Dartmoor's Best Autumn Walk

A fairytale castle, oak-lined gorge, ancient stone bridge and traditional pub - this two-hour round trip along the River Teign is our favourite autumn walk on Dartmoor.

CASTLE DROGO - FINGLE BRIDGE - DOGMARSH BRIDGE - CASTLE DROGO

Park at Castle Drogo and follow either Hunter’s Path, which runs along the top of the valley, or Fisherman’s Path, which traces the spectacular wooded riverbank path below, where kingfishers and woodpeckers dart between shaded pools, and trout, salmon and otters frolic in deep, clear waters.

The autumn colours here are some of the best on Dartmoor, and after heavy rain, you’ll spot salmon leaping up the weir. In early autumn, listen out for the eerie and unmistakable bark of deers rutting.

There are glimpses of Prestonbury Castle Iron Age hill fort on the other side of the valley, and at the bottom of the gorge is the age-old Fingle Bridge, which has recessed buttresses for packhorses to pass. Fingle Bridge Inn serves a good cream tea and has a pretty terrace overlooking the river. Castle Drogo has a lovely cafe serving lunches and cream teas.

This walk can be shortened by parking either at Fingle Bridge or opposite the Mill End Hotel, which is ten-minutes walk west from Dogmarsh Bridge.

Want more ideas? Check out our pick of Devon’s best walks.

10 Reasons to Book a Romantic Winter Break on Dartmoor

Moorland View Cottage in the snow

Ranked by London’s Evening Standard as one of the UK’s cosiest holiday cottages for winter breaks, Moorland View in North Bovey, Dartmoor, offers a magical off-season escape. Here are ten reasons to visit this winter.

Dartmoor is not for wishy-washy winters. Here, the season is cold and crisp, with soft winter sun and fresh, invigorating air that makes your skin tingle and your cheeks turn a natural blush. If you’re dreaming of a romantic winter break in Devon, Moorland View Cottage is the perfect base. Some of the UK’s most epic Dartmoor winter walks are right on our doorstep, from open moors and granite-topped tors to forested glades and ancient oak woods.

1. Magical Winter Woods

Denuded of leaves, local oak forests reveal gnarly, sculptural branches dripping with moss and colourful lichen. The ancient dwarf oak woodland of Wistman’s Wood is especially atmospheric in winter.

2. Epic Dartmoor Winter Walks

Wrap up in cosy knits and explore miles of open moors, forest glades, and scenic tors. Winter walks on Dartmoor are refreshing, invigorating, and completely romantic.

3. Stargazing Like Nowhere Else

On clear, cold nights, the stars in Dartmoor shine brighter than almost anywhere in the UK. With minimal light pollution, the Milky Way is clearly visible - perfect for a romantic winter night.

4. Luxury Bath for Post-Walk Relaxation

Our boutique Devon cottage has the biggest, most luxurious bathtub you’ll find in Devon, perfect for soothing aching limbs after a long Dartmoor winter walk.

5. Cosy Log-Burning Stove

Cuddle together by the log-burning stove, with the doors open for the full crackle experience, or shut for extra warmth. Firewood and marshmallows are provided for a quintessential romantic Devon winter evening.

6. Thatched Village Pub Nearby

The Ring of Bells, our local thatched pub, is the cosiest you’ll ever visit. With wood-beamed walls, log-burning stoves, friendly locals, and fabulous seasonal food, it’s the perfect spot after a day exploring Dartmoor.

7. Affordable Winter Prices

Winter stays start from just £180 per night, significantly less than summer breaks, making a romantic countryside break in Devon accessible even on a tighter budget.

8. Snowy Fun & Winter Play

There’s a chance of snow! Imagine sledging down local slopes like in The Holiday, then warming up with hot drinks in our cosy pub.

9. Peace and Privacy

Dartmoor and North Bovey get busy in summer, but in winter you’ll enjoy the countryside largely to yourself - quiet lanes, empty moors, and peaceful forests.

10. Unforgettable Memories Await

From cosy evenings by the fire to exhilarating winter walks and star-filled skies, a stay at Moorland View Cottage promises a truly unforgettable romantic winter getaway in Devon.

Moorland View is featured in AOL’s Best Cosy Cottages for Winter Breaks

Devon's Perfect Pubs

Gastro pubs, traditional pubs, pubs with walks, pubs with gardens - here’s our guide to Devon’s best pubs.

