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Torridge House
Cottages |
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Animals | Special Offers |
In the Devon countryside, truly child and family friendly. Nine much loved cottages and luxury houses
around the green with animals to watch, cuddle and help care for
This page was last updated
on 22nd May, 2013
LAST MINUTE AVAILIBILITY FOR BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND BREAK (UPTO 6 PEOPLE) 3 NIGHTS - FRI 24th MAY - MON 27th MAY -PLEASE PHONE
We have lots of baby bunnies and golden baby mice on the cuddle table!
Flo
with her kittens and Kit & fluffy Milly Cat; Pearl and her whole rabbit team with
four young litters,
the four little pigs. Minature ponyTiger Lily, chicks and
more beautiful fluffy
chicks and ducklings due soon!
a
new piggy with Gemma and my thumb
Hello I'm Barbara, I hope you find our web page interesting. Below are details of our cottages and little farm.
Over the past
24 years the farm and cottages have
become a very special place, bringing together a wide variety of
those things that provide an idyllic backdrop to family holidays. The cottages, grounds, facilities are friendly, welcoming and easy going.
As always we maintain our commitment to high quality accommodation, attention to the needs of our visitors and the care of
our animals.
We
are on the edge of the tiny village of Little Torrington. Our gardens and
our cottages are mostly surrounded by fields and private
woodland to which there is no public access. The grounds and gardens
around the cottages are therefore very private. Little Torrington is a tiny village
with some houses, a church and village hall. It is 8 miles
south of Bideford, 20 minutes from the beaches of Westward Ho! and Instow and
some 30 minutes from Dartmoor. The historic town of Great Torrington is two
miles away.
Whatever time of year that you choose to visit, there is always animal interest, great scenery, comfortable warm accommodation, many first class attractions and places to visit and lots of places to eat out.
We look forward very much to welcoming you to our cottages.
Please to note a car is essential here for young families as our bendy and hilly country roads have no pavements.
Tucked away in the Devon countryside, with unspoilt panoramic views of wooded valleys, rolling hills and distant farms, Torridge House is an old rectory with a group of cottages around a green. There is lots of space for relaxing or playing, lots of animals to help watch or feed, ten lovely family friendly self catering cottages.
We provide full size cots, highchairs, stair gates, nursery bowls, plates and cups, and other
nursery needs, children's videos and dvds, children's duvet covers, washing
machines, tumble driers and laundry tablets etc. And in the extensive
private grounds a play room, games room, library, baby pool section in the
outdoor pool, garden push along and
toddler toys and an animal feeding and watching routine which is thoroughly
geared to youngsters and their families.
There is lots of sunny garden to relax in, the pool area is a great sun-trap and beaches are 20 minutes away. The glorious thing about children though is they take their enjoyment with a complete lack of concern about what the weather throws at them, puddles are for splashing in and grassy banks are better for rolling down when they are wet! The cottages are warm and cosy with central heating and some have log burning stoves/fires. Kitchens are newly fitted out with full electric cookers, microwaves and so on. Five have dishwashers, four have washing machines and tumble driers. There are also washers, driers and laundry tablets and softeners available in the free laundry.
An amazing number of first class child friendly attractions, pubs, cycling and sandy beaches are within easy reach.
Dave
Elliott has some wonderful local photographs on his web page www.northdevonphotography.co.uk
And below is a small selection of
his pictures showing
a wind surfer, Black Tor on Dartmoor, the Kathleen and May at Bideford,
North Devon lanes and Clovelly
See more of Dave's take on the local area on www.northdevonphotography.co.uk
Two out of the last 3 winters we've had snow, it is so beautiful.
We are told by our visitors - and of course our visitors are always right - that our cottages are very good value. The prices are pretty well all inclusive - as well as the usual - electricity, beds made up, towels, heating and so on, we also include all sorts of little things like the tablets for the washing machines and dishwashers, cleaning materials and so on.
Click Things to do in North Devon for holiday action ideas
Now available from our freezer - home cooked delicious ready meals and puddings. Priced at £2.80 a serving, these much appreciated meals are cooked by a local chef using local produce. Ask us in advance and we will have your dinner ready for you to pop in the oven when you arrive. Meals available as individual servings from our freezer or by advance order for the size you require.
Southwood,
Five Lane End, views below, more
details here
THE COTTAGES
Set in delightful, peaceful farmland surroundings, our cottages and apartments are fully equipped for all your family holiday needs.
They are comfortable, relaxing and enjoyable with full central
heating and a careful attention to detail, yet are practically presented for
visitor's "peace of mind".
