The Devon we adore is the one which slips between the pages of the guidebooks. The places which are only quietly shared or stumbled upon; sometimes by accident, oftentimes by fate. The ones which locals keep close. We thought we might share some of the Fowlescombe team’s favourite things to do in Devon with you.

The only condition is that you mustn’t tell a soul…

Wistman’s Woods

A tangle of ancient oak and lichen-licked granite set on Dartmoor’s high spine, Wistman’s Woods is more myth than woodland alone. An air of magic is ever-present amongst those twisted boughs; lace up your walking boots early in the morning and let it soak into your bones.

Scampi and chips on the sea wall in Toreros

The very best of tables don’t come with linen. Order scampi and chips with lashings of vinegar and salt at the Start Bay Inn. With spoils tucked safely beneath your arm, make for the sea wall and eat with your legs swinging over golden shingle below. A seagull will likely try its luck. Why wouldn’t he? Stand your ground.

Shipley Bridge to Avon Dam

A riverside route wonderfully removed from the summer rushes, this trail promises miles without stiles and a cinematic payoff in return for surprisingly little effort. It’s all dappled light and steady water, until you round the final corner and find yourself at the foot of a dam that seems to hold the sky on its shoulders.

The Western Beacon

Precious few walk the Western Beacon Circular on any given day. Those who do are rewarded with big skies and wide-open views, hills bright with gorse, and just enough of a climb to earn your supper back at the farm.

Totnes Cinema

The theatre of 27a High Street is almost indistinguishable from the outside. Inside, however, it plays out amongst velvet sofas, the faded glamour of a sweeping bar and the opera of muralled ceilings. The walls of Totnes Cinema could tell many a tale given the building’s past lives as a temperance hall, but today it is the most atmospheric place in Devon, perhaps even the whole country, to spend Saturday night at the movies.

Antiques of Ashburton

Some of our very favourite found things came to be after being discovered in the antique emporiums of Ashburton. It’s a place where old copper kettles sit shoulder-to-shoulder with Art Deco jewels, oil paintings that could be the work of great masters and furniture that has whole centuries in the grain of its wood. Weave your way along the entire Antiques Trail, before toasting treasures with an Italian feast at Osteria Emilia.

With our doors open and the summer stretching ahead of us all, we’re looking forward to helping you fold some of our favourites into your stay.