Sports & Activities

Walking

Walking on Dartmoor Walking is a wonderful past-time here in South Devon as we are blessed with a spectacular piece of the South West Coast Path from which walkers can drop down to coves and beaches, lighthouses, pubs and cafes, and freshwater lakes. Many of the walks are dog-friendly.

Once guests have settled in we suggest two car-free and stress-free days out.

Taking time to enjoy a leisurely stroll around the Dittiscombe nature trail guests can discover the woods, stream-fed ponds and open or shady places with benches, picnic tables and bird-viewing areas along the way.

A little further afield but also car-free is the 50-minute walk from a cottage door through leafy lanes and farmyard trails to historic Slapton village with its small shop, two excellent pubs, then on to the Slapton Ley National Nature Reserve for a spot of birdwatching and the beach at Slapton Sands. A map and directions for this walk is provided in each cottage.

There are a number of different travel opportunities in the area such as the Round Robin bus, boat and steam train ride around the Totnes and Dartmouth area, the steam train from Totnes to Buckfastleigh, as well as non-vehicular transport such as cycling, horse-riding, sailing and surfing. Brochures, leaflets, walking books and maps are provided in the cottages.

Canoeing, Kayaking and Watersports

As seen on BBCs Countryfile show in 2011, there are plenty of estuary adventures in and around our waterways and a National Trust canoe map can be downloaded here. There are several local companies offering lessons and hire including Singing Paddles, based in Kingsbridge. We are also offering Kayak Hire from Dittiscombe, further details are on our Kayak Hire page.

How about trying something new and exciting during your holiday? Mountain Water Experience is based just outside Kingsbridge and offers a range of land and water based outdoor adventure activities including coasteering and canyoning,white water kayaking and body boarding . There are further windsurfing, kite surfing and kayak facilities at both at Blackpool Sands.

Endurance Life operate running, wild swimming and other adventure sports in the area. For more information about their South Devon Coastal Trail series of events please visit their website.

Golf

There are several excellent coastal and moorland golf courses in this area such as Thurlestone (pictured right), Bigbury, Dartmouth, Churston and Wrangaton. We can advise our visitors on local courses and set up tee times for them. We also provide our guests with a 25% discount on golf and leisure facilities at Dartmouth Golf & Country Club (just 5 miles from here), which includes 9 and 18-hole courses, a gym, sauna and swimming pool and beauty spa.

Fishing

There are many and varied fishing opportunities in South Devon. For easy access there are miles of beaches and abundant seas, or for something more challenging there is rock fishