the spectacular views between Salcombe and Dartmouth with Start Point Lighthouse along the way.
Visit the farm shop at Stokeley to pick up quality craft beers made by the South Hams Brewery and some local Stokeley sausages to take home. Whilst there enjoy a generous cream tea in their cafe with cream on top, the Devon way, of course!
So find a perfect cottage for your short break at Dittiscombe. From October to April we offer warm and cosy short breaks with log-burners, spa baths and views of the rolling Devon hills from a cottage window. We are dog-friendly. You can book 2, 3 and 4-night or more short breaks at all-inclusive rates. You can book online directly with us here.
To find out more about Slapton and Start Bay read Ruth’s Blog.
We had a lovely stay at the Owlery over the August bank holiday. The Owlery itself had everything we could want for a relaxing long weekend away and the setting was stunning. It felt rural and peaceful yet not far away the coast is buzzing with activity.
Excellent location, lots of places to visit. Welcoming and friendly. Slapton village is lovely. Two good pubs and dog friendly.
The Twelve Degrees of Christmas
The trouble was how to record and share it? Up early and armed with my camera, a pair of secateurs and my trusty dog, I got to the top of the hill above Dittiscombe as the sun rose over the stable buildings and captured the jackdaws silhouetted on the telephone wires, warming their feathers with the rising orb. So now I had my atmospheric photo but I couldn’t resist taking some of the sunny valley back with me to the Farmhouse. So I picked a bunch of Holly, purple Pheasant Berries, pink Camellias and cream Viburnums to make up a big, brash Christmas bouquet for the table.
Our exciting morning of present opening peaked as Kes the Collie unwrapped a leather wallet (with teeth marks to prove it) and the Lindt chocolates without permission! This gave rise to much jollity and laughter, another great ingredient for a perfect Christmas.
I returned to the roast beef and found Jon sitting outside the front door of the Farmhouse with McCoy the Cat for company, leisurely peeling the sprouts in glorious Rayband sunshine. Eventually lunch ensued, but it was almost too much to bear, sitting indoors whilst the sun blazed outside. With temperatures at ‘shirt-sleeve’ levels perhaps transferring the beef to a Barbeque might have given the edge over the overdone Aga roast (note to self for next year!).
As daylight departed, I found myself drawn outside again, looking skyward to catch a dark blob of starlings moving swiftly and twisting back in towards the
freshwater Ley at Slapton to settle and roost for Christmas night. The dazzling planet Venus and a crescent moon appeared, and the transfer to night-time began; this beautiful day was giving up its light to pink and purple cotton wool clouds and a deep orange sunset over Dittiscombe Hills.
All too soon my perfect Christmas day was over. Perhaps perfection is not meant to last; we can’t bottle it and keep it, but only enjoy it as it sweeps past us.
We can’t guarantee the weather at Christmas but we can guarantee cosy cottages, jolly woodburning stoves and a stroll around the woods at Dittiscombe. During your break we recommend walks along the South West Coast Path, which might include the Mill Bay to Gara Rock walk, stopping for lunch at the dog and child-friendly Gara Rock Hotel and taking in the great sea views from their panoramic restaurant window; or a spot of unique shopping in Dartmouth, Kingsbridge, Totnes or Salcombe. Dittiscombe offers short breaks over the Christmas and New Year period. If you are considering a break at that time of year take a look at our prices and availability on the How to Book page, or give Ruth or Jon a ring on 01548 521272.
Welcome to the South Hams
Map of the South Hams
We are lucky enough to live in arguably one of the prettiest and most unspoilt parts of Britain. The South Hams lies in the southernmost part of Devon and within it you’ll find both a stunning coastline and rolling countryside. Much of the South Hams is under the protection of the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the National Trust. There are sandy coves overlooked by rugged cliffs, pretty villages surrounded by rolling countryside, secretive estuaries and dark night skies. Many of our repeat visitors tell us that there is always so much more to discover every time they stay at Dittiscombe.
