Here are the available villas for rental in Devon.

UK holidays are never a last resort

Global warming? Come on down, I say - especially if it can ensure the kind of sparkling weather my family enjoyed during a recent holiday in north Devon.

The sun, of course, is exactly the reason why so many of us risk airport strikes, security alerts, customs hassles and unfamiliar food every year.
But what if you could get your annual ration of sunshine without actually leaving these shores?
In August my family enjoyed unbroken sunshine as guests of Park Resorts at their Bideford Bay base on the pristine coast.
And under a blue sky Britain is hard to beat - especially the riviera of the west. Pristine beaches, home-cooked food, blooming gardens... I could go on.
But at Park Resorts they take nothing for granted and there's plenty to do inside if the skies go grey.
Bideford Bay Park Resort boasts indoor and outdoor pools, amusement arcades, nightly discos, great bars and even archery lessons. Fun, as they say, for all the family.
But the surrounding area really swings it. Clovelly is one of the to-die-for fishing villages studding the coast, and the famous Eden Project in is nearby.
All of us are keen gardeners so a visit to the world-famous botanical experiment was definitely on the agenda and we enjoyed a delightful and different day out.
Established as one of the landmark Millennium projects it attracts visitors from right across the world. The project essentially experiments with bio-diversity and analyses plant sustainability. As their website says: "We belong to everybody."
The stunning Coastal Path is another must and the giant Milky Way Adventure Park is great for children with bags of energy to burn off. ... more

Still best of British

From the Daily Mail

Gentle charm is what Exmoor does best: small, quiet towns and villages set in relatively wild and unspoilt open moorland and wooded valleys. On my visit earlier this month - to see how the area was coping with foot-and-mouth - the trees were billowing with blossom and the lanes banked high with primroses.
Our first stop was Porlock Weir, a tiny harbour with thatched cottages on a pebbly beach. First signs weren't good. A council notice in the car park provided a stark reminder: 'Keep out of the countryside,' it said.
Happily, the staff at the ancient Anchor Hotel could not have been friendlier and we awoke to a view of the Bristol Channel and one of those deliciously filling, freshly cooked English breakfasts.
From here it was up the hill to Porlock and its visitor centre. This was spick and span, and loaded with leaflets about things to do. Behind the desk, Denise was offering advice and coffee to a cycling family. Then she told me how, at the start of the crisis, she sat up all night putting together an information book she now keeps on her desk.
It's entitled You Can Have A Lovely Holiday In Porlock, Despite The Foot-And-Mouth Outbreak. And, like everyone else we met, she was quick to say that Exmoor is not infected by the disease, but it is affected. ... more

Ghost walking in Exeter

From the Daily Mail

Ancient and modern rub shoulders in a most exciting manner in Exeter. One minute you're nibbling radicchio with parmesan shavings in a stylish, state of the art brasserie, and the next you're gazing up at the medieval stone carvings on the cathedral's magnificent West Front.
Within five paces of the crowds and bustle of the main shopping drag, you're strolling along an Elizabethan alleyway and straight on to the lawns of the Cathedral Green.
Exeter, capital of Devon, is one of England's oldest, most compact cities. It is full of little corners, narrow streets, inviting doorways, ancient city walls, beautiful gardens and pretty parks. It has the lovely Northcott Theatre, a brilliant variety of fast-food and budget cafes, and award-winning Chef Michael Caines has just opened his wonderful new restaurant at the Royal Clarence.
It is a city where all attractions are within easy walking distance, including the historic quayside where you can hire punts and canoes or take boat trips down the winding River Exe.
On the quay are furniture workshops, antiques, a sweaty rave disco called The Hot House, and the Mud Dock Cafi, similar to an aircraft hangar. This ultra-cool hang-out has bicycles dangling from the rafters, pinball machines, trendy grub and screens playing extreme sports videos. ... more