The Ring of Bells, North Bovey

1. Ring of Bells, North Bovey

Our friendly village pub, the Ring of Bells, is a traditional thatched 13th century longhouse, complete with oak beams, wonky walls and log-burning stoves. The food is delicious, there's a great wine list and ales are poured straight from the barrel.

2. The Horse, Moretonhampstead

Heralded as a ‘genuine slice of foodie heaven’ by the Michelin guide, the Horse serves some of the best pub food in Devon, in contemporary pub setting. There's a pretty walled courtyard for dining al fresco on summer evenings. 

3. The Cleave, Lustleigh

The Cleave is a thatched Devon pub in the pretty village Lustleigh, the next village up from Moorland View. Flagstone floors, wood-beamed walls and crackling log fires make it one of the cosiest places to hole up while outside is a sunny pub garden for warm days. The food is hearty, delicious and generously portioned. For a good day trip, walk to Lustleigh from the cottage, have lunch at The Cleave and book a cab back (or walk if your legs are up to it).

4. The Pilchard Inn, Burgh Island, Bigbury on Sea

A creaky, weather-beaten smugglers inn dating from 1336 on a private island (ask about the smuggler’s escape tunnel). Getting to The Pilchard Inn is all part of the fun - it's cut off by tides from the mainland twice a day, when transport across is by sea tractor.

5. The Rugglestone, Widecombe-on-the-Moor

With flagstone floors, open fires and Dartmoor and Butcombe Best Bitter poured straight from the barrel, the Rugglestone, a Grade-II building in remote Widecombe, is Devon’s best moorland pub. The rudimentary bar is tiny, providing plenty of opportunity to join in on the old boys’ conversations. The two restaurants - one of which has an open log fire – are more spacious, and outside, over a small bridge, is a large sheltered garden with picnic tables and fabulous views. 

6. Chagford Inn, Chagford

Under Head Chef, Russell Hamby, The Chagford Inn produces as much in-house as possible – ranging from baking their own bread to curing our own bacon, coppa, bresaola, salt beef, pastrami, fish and our version of Serrano ham. Their Dexter beef travels about half a mile from local farmer Richard ‘Elmo’ Ellis’s farm and is butchered and prepared totally in-house. Cuts and dishes change regularly … from rib eye steak through confit Dexter flank to roasted ox liver - no part of the animal is wasted. They don’t use stock cubes or anything ready prepared, and bones are roasted every morning to produce rich and delicious stocks. Menus change daily. At the time of writing, dishes included seared scallops with squid ink risotto, confit pork belly with puy lentil cassoulet and celeriac remoulade and, for dessert, plum and ginger crumble with ice cream or clotted cream. On Sunday lunchtime, they offer a traditional roast – always beef, occasionally, another roast meat – as well as a range of other dishes including vegetarian options. Dogs are welcome.

7. The Dartmoor Inn, Lydford Gorge

On the fringe of Dartmoor and a stone's throw from one of the National Trust's prettiest walks in Lydford Gorge, the Dartmoor Inn is the perfect blend of olde worlde pub-meets-contemporary diner. Sunday lunch features all the traditional favourites with a modern twist. Desserts are not to be missed either, and come with a helping of seriously good clotted cream. Book ahead, but be careful not to confuse it with a different Dartmoor Inn.

8. . The Cott Inn, Dartington

First licensed in 1320, The Cott is the second oldest inn in Britain and its roof is reputed to be the longest thatched roof in England. Walkable from the River Dart and just a mile from Totnes train station, it is lively and welcoming, with a strong local following. Outside there's a spacious beer garden and patio, plus a wood-fired oven in a separate garden kitchen, which is used from March to September. It's not a rowdy Devon pub, although there are regular music nights – on Wednesdays an acoustic folk trio play and there's also a live band on Sundays. 

9. The Nobody Inn , Doddiscombsleigh

There’s a story in every nook of this 17th century inn; allegedly the central beam separating two periods of the inn – stood vertically here – is from a local church’s bell tower; you can see where ropes have worn the wood away. Blackened oak beams jut from low ceilings, antique weapons and farm tools hang from rough plaster walls, and an entire wall is given over to the Nobody Inn’s collection of 240 whiskies and spirits, while another room houses the 250-strong wine collection.

10. The Millbrook, South Pool

Probably the only place in Devon where pigs’ trotter patties and escargots appear on the same menu, the Millbrook is a cosy pub where old-school Devon meets French auberge. On a babbling brook and close to a tranquil creek, it’s accessible by boat from Salcombe so, in summer, yachtie crowds come and go with the tides. There’s live gypsy Jazz every Sunday and fish barbecues in the summer. 