Duck's living room
Lin, Hay, Tithe, Barn, Drawing Room, Stag, Hen and Duck Cottages all open directly on to the gardens
Some of these pictures were taken with a wide angle lens. The kitchen is smaller than it looks here and the bedrooms are bigger!
in cottage wi-fi coming soon
These friendly and popular cottages are, like all the cottages, attractively furnished & well decorated. They have double glazed windows and doors and full central heating under visitors own control and real flame effect electric stoves.
They have views over the gardens and beyond to Exmoor.
Each has two bedrooms, one double with hand basin, one twin room.
The bathroom is downstairs, they
have over the bath showers.
They sleep four plus cot (either bedroom).
VisitBritain 3 Stars. Prices & Availability 2013
Prices for a week range from £342 to £753
TITHE AND BARN COTTAGES
Inside Tithe
and inside Barn
wide angle lens views; the sitting room looks wider here than it
is.
These welcoming and
popular cottages are south facing with countryside and garden views. They have
double glazed windows and doors and full central heating under visitors own
control. Tithe cottage has a log burning stove and an additional electric
convector heater. Barn Cottage has a flame effect electric stove.
Tithe has four bedrooms, a double and a twin downstairs with a shower room and the same upstairs but with a bathroom rather than a shower room.
There is an extra downstairs wc.
The large living room has a log burning stove.
Barn has a double bedroom and a second
bedroom with a single bed and bunk beds (2'6"). Barn Cottage will shortly have a
dishwasher.
In both cottages the cot does not fit elegantly in the upstairs second bedroom (a bed has to be pushed along and out of the way).
Tithe sleeps eight & Barn five plus
cot.
VisitBritain 3 Stars. Prices & Availability 2013
Prices for Tithe for a week range from £522 to £1239
and for Barn £381 to £843
COURTYARD COTTAGE
This large three bedroom cottage is much appreciated by visitors
as the oldest of our cottages. It has a large character living room with oak
beamed ceiling and open fireplace. This is a warm and cosy cottage with full
central heating. There are radiator thermostats to give visitors heat control.
Courtyard's heating is first in the heating run of a larger radiator system.
Electric fires are also in the cottage. Windows have curtains lined, mainly
with heavy thermal linings.
It is the west (village) end of Torridge House and has its own small high walled paved and landscaped courtyard.
From the cottage it is a short
step through a cobbled yard to the gardens, animals & swimming pool.
It has a double bedroom and two twin rooms, a downstairs shower room and an upstairs bathroom. It sleeps 6 + cot.
Kitchen will shortly have a dishwasher.
Prices for a week range from
£423 to £885 VisitBritain
3 Stars. Prices & Availability 2013
DRAWING ROOM APARTMENT
Entered from the gardens this sought after apartment has garden and country views.
The accommodation, originally the east wing of the rectory is now a spacious one bedroom home sleeping 4/6 plus cot. There is full central heating, electric fires and heavy lined curtains and shutters. The large drawing room bay windows are double glazed. The old house retains heat in it's metre thick walls!
The bedroom has a double and two single beds, the drawing room has a further double bed in four poster style as well as plenty of room for dining table & chairs and for easy chairs and settees.
Dining in either the drawing room or the kitchen. Kitchen with dishwasher.
The bathroom has a corner
bath and a walk-in electric shower.
Prices for a week range between £453 and £843 VisitBritain 3 Stars. Prices & Availability 2013
STAG, HEN AND DUCK COTTAGES
2,3 and 4
bedroom highly acclaimed luxury barn conversions in prime position
Lots of space, lovely light, very warm, good heating, wonderful views.
Stag and
Hen Cottages join together to make a wonderful 5-bedroom family house
·
Duck – Four bedrooms; 2 king size, one with
shower en-suite; 2 twin rooms, one downstairs.
Family bath and shower room upstairs.
Family shower room downstairs.
Farmhouse style open plan kitchen dining room with range cooker cosy
sitting room. Open plan upstairs
sitting area.
· Hen – Three bedrooms; 1 king size with shower en-suite and 2 twin
rooms, one of which can interconnect with the master bedroom, making bedrooms 1
and 3 best suited for “family”. Bedroom
1 & 3 have velux windows. Family bath
and shower room downstairs. Farmhouse
style open plan kitchen dining room with range cooker cosy sitting room with
log burner. Open plan upstairs sitting
area.
· Stag – Two bedrooms; 1 double aspect king size and 1 twin
room. Family shower room upstairs. Family bath and shower room downstairs. Large
living room/dining room with fireplace and focal point electric fire. Large kitchen/breakfast room.
· All 3 – dishwasher, freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer, digibox, dvd, video player, cd/radio, king-sized pocket sprung double beds, 2 tvs in Duck and Hen, lots of space, flexible controllable heating, high specification insulation, access to gardens front and back.