All aboard for a stream of delights

From the Daily Mail

Nine-year-old Ellie isn't quite Nancy Blackett of Swallows And Amazons. But she knows the ropes and can steer a safe course on a busy little river. Six-year-old Maddy is now an expert on the carrying capabilities of tiny ponies and, as for Loulou, four, she has learned that if you walk sideways like a crab you stand a good chance of falling off the jetty.
No family holiday in Dittisham, South Devon, is complete without placing a bit of prime bacon on a crab line. Crabs of various shapes, colours and sizes crowd around to be caught.
Beyond Tor Bay, the palm trees and grand hotels peter out around Paignton and Brixham. The unbridged valley of the intricate River Dart protects narrow lanes and secluded inlets from the holiday hordes. It's an extra hour or so down the road from Exeter, or at least an hour waiting in the summer queue for either of the car ferries to Dartmouth.
One of the best ways to enjoy the area is to rent one of the country barn-style wooden houses springing up on farms. As we relished a leisurely breakfast, the wide view from our kitchen included Blackness Rock, a deceitful pile of stones which revealed itself only at low tide, diverting scudding yachts and motor boats.
With boats for hire within walking distance and a regular boat up the river to Totnes or downstream to Dartmouth, there's no need for a car. Crossing the river is simple: Ellie tolled the big brass bell at the bottom of the main street and boatman Frank came over for us.
The opposite bank offers a panoramic view of the old houses on Dittisham quay and the chance to visit Agatha Christie's former home, Greenway, now owned by her daughter and son-in-law. The house and gardens are open on only two days a year, but you can always visit the garden centre.
Larger villages have surrendered their shops but Dittisham's is thriving - not least on sales of bacon to tempt crabs with. Those who have left cars behind can enjoy as much conviviality and real ale as they like in the village's two lively pubs. ... more

Nothing Fawlty with farm break

From the Daily Mail

Why on earth would anyone take a family holiday in Britain? This country has serious image problems among its own people, with gripes about Fawlty-esque hoteliers, rip-off accommodation and bad food.
And when foot-and-mouth struck, so did paranoia about going within 500 yards of a muddy track, let alone a cow or sheep.
Nevertheless, we - myself, my wife Marguerite, and two young boys, Rory, two, and Joe, four months - chose a self-catering complex of barns in South Devon. Wheeldon Farm, set in the rolling South Hams, falls in the parish of Diptford, some seven miles north of the popular seaside town of Salcombe. The 240-acre, family-run dairy farm opened the small complex this summer.
There are four well-equipped barns within the complex, which includes an indoor swimming pool, a games room and a neighbouring field with trampoline and assault course. Wheeldon is a working farm, so visitors can watch the morning or afternoon milking.
The 'three beaches' of Bigbury-on-Sea, Blackpool Sands and East Portlemouth are heavily advertised to visitors.
Bigbury has the added attraction of Burgh Island. During low tide, it is possible to walk the quarter-of-a-mile across the sand to the island, home to the upmarket Burgh Island Hotel. At high tide, a tractor and trailer takes trippers to and fro.
Blackpool Sands, a sweeping golden cove near Dartmouth, offers good swimming, sea kayaks for hire and beach fishing. The beach is pebbly, so bring suitable footwear.
The beach at East Portlemouth can be reached by car along the estuary road. However, parking is difficult, so most trippers take the short ferry hop from Salcombe across the estuary. At low tide, a wide and clean sandy beach opens up with rock pools teeming with crabs.
Salcombe is one of those quaint seaside towns with narrow streets but it has suffered from an influx of second-homers in search of the good life.
However, there is still plenty of evidence of its fishing history and expertise. It is worth hunting out Dockwood, a workshop and store that sells furniture constructed from wood reclaimed from beach pontoons. Inland, Buckfast Abbey is a sort of venerable theme park for the religiously inclined. Visitors can celebrate mass with the Benedictine monks in the abbey building, completed in 1938.
The shop sells unusual fare, ranging from medical remedies to artwork created by monks and nuns from across Europe. The abbey's own honey proved to be a popular choice among visitors.
Paignton Zoo, which styles itself as an 'environmental park', successfully marries the natural local woodland with the thrill of the exotic. Within its hilly trails are fascinating enclosures housing small collections of animals.
We were sorry to leave the farm, but congratulated ourselves over our decision to follow in Tony Blair's footsteps and holiday in Britain.
TRAVEL FACTS:
Details on Wheeldon from Farm Toad Hall Cottages: 01548 853 089. ... more