11. The Pigs’s Nose, East Prawle

This whitewashed smuggler’s inn is on one of Devon’s beautiful stretches of coastal path, at Prawle Point. Run by a delightfully eccentric music manager, The Pig’s Nose has played host to The Animals, The Yardbirds, the Boomtown Rats and Curiosity Killed the Cat, and still stages regular acts. The knitting corner is for customers who prefer a quieter pint. 

12. The Bridge Inn, Topsham

One of England’s last traditional ale houses, little has changed at The Bridge Inn for centuries: faded bunting from George V’s 1911 coronation still hangs in the tiny bar. This ‘museum-with-beer’ is a must for ale connoisseurs. 

14. The Ship Inn, Noss Mayo

The sun terrace of this two-storey inn on the banks of the Yealm estuary is our favourite Devon pub for a waterside tipple. Inside, there’s a panelled library, English-oak floors, log fires, old furniture and interesting nautical memorabilia, including searchlights, torpedoes and an impressive ship’s bell which is used for chiming last orders. The cellar stocks a great range of regional beers, including Summerskill’s, brewed just down the road. The local sailing school has an excellent reputation; there is boat hire, easy coastal walking and crabbing.

15. Waterman’s Arms, Ashprington

A waterside pub makes summer complete, and we defy you not to fall in love with the 17th-century Waterman’s Arms, overlooking tinkling Bow Creek, near Tuckenhay. Hidden away at the bottom of a steep valley, the streamside tables are perfect for savouring a pint of the fine Palmer’s Copper Ale. The lunches, sourced from local suppliers and served under an outdoor awning, attract foodies from as far away as Exeter and Plymouth. Another enticing option is the Maltsters Arms(01803 732350; tuckenhay.com) in Tuckenhay. On the River Dart, it has its own jetty and is big on open fires in winter and guest beers all year round.

16. Rising Sun, Lynmouth

Overlooking Lynmouth harbour, with dramatic views of Lynmouth Bay and Exmoor National Park, this 14th-century thatched smugglers’ inn is in one of Devon’s most picturesque locations. Inside, this Devon pub is wonderfully rickety and rambling, with a fire-lit bar, Exmoor cask ales, award-winning food and genial locals. It’s no wonder RD Blackmore felt compelled to write several chapters of his West Country classic, Lorna Doone, here. It also appealed to Percy Bysshe Shelley, who is thought to have spent his honeymoon there with his 16-year-old bride, Harriet, in 1812.

17. Warren House Inn, high Dartmoor

Since 1845, travellers across the moor have been stopping for refreshment at Warren House Inn, the highest inn in the southwest. Once a favourite Devon pub with local tin miners, it now serves up real ales, warming soups, ploughman’s lunches and local steak and ale pies to a mix of locals and tourists. Another special is their Warrener’s Pie, made with fresh-cooked rabbit.

18. Farmers Arms, Woolfardisworthy

A short drive from the coastal village of Clovelly, the Farmers Arms builds its dishes around ingredients foraged by staff from local hedgerows and coastlines, and from its dedicated organic farm, which is run under a ‘no-till’ sustainable agroforestry system. The result? A truly innovative, original and ever-changing menu that combines style, substance and scruples. Dishes during my visit included carrot and dog rose parfait, a riotously colourful goat’s cheese salad, roasted seabass with nasturtium, mussels and smoked trout, and for dessert, vanilla rice pudding with seabuckthorn, gorse rum and fig leaf sorbet. The décor is divine; the staff, dynamic. If you eat out only once in Devon, let it be here.

Devon's Best Interiors Shops

Antiques, rustic baskets, pottery and rugs - Devon’s homeware shops are some of the most interesting in the UK. Here are our favourites.

Nkuku, Totnes

Baskets from Nkuku, Totnes

Signposted by a fashionably rusting modernist sign, Nkuku, on the outskirts of Totnes, is a rustic-chic repository of artisan creations from India, Vietnam and Africa – all handpicked by husband-and-wife team Alex and Alistair Cooke. Think pyramid terrariums created by a latch maker in Uttar Pradesh, hand-loomed Rajasthani block-print jute rugs, ceramics, pretty Mawia bead bracelets made in West Bengal, and Kadira leather journals crafted in Delhi. They have a lovely cafe.