1 bath/shower room, 2 shower rooms in Duck - 1 en-suite. 1 bath/shower room and 1 en-suite shower rooms in Hen, 1 bath/shower room and 1 shower room in Stag. Generous upper landings in Stag, Upstairs open plan sitting areas with tv in Duck and Hen. CD/radio/dvd, video, digibox.
Duck..............
Stag............
The
next pictures are of Hen ................. 
prices for a week in - Stag range from £438 to £945
in Hen - £504 - £1065
in Duck - £630 - £1551
VisitBritain Four Stars - Prices & Availability 2013
Lovely 5 bedroom
house, beautiful countryside setting, comfortably private, a short ten minute
walk or quick drive from us. Sleeps up to 11 plus cots. 4 bath/shower rooms - 2
en-suite. 2 sitting rooms, dining room, conservatory, sauna, large
gardens. Ample parking. Ideal for those seeking a private holiday home
or lots of space. Also perfect for 2 or 3 couples and their children.
Enjoy the privacy of Southwood with the facilities of Torridge House.
more information on Southwood
Five
bedrooms, four bath or shower rooms, two sitting rooms and a large dining room. Sleeps 9/11 + 2 cots
ALL COTTAGES
The cottages are VisitBritain "3-Star" and "4-Star". They
all have:
flat screen televisions, video
players (so you can use our extensive video library!), dvds and kitchens (equipment inc: cooker, microwave, fridge, iron, coffee
maker, toaster etc. , freezer or freezer space), beds made up ready for your
arrival, towels provided, cots, high chairs, nursery plates and cutlery, other
nursery requirements,
central heating, additional heating and private car parking space.
Visitors have shared use of the swimming pool, extensive library of books, games, maps and more; play room, games room, pc with wireless broadband access, football or tennis play area, gardens and garden furniture, barbecues, laundry and telephone.
Advance orders of groceries can be made through Tescos, Sainsburys or Waitrose on line. Excellent baby-sitting available
No Smoking indoors. Dogs accepted in Courtyard Cottage and Southwood. No pets in the other cottages.
Lucky
enjoying a scratch! Lady - one of our
Rex rabbits. Some of the birds clucking around the garden
Hello from one of the lambs and Hello from piggies..........
The gardens and grounds are home to a variety of animals.
Everyone is very welcome to help and for most guests the animals are a very special highlight of their holiday.
There are the pigs, Twiglet and Pepper, often with their piglets, who all enjoy feeding time.
There are baby rabbits as well as ducks and hens, ducklings and chicks
At the morning feeding times we feed the animals, let out the birds, collect eggs and do whatever jobs are needed that we can manage - sometimes mucking out or hay moving.
In the evening we feed all the animals again and get the birds to bed.
Click here for photos - I have some more really super new photos but haven't got them on yet!! Soon.
Twice
a day in school holidays we get together to feed the pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs and other small
animals, let out or put to bed and feed the birds, watch or cuddle baby
rabbits, guinea pigs, chicks, ducklings. That happens generally at 9am and
5pm - in term time when Barbara and the little ones need more leeway
before tea time the afternoon feed is earlier and Barbara often does it on her
own.
The heated swimming
pool, 36' x 18' including baby pool, open from May to mid/end
of September as weather allows; it is within a walled area.
A grass tennis and/or
football area, lots of play space in the gardens,
A games room with table tennis and pool, junior air hockey,
table football etc.,
A play room with indoor sand pit and home area, a
selection of push along toys etc.,
Barbecues, a good selection of books, games, toys, videos,
dvds and more............
Things to do in the
village................
Marina offers amazing massages,
relaxation and health treatments, including Reiki. She is highly recommended, highly
talented and offers excellent value.
Her farmhouse is a few minutes drive form Torridge House - or a quiet walk
down country lanes.
At the farmhouse next door to Torridge House Jax and her family have a clay
station and ceramic
painting studio. Great fun for all the family.
Skittles games can be arranged at the village hall. There is also a short mat bowling group who meet at the village hall.
Further a field..............
There are all sorts of activities to suit both grown ups and children in the immediate area and a little further a field. There are exciting and impressive family attractions, and wonderful countryside with fishing villages to explore - Appledore and Clovelly, hidden away valleys to walk down to the sea, countryside cycle and foot paths to follow. Market towns and bigger shopping centres. Wonderful coastal and estuary scenery. Special seaside towns and beaches and inspiring moorland scenery. Woodland walks and priceless peace and tranquility, an age old charm and quietness that tells of close association with the land and its creatures.
For outdoor activities, Skern Lodge is
nearby and is one of the UK's "premier" outdoor centres, running
activity day courses eg Abseiling, Surfing,
Archery, High Ropes, Assault Course, Canoeing.
