Lower Clunkamoor Cottage

Countryside lovers will be hard-pushed to find a better self-catering cottage than Lower Clunkamoor Cottage. Situated in a remote and rural Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in South Devon between Dartmoor and the glorious South Devon beaches around Bigbury, Salcombe and Dartmouth, this stone-built one-bedroom cottage is perfect for couples seeking a romantic rural retreat. It comes complete with its own private nature reserve with wild gardens and a wonderful mature oak right outside the front door.

Other than the owners who live in the adjoining house, the nearest dwelling is a quarter of a mile away. The cottage is not overlooked and is comfortably private. Secluded, peaceful and tranquil it may be, but it is also easily reachable: just 45 minutes from Exeter, 30 minutes from Plymouth and 15 minutes from the A38.

The south-facing cottage sits above the wooded Avon Valley in lovely walking country with a network of flower-filled Devon lanes, ancient footpaths and green lanes, woodlands and crystal-clear rivers and streams. In June the wildflower meadows surrounding the cottage are filled with the blooms of a thousand wild orchids.

Drive down steep-banked, leafy Devon lanes to arrive at Lower Clunkamoor Cottage at the end of its own quarter-mile drive.

Step inside the front door to a sitting room with deep comfortable armchairs, flat-screen TV and double French windows opening onto the garden. The bedroom has an extremely comfortable kingsize bed with pure cotton bedlinen and a choice of duvets. There is also a wardrobe and chest of drawers. The well-equipped kitchen has a new electric oven with ceramic hob, an equally new fridge with freezer compartment and a new microwave. The bathroom has a bath with electric shower and washbasin and there is a separate WC with its own washbasin. All bed linen and towel sets are included.

Broadband is available just outside the front door - and usually just inside! Mobile reception is generally OK.

When it is warm, it is hard to stay inside the cottage with such wonderful wild gardens outside to explore. In spring and summer, have an early breakfast under the shade of the lichen-covered oak tree and catch the end of the dawn chorus, or use it as a natural sun shade on hot sunny days.

There are lovely walks straight from the cottage door, especially along the beautiful River Avon following its journey to the sea. There are plenty of maps in the cottage showing an attractive range of local walks as well as those further afield if you're planning a day on Dartmoor or a walk along the spectacular South West Coast Path. For visitors wanting to learn a little more about the nature reserve there are books to help you identify the flowers, birds and trees that surround this idyllic Devon holiday cottage.

Leave your car at the top of the short, shallow slope that leads down to the cottage. There's one equally shallow step into the house and then everything is all on one level.