Review: Willow Cottage, Bovey Tracey, Devon, UK

Willow Cottage is one of Devon Hideaways’ hand-picked luxury properties. A rural, romantic retreat for two, on the fringes of the Dartmoor National Park, perfectly positioned for discovering Devon. This comfortable cottage is just one of the self-catering options located on Little Dunley Cottages’ 24 acres of rural tranquillity near Bovey Tracey and Newton Abbot.

Little Dunley is quietly secluded but within walking distance of the local pub, The Claycutters Arms, and only 20 minutes’ drive to the nearest beach. It is an idyllic site that reminds visitors that Devon is as much a holiday state of mind as well as one of England’s favourite counties.

A relaxing land of bucket and spade beaches, fish feasts, headland walks, indulgent ice-creams and smugglers’ coves. A place where the imagination comes to life.

Yet nearby Dartmoor is a harsh terrain of granite, tussocks and tors lying on the cooled lava of a volcano that has been extinct for 280 million years: a venue for wild adventures of climbing, swimming and walking.

Does any other country feature such varied beauty?

The welcome

Codes for the gates to Little Dunley and for the key box to Willow Cottage had already been e-mailed prior to our arrival. Then it is just a few yards from our parking space to the front door to unpack.

The cottage

Willow Cottage is one of four single storey properties accessed by a neatly landscaped pathway.

Open-plan living provides a light spacious area for kitchen, dining area and lounge. A two-seater sofa is in position for entertainment from a 54 inch flat screen SMART television that allows you to sign into your regular apps.

The bedroom features a king-size double bed and attractive decor of discrete creams and greys. Rustic prints of sheep and flowery landscapes remind us that we are hidden away deep in Devon’s patchwork of green valleys.

A large walk-in shower, both rainfall and directional, has Elsyl toiletries to hand in the bathroom.

Underfloor heating, making Willow Cottage a cosy retreat is controlled by two thermostats: one in the living area, the other in the bedroom.

The facilities

A covered patio hosts the hot-tub, perpetually set at 38 centigrade and serviced twice a day by Little Dunley’s staff. All we have to do is uncover it, step in and relax.

Thick evergreen hedging and hazel hurdle fencing provide privacy for a garden of astroturf lawn, sun-loungers and a table and chairs for al fresco dining.

Beyond neighbouring Hazel Cottage there is a small laundry room with washing machine and dryer.

Also it is a mere three minutes’ walk to the tennis court, floodlit for evening play. Four different species of carp swim in the two fishing lakes with a 12 pounder the biggest catch so far.

The location

Willow Cottages is on the shoulder of the 368 square miles of the Dartmoor National Park. Over 450 miles of paths invite visitors to explore England’s highest point south of The Pennines.

Africa may have its Big Five but Dartmoor has a Little Five that can be equally elusive. Search for the threatened Marsh Fritillary butterfly, cuckoos that winter in the Congo, the world’s biggest slug growing up to 20 cm long, otters and the rare blue ground beetle. Black-faced sheep, ponies and thick-haired Galloway cattle are easier to spot.

At the heart of the blanket bogs, mysterious mires, grey granite and Hound of the Baskerville mists that make up Dartmoor sits Princetown. It houses a free-admission Dartmoor National Park visitor centre with all the maps, history and information you need to explore.

A short walk away, The Dartmoor Prison Museum tells the story of an institution originally established for prisoners of the Napoleonic wars and the 1812 war with America. A cemetery contains 1217 French and 271 Americans inmates who died.

The macabre museum records that prisoners’ boots left an arrow imprint so that they could be tracked if they escaped. Though Frank Mitchell, The Mad Axeman, was never recaptured.

Exhibits range from cardboard model F1 cars that prisoners created to pass the time through to menacingly improvised guns, knifes and a knuckleduster topped with 6 inch nails.

At Buckfast Abbey, which celebrated its millennium in 2018, a floor-to-ceiling stained glass window of Christ, offering his body and blood in the Eucharist, fascinates visitors. Scholars believe that the colours of the face echo those on the Turin Shroud.

The English Riviera, lies a short drive to the south west, where palm leaves flutter in Brixham, Paignton and Torquay.

Other nice touches

Within an hour of arrival, Dominic, from the Little Dunley staff, knocks on the door to check that all is well and that we have settled in.

A bottle of sparkling Prosecco is part of the welcome pack that also provides tea, coffee, sugar and milk.

The cost

Short breaks begin from £510 whilst seven night breaks cost from £705.

The best bit

Devon is a foodie’s dream. A very well-equipped kitchen – complete with tall fridge-freezer, hob, oven and dishwasher – encourages guests to work their culinary magic with the county’s fresh produce.

Nearby Ashburton, with its independent shops, hosts a food festival. Whilst, usually in late September and early October, the English Seafood Feast, including an early morning tour of Brixham Fish Market takes place in over 30 eateries across the English Riviera.

The final verdict

Willow Cottage provides clean, crisp, contemporary comfort in a far from the madding crowd location. Yet it is within easy driving distance of the contrasting landscapes of primal Dartmoor and the alluring English Riviera. A romantic escape for all seasons.

Disclosure: Our stay was sponsored by Devon Hideaways.

Michael Edwards

Michael Edwards is a travel writer from Oxfordshire, UK. Although Michael had his first travel pieces published nearly four decades ago, he is still finding new luxury destinations to visit and write on.