Spring marks the farm’s busiest season, and arguably, its most beautiful. The land has started to stir, prompting motions of foraging, planting and preparing. It is also when we open our doors to guests looking to do the same: to reawaken after winter, rejuvenating and reconnecting in a way that honours our surroundings, introduces you to the magic of our local communities and lets them show you a side of Devon most never see.

We believe that luxury comes from time, connection and a hint of adventure. Stays at Fowlescombe Farm are entirely bespoke and shaped around you, our hosts crafting personalised itineraries ahead of your arrival that immerse you in life on the farm and lead you out into the wider, wilder, landscape.

Onsite activities are included in your stay and always entirely optional

Mornings on the farm begin slowly. Yoga is offered three times each week, sometimes in the farmhouse, sometimes in the greenhouse, and on warmer days, out on the lawn with birdsong as your soundtrack. It’s a grounding and restorative start to the day.

Later, you might join Shelley, our head gardener and florist, in The Greenhouse. Gather seasonal stems and wildflowers from the garden and hedgerows before settling in at the long table for a blissfully unhurried hour or so spent creating natural arrangements using only what the land gives us. Some will become centrepieces for our spaces, others taken home as a wild memento of your time with us.

In day-to-day lives full of demands, peace comes in being given permission to completely disconnect. We seek to bring back the unmistakable yet quiet sense of satisfaction that comes with time reconnecting with nature; with getting your hands dirty, switching off entirely and taking things right back. This could look like an afternoon with our stonemasons, retreating with them to the farm’s edge, where ancient Devon hedgerows twist and grow. You’ll learn the heritage craft of hedge-laying, weaving stems or shaping the stone and earth banks that underpin these important elements of our local landscape.

There is bread to be made too, with guests invited to spend time shaping loaves with Westy in The Refectory, studding focaccia with rosemary sprigs from the garden. Spring also brings an abundance of flavours for the foraging in our fields and woodlands; head out on a treasure hunt of botanicals that will lend a touch of natural sweetness to cocktails in the Farmhouse later that evening.

There is bread to be baked and botanicals to be gathered

Beyond the farm, spring is a time for adventure. Dartmoor is at its most rugged and skies are clear – perfect conditions for stargazing, wrapped in blankets, sipping something warm while your guide names the constellations overhead.

Down by the coast, we take to the creeks and tidal waters. Paddleboarding to South Pool, you’ll drift past banks and birds before arriving at the Millbrook Inn, a pub where local ale flows and high tide brings a celebratory buzz.

Alternatively, launching from East Portlemouth, our kayaks will follow the curve of the coast as we forage for mussels and edible seaweeds. It is an experience inspired by the rituals of the Lussa gin-makers, and their spirit, infused with island-grown botanicals, is one we keep behind the bar.

Drift past banks and birds before arriving at the Millbrook Inn

This is the season when everything stirs – the soil, the animals, the senses. To stay at Fowlescombe Farm in spring is to witness Devon at its most marvellous. We can’t wait to share it with you.