North Molton 6.6 miles.
Whitefield Cottage is a picturesque 17th-century stone cottage, looking as though it’s straight out of a fairy tale, and lies surrounded by lush greenery within the Devon countryside within Exmoor National Park, providing a holiday home with a difference for you and your loved ones.
Whitefield Cottage stands on the site of an ancient small Saxon village, dated to at least 1200 years ago.
The village is described in the Domesday Book (1086 AD) as ‘Whitefell’, perhaps because of the pieces of quartz found above the Cottage on Whitefield Common.
For walkers, the Tarka Trail runs just past the wooden gate.
With a working cattle and sheep farm next door and a large garden to roam, you can’t get more rural than this, making it a perfect choice for a family retreat where lasting memories will be made.
At night, all you will hear are the sounds of sheep and cattle calling to one another.
Come through the old wooden gate and park up outside the cottage, before taking coats and boots off in the lovely window-surrounded porch, with 2 chairs to sit in the morning sun with a cup of warm, freshly brewed coffee, then head inside to this warm and homely property.
Straight away, be greeted by the pleasant and bright kitchen, with cream units and wooden worktops, it is in-keeping with a classic cottage style and home to an excellent range of appliances.
The china is a delightful blue & white, and also provided are attractive, sturdy outdoor plates & glasses.
Move into the sitting area where a low oak-beamed original ceiling awaits, creating a snug ambience that you will immediately want to relax in on the beautiful deep seating with an antique birch rocking chair and large elm armchair covered in a rich embroidered throw.
The dining area with a lovely wooden table and Windsor-style chairs is perfectly placed by the bow window, allowing the window seat to provide seating for half of the table, so all can gather around to enjoy a tasty meal or a competitive board game.
Facing all of the furnishings is a grand and rustic fireplace with an old bread oven, housing an oil-fired woodburning-effect stove; look forward to getting this fired up on a colder evening after a day of excitement in Devon!
When it’s time to turn in, go up the wooden stairs to the first floor to find the bedrooms: first a light and airy twin room with American patchwork quilts on each bed, a window looking to the luscious greenery outside, and with a small chest of drawers & closet storage for your personal items and good lighting by each bed for reading.
Walk through the upstairs hall – an inviting snug space where a bookcase holds a selection of books to pick from with a large ‘teddy bear’ covered sofa to settle down into and plush cushions to put your feet up and read or catch up on email, before coming into the master bedroom which has a lovely iron bed frame covered in another American patchwork quilt, and features exposed red-brick and a hand painted mural of an oak tree, with fitted wardrobes and drawers for plenty of storage.
Freshen up in the neat bathroom, all white save for a royal blue feature wall, contrasting well with the bathroom suite, which has a bath with a shower over.
Enjoy the rural position of the property by taking your afternoon tea out onto the lawn whilst your furry friend stretches their legs, or have a meal using the seating for four at a redwood table and chairs.
If you’re seeking a truly rural ramble, you’re ideally positioned for exploring the delights of Exmoor National Park, where you can watch wildlife, stargaze, participate in watersports, and engage in many more outdoor activities to suit all ages and tastes.
The Tarka Trail runs just outside the front gate up through open grazing land to the top of Exmoor to Shoulsbury Castle, 3 miles away, perhaps the largest and best known of the ancient Iron Age earthworks in Greater Exmoor, and to its surrounding Bronze Age burial mounds.
The cottage is also within reach of the four-mile long beach at Saunton Sands, with its world-class surfing and all the open sand you could ask for, for picnics, exercising your dogs, building sand-castles, sunbathing or watching the tide come in.
In addition, there is the Exmoor Zoo, the Combe Martin Dinosaur Park, numerous art galleries, including the Burton Art Gallery in Bideford, and the Lyn Valley Art and Craft Gallery in Lynton, which both feature many of the excellent local North Devon art and craft.
For garden lovers, there are the lovely Marwood Gardens and RHS Rosemoor within 30 minutes.
For walkers, the moorland Tarka Trail, the breathtaking Southwest Coast Path, the spectacular Valley of the Rocks and many, many delightful wooded paths by the streams throughout the area.
The Village of Brayford, 2 miles away, has the 900-year-old Church of All Saints High Bray set on the hill above the Bray Valley.
It hosts 6 ancient bells, two of which were cast in the 15th century and are amongst the oldest in the world, and four of which are Victorian.
You can hear the bell ringers practising every Monday evening.
In addition, there is a Village Market held in the Village Hall every second Saturday of the month with between 15 and 25 tables selling a variety of local produce and crafts, in addition to having tea, coffee & cakes available at tables around the Hall.
The River Bray by the Village Ford makes for a delightful picnic area with a picnic table by the river, and a dam building across the stream for all ages!
In reach of both coastal and countryside delights, Whitefield Cottage makes a marvellous base for your holiday to Devon.