The Shops At Dartington, Totnes

Artistic education centre Dartington Hall also houses an unusual shopping experience – you’ll find everything here, including natural beauty products including colourful kitchenware. At the lovely Re-Store shop, volunteer artists restore and upcycle old materials into covetable homewares. And the Tanner Bates Leather School produces hand-stitched and high quality leather goods, from luggage tags to messenger bags.

Fountain Antiques, Honiton

The small market town of Honiton has no less than 85 antiques shops, selling everything from carriage clocks to leather-bound books. Most have stalls at Fountain Antiques, on the High Street, with a handful selling the lace for which Honiton was once famed. Honiton Fine Arts sells gorgeous mid-century English oil paintings, while Strummer Pink, sells colourful artwork, mirrors, lighting, rugs and blankets made by local artisans. Take a breather at rustic café Toast.

Powdermills Pottery, Dartmoor

As the name suggests, Powdermills was once a gunpowder grinding mill, the gunpowder being used to blast rocks in the local tin mines. Located near Two Bridge, the granite buildings of the former mill now house a rustic pottery and traditional tea shop.

Quay Antiques, Topsham

The estuary-side town of Topsham is a delight: its narrow lanes wind towards the harbour, which is ringed with restaurants, pubs and antique shops. Other attractions include an appealing run of 18th-century Dutch-style gabled houses, a long riverside strand, huge antiques market on the quayside. Many shops close on Sundays. 

Ashburton Antiques, Ashburton

Dubbed the gateway to the moor, Ashburton is an elegant town whose fortunes were founded on cloth and mining. It is one of Dartmoor’s four stannary towns, where tin was bought to be taxed – and its fine slate-hung frontages house a well-to-do selection of antique shops.

Devon Guild of Craftsmen

The Devon Guild is the largest contemporary crafts centre in the South West, displaying beautiful pieces in an idyllic riverside setting, this former millhouse on a river in Bovey Tracey stocks a lovely range of products made by local artisans, including pottery, wrought iron pieces, jewellery and leatherwork. There are art and craft exhibitions, housed in airy white-walled studios, and upstairs is a rustic café, which sells a delicious salads and homemade cakes.

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Dartmoor's Best Cream Teas

Just-baked scones, gooey clotted cream and lashings of strawberry jam - no holiday in Devon is complete without a traditional cream tea. We pick our favourite cream teas on Dartmoor.

Hotel Endsleigh, Tavistock

Our favourite Devon cream tea is at The Endsleigh, where supersized offerings are served in the sublime setting of an Elizabethan mansion house. Just-baked scones are served up with help-yourself quenelles of thick, clotted cream and gloopy strawberry jam, alongside fragrant loose-leaf tea in bone china cups. The wood-panelled drawing room has log fires and views of the Tamar Valley. Work up an appetite beforehand with a stroll around the stunning Grade-I listed gardens.

Bovey Castle

Huge stone fireplaces, soaring ceilings, ornate panelling, squishy sofas and terraces with epic views make Bovey Castle one of the grandest places on Dartmoor to eat cream tea. Book ahead.
North Bovey

Gidleigh Park, Chagford

For a Michelin-starred cream tea, look no further than Gidleigh Park, a grand Tudor-style country manor hotel, set in 107 acres of Dartmoor woodland outside Chagford. Work up an appetite with a walk around the beautiful grounds. 

Fingle Bridge Inn, Drewsteignton

Cream teas are best enjoyed after a long walk, making Fingle Bridge Inn, on one of Dartmoor’s prettiest hiking trails, is the perfect destination. It’s not the most gourmet cream tea you’ll ever taste but this inn’s stunning location on the banks of the River Teign makes up for it. Look out kingfishers and woodpeckers darting between shaded pools, and for trout, salmon and otters frolicking in deep, clear waters. Just by the inn is age-old Fingle bridge, which has recessed buttresses for packhorses to pass. The inn has a sunny terrace overlooking the river and an open fire for wintery days.

Birdcage, Chagford

This pretty and friendly little cafe on Chagford’s main square serves delicious cream teas at a fabulous price.

The Old Forge, Chagford

This tea room in a converted forge in Chagford village centre serves up fantastic scones, alongside other delicious cakes.

Gateway Tea Room, Moretonhampstead

This traditional tea-room in Moretonhampstead offers a nostalgic take on the traditional cream tea. Expect dollies, net curtains and mismatched bone china. Don’t let the old-fashioned feel put you off - these are some of the best scones this side of Dartmoor.

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20 Things to Do on Dartmoor This Winter

Dartmoor is stunning in the summer - but it’s even more magical under a dusting of glistening frost. From stargazing to spa days, Suzy Bennett highlights the best things to do on a winter break on Dartmoor.