Also available in the area is sea fishing, coarse fishing, river - game - fishing (these last 2 need
the appropriate licences) and trout lake fishing.
There are a number of Golf
courses, horse riding for youngsters and adults; also Paint Ball, Go-Carts, quad
bike and tank driving.............
Here are some whole web pages on information on things to do in North Devon , www.lotstodo.co.uk and www.westcountrynow.com and the local council area siteof places to visit.
BIRD SPOTTING!
A wide variety of birds are spotted in the
grounds by our visitors.
The birds seen include: buzzard, sparrow hawk, herring gull, black headed gull,
tawny owl, green woodpecker, great spotted woodpecker, pied wagtail, starling,
magpie, jackdaw, carrion crow, dunnock, wren, chiffchaff, goldcrest, robin,
blackbird, song thrush, willow tit, blue tit, coal tit, great tit, long- tailed
tit, treecreeper, house sparrow, chaffinch , green finch, yellow hammer,
swallow, housemartin, wood pigeon and collared dove.
I can now add to this list having seen at dusk recently a beautiful Hedwig Barn
Owl.
How about this for some bird
action?
www.northdevonhawkwalks.co.uk
I have also got a list of butterflies including some unusual ones, but I have
left it by the photocopier.
LOCAL ATTRACTIONS
Sandie (who Baby Sits) and I went down to Rosemoor - and more recently we were amazed at the winter colour there - it is fabulous, and just at the bottom of the hill.
Here is a list of some of
the so many excellent attractions around and about the area.
There are so many that you
would need weeks and weeks and plenty of stamina to do justice to them all!
The Gnome Reserve
The
Big Sheep,
Rosemoor
RHS Gardens and other gardens,
1646
Civil War Experience,
www.northdevonhawkwalks.co.uk
Historic
Great Torrington
(Torrington is where a lot of fiming of "Down To Earth"
with Pauline Quirk took place),
Brannans Pottery,
Milky Way,
Eden Project*,
Lost Gardens of Heligan*,
Lots of lovely gardens, like Docton Mill
Morwellham Quay*,
Hartland Abbey,
Watermouth Castle,
Exmoor Zoo,
Atlantic (Factory outlet)
Village
Tapely House
and many...many...more (* star marked attractions are 1 and halfish
hours away). More links can be found here
or here.
A family have just come back from a lovely visit to The Donkey
Sanctuary* in South Devon - "a must" they said,
a good number of National Trust properties within reach,
golf,
fishing and more and more.
LITTLE TORRINGTON AND TORRINGTON
are in the heart of "Tarka the Otter" country. The "Tarka Trail" Countryside cycle/walk route can be joined a mile from the cottages.
The historic Town of Great Torrington is 2 miles away. The whole area is of outstanding natural beauty.
We believe our cottages are a great holiday setting. The
activities and facilities we offer and the gentle companionship of being able
to be with, but yet quite private from, other young families on holiday is an
exciting, unusual and comfortable combination. Families return regularly, and
new families find us through recommendation, advertisements in child orientated
publications and the web.
Out of season the cottages are ideal for couples and Southwood at Five Lane End across the village is very well suited to groups of friends as well as to large family groups.
I cherish a large collection of drawings and letters that visitors of all ages have given us over the years.
"Another fantastic holiday....." "A paradise for children" "Wonderful again ......" "Just perfect" "Our best holiday ever" "Picture book" ........ and more ..... and more
Contact
us by e-mail 
Gemma
with young Rageh!
Old Rageh now has young
Ruby as his companion ......
Or
Telephone: +44 (0)1805 622 542
Fax: +44 (0)1805 622 360
Hatherleigh market is
open for the sale of hens, ducks, geese, rabbits and so on, and local produce
and the
usual stalls.The pubs, villages, towns all around are all very, very welcoming. Many
offer good food.
BOOKING DETAILS
Weeks in Courtyard Cottage, Lin, Hay and The Drawing
Room start on Fridays, the other cottages on
Saturdays.
Please phone to make a reservation and to get a booking form. A deposit of one
third is taken on booking. The balance is due 6 weeks before arrival.
AVAILABILITY (AND PRICES) Prices
& Availability 2013
FOR MORE
INFORMATION
PLEASE TELEPHONE
+44 (0)1805 622 542
I hope that this web page has given you
something of the feel of a holiday with us at Torridge House
Cottages.
Thank you for looking at this page. I am amazed I have got this far
with it, but apparently this is the easy bit! Or so I was told when I enrolled
for the web page evening class. I shall keep working on it, but it goes slowly.
Regards Barbara