For keen walkers there are plenty of routes to choose from on the South West Coast Path: dramatic headlands; steep coastal valleys; and more gentle stretches too – always with great land and seascapes to look at along the way. You can take in the pretty harbours of Dartmouth and Salcombe, stride out along the exhilarating Atlantic coast at East Prawle and Gammon Head, or relax beside a pretty river estuary and snuggle your toes into the soft sands of Bantham or Bigbury-on-Sea.
For a some messing about on the water you might like to kayak or paddle-board along the quiet estuaries of the three rivers, the Avon, the Dart or the Erme, and discover the secretive wildlife of these special areas. Sailing is of course a popular past-time with boat hire and tuition available in both Salcombe and Dartmouth harbours. Less challenging activities might include rock-pooling at Thurlestone or crabbing off the harbour at Kingsbridge, or a relaxing ferry ride between Dartmouth and Totnes or Kingsbridge and Salcombe.
Many of our local beaches have awards for water and beach quality. There are approximately fifteen beaches within a 20 minute drive of Dittiscombe, most of which are dog-friendly. Some have stunning rock formations and warm lagoons to swim in at certain times of the day, some are sweeping bays with uninterrupted views, some are tucked into small hidden coves.
Slapton Village
If you like exploring villages, then our local village of Slapton is typical of the South Hams, and just a 10 minute car ride from Dittiscombe. Filled with quaint old buildings, sunken winding lanes (drivers take note), ancient walls, and roses round the doors, it’s just half a mile from the sweeping beaches of Start Bay. But what sets Slapton apart from any other village in the area is Slapton Ley National Nature Reserve, just on the doorstep. The Ley is a very special freshwater lagoon of national scientific importance as it sits behind a shingle bar, and is protected from the salty water of the sea. It’s managed by Slapton Field Study Centre, located in the centre of the village, and they offer coastal walks, bird, bat and badger days, guided tours and nature safaris in and around the area.
With a verdant backdrop of farms, and sheltered valleys of vineyards and orchards, the South Hams boasts many artisan food producers and award-winning chefs. Kingsbridge, Totnes, Salcombe and Dartmouth all have a wide selection of eating out to suit different tastes and budgets, with farmer’s markets, quaint tea rooms and excellent restaurants to visit. And along the coast you’ll find shacks offering the freshest locally caught seafood, and village pubs serving food and drink from the area.
Ayrmer Cove
So a visit to the South Hams will be your jumping off point for both exploring and relaxing in one of the most beautiful parts of Britain.
Come and have a taster break at Dittiscombe out of season: a 3 night weekend or 4 night mid-week stay is from £250, fully inclusive. Visit the How to Book page and select your dates, or Short Breaks for a 3 day suggested itinerary. To ask about special requirements and dates ring Ruth & Jon on 01548 521272.
Autumn Wildlife Stories
As predicted in the Spring News, the white flowers on the blackthorn bushes have turned into plump sloes, but are not yet ready for picking. When we do start picking, each sloe will need to be pricked before being immersed in either gin or whisky and sugar, given a good shake, then left to mature in the weeks leading up to Christmas. This provides a very warming winter drink with plenty of Vitamin C!
During a recent visit to Slapton Ley we were fortunate to see the first starling murmuration of the winter. They are gathering in smallish numbers (perhaps 1,000 at a time), but within a few weeks this will grow to around 120,000. Always a wonderful and thrilling sight, we encourage visitors to Dittiscombe to make a trip to the reedbeds at Slapton before sunset to watch this wildlife spectacle.
Autumn jobs include thinning and clearing and just a small amount of necessary hedging. We endeavour to keep plenty of berries and bugs in the hedgerows for the birds throughout a difficult feeding time.
Berries abound this year, with the Mountain Ash being particularly noticable. And the tall teasles are still shedding small seeds, perfect for the finches. Our small flock of Goldfinches get particularly excited when feeding together.
On a recent walk to East Prawle we spotted some beautiful rare breed sheep, the name of which we don’t know, but they had curly coats and were very sturdy. If they are to thrive out at East Prawle during the westerly gales they will need plenty of cover!