Moorland View Cottage in winter

1. Curl up in front of a log fire in a thatched cottage

We defy you to find a cosier place for a winter break than Moorland View Cottage, a traditional thatched holiday cottage in the 13th century Dartmoor village of North Bovey, where prices in January are half of those in summer. The two-bedroom cottage has everything you need for romantic winter break, including a wood-burning stove, huge copper tub for long evening soaks, pop-up cinema, 14th century village pub for delicious Sunday roasts, epic Dartmoor walks on the doorstep and complimentary spa membership.

2. Visit an ancient dwarf oak forest

Wistmans’ Wood

December, January and February are the best times to visit Wistmans’ Wood, one of the UK’s oldest dwarf-oak forests and inspiration for the Lord of the Rings trilogy (The Ring’s illustrator, Alan Lee, lives in nearby Chagford). With the trees denuded of leaves, you’ll get to see the sculptural shapes of the gnarly, arthritic prehistoric trunks, furred with mosses and lichen. In fog, they make wonderfully mystical photographs. The easy one-hour walk starts from the Two Bridges Hotel, near Princetown. Combine with a cream tea at Two Bridges Hotel.
> More Dartmoor walks

3. Go stargazing

With crisp dark nights, January is the best time of year to view the night sky on Dartmoor, with the Milky Way often clearly visible. Grab a blanket, torch, picnic rug and bottle of wine and head to the top of Hound Tor, one of the most atmospheric and easily accessible spots to view the night sky.
> More things to do on Dartmoor

4. Have a Sunday roast in a cosy country pub

Let’s face it, a Sunday roast just isn’t the same in sweltering summer temperatures, and they taste best after a blustery country walk. Cosy up fireside at the The Ring of Bells, in North Bovey, where Dartmoor-bred lamb and beef, high-welfare chicken and the best Yorkshire puds you’ll ever taste are served up, fireside, in the cosy restaurant. Walk up Easdon Tor beforehand to work up an appetite. Or try the spectacular winter wonderland of Fingle Gorge, then head to the Chagford Inn or the Three Crowns.

> Best Devon pubs

> Devon’s best walks

5. Indulge in a cream tea

Devon is the home of the cream tea, and like roasts, best enjoyed in the depths of winter. The Endsleigh serves our favourite, with supersized offerings in a sublime setting. Just-baked scones are served up with huge, help-yourself quenelles of thick, clotted cream and gloopy strawberry jam, alongside fragrant loose-leaf tea in bone china cups. The wood-panelled drawing room has log fires and views of the Tamar Valley and there are Grade-I listed gardens which are beautiful, even in winter.  
> Dartmoor’s best cream teas

6. Go wild swimming

Devon’s sugar-white beaches are packed with families in summer, but gloriously empty in winter. Wait until October and you’ll still have warm seas, but have the beach to yourself. Mill Bay, a quick ferry ride across the water from Salcombe, tops our list, and we also love Bantham beach, Blackpool Sands and Thurlestone Sands. Choose your favourite from our guide to South Devon’s best beaches.

7. Try traditional artisanal Dartmoor skills

Stargazing at Hound Tor

The Dartmoor Artisan Trail is an arts and craft trail that gives visitors the chance to glimpse behind the workshop walls of the moor’s finest artisans, including blacksmiths, shoemakers and furniture restorers.  Many offer bespoke classes for couples and individuals in December and January, and as many work indoors, they make a perfect attraction for winter breaks.
> More things to do on Dartmoor

8. Walk in a winter wonderland

Dartmoor is blessed with epic walks, and one of our favourites in winter is to the tiny parish church of St Michel de Rupe, sitting atop Brent Tor. It’s one of the cutest churches you’ll ever see, and the views are spectacular. Around the Tor are Iron Age earthworks and the remnants of a hill fort.
> Devon’s best walks

9. Have a spa day

Set on a private sporting estate just up the river from North Bovey, Bovey Castle Hotel offers spa days from £30 per day, per person, with use of its pool, sauna, Jacuzzi and steam room. It also offers use of its 18-hole championship golf course, indoor swimming pool, tennis courts, fly-fishing lake, croquet lawn and archery arena. The 20-minute walk along the river, across old stone bridges and through woodlands, is beautiful.

10. Take a cookery course

Housed in one of Ashburton’s many grand merchant's houses, Ashburton Cookery School runs short cookery classes in fish and seafood, bread, and "gastro pub" style food. One of the founders has been promoting organic food since the 1980s.

Have a spa treatment amidst the grandeur of Bovey Castle

11. Shoot clay pigeons

Winter is game shooting season in Devon, but if you’d rather have a go at shooting clays, Ashcombe Adventure Centre is the best centre in Devon, offering expert tuition for couples and small groups. 

12. Make your own gin

Plymouth Gin’s Master Distiller’s Tour includes a talk about the history of the distillery, the distillation process and botanicals used. There is an in-depth blind tasting of five gins and a distilling masterclass, where guests distil their own gin using their own combination of botanicals. Every guest is given a small bottle of their own handmade gin to take away as a momento of their experience. At the end of the experience, you’ll get to choose between a complimentary miniature of Plymouth Gin to take home or enjoy a Plymouth Gin and Tonic at the Refectory Bar.

13. Eat fish and chips by the sea

The Beach House, on Thurlestone Sands, is weather-beaten clapboard shack overlooking the dramatic sea arch of Thurlestone is right on the beach, making it a perfect destination for a wintery Devon coastal walk. Crab cakes, crispy squid and bacon sandwiches are served up on rustic wooden tables in an amiable atmosphere. Over on Dartmouth harbour, the Rockfish Grill, run by celebrity chef Mitch Tonks, serves some of the best fish and chips in Devon. The menu includes locally-landed scallops and oysters, along with classics such as jellied eels, cockles, cracked crab and potted shrimp. 
> More fantastic Devon restaurant and cafes

14. Walk the South West Coastal Path

Britain’s longest footpath traces the north and south coasts of Devon, offering easy access to wild and windswept cliffs, secluded sandy coves and tiny hamlets. The three-hour walk from Bolt Tail, near Hope Cove, to Bolt Head, near Salcombe, is the wildest and most romantic stretch, offering perfect beaches and jagged headlands. For a longer winter walk, start further up the coast at Bantham, and stop off fora delicious fish lunch at The Beach House, a wonderfully romantic clapboard restaurant directly on the beach at South Milton Sands.
> Devon’s best walks

Photo: Will Lamerton

15. Drink in an old pirate’s island haunt

The Pilchard Inn is a creaky, weather-beaten smugglers inn dating from 1336 oozing with swashbuckling history: ask about the pirates’ escape tunnel. Getting there is all part of the fun and makes an adventurous winter attraction. Perched on the tiny, tidal outcrop of Burgh Island, surrounded by sandy beaches and choppy seas, it’s cut off from the mainland twice a day, making it the ultimate romantic Devon place to visit. When the seas have parted, it’s a short walk across the spit. When the waters start coming in, a high-sided ‘sea tractor’ ferries passengers.
 > Best Devon pubs

16. Dine at a Michelin-starred restaurant

Michelin starred Gidleigh Park is a grand Tudor-style country manor hotel, set in 107 acres of Dartmoor woodland outside Chagford. Creative menus are delivered with pin sharp accuracy, and there’s a 50-page wine list to choose from. Well worth the £100+ price tag. Work up an appetite with a walk around the Lord of the Rings-style grounds. 
> More fantastic Devon restaurant and cafes

Blacksmith Greg Abel, on The Dartmoor Artisan Trail (photo: Suzy Bennett)

17. Dine on a private island

Burgh Island Hotel is a vintage art deco pile perched atop a privately owned island just off the south Devon coast, and is much as it was when Winston Churchill, Noel Coward and Agatha Christie beat a path to its door in its 1930s heyday. Non-residents can book for black-tie evening meals and Sunday lunches. Booking essential. 
> More fantastic Devon restaurant and cafes

18. Shop for local pottery, crafts, home decor and antiques

The Devon Guild of Craftsmen, in Bovey Tracey, is the largest contemporary crafts centre in the South West, displaying beautiful contemporary pieces made by West Country craftsmen in an idyllic riverside setting. For antiques, Ashburton is an elegant town, where fine slate-hung frontages house a well-to-do selection of antique shops. Pretty Topsham has a lovely array of interiors shops and an extensive antiques market on the quayside.
> Devon’s best shopping

20. Visit a stately home

The National Trust property of Saltram House may look familiar: it was used as the Dashwoods’ pad in Ang Lee’s film of Sense and Sensibility. The grand Georgian façade has a Robert Adam interior with original Chippendale furniture, Wedgwood China and portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds. It gets busy in summer, don’t be surprised if you have it all to yourself in winter .
> More Devon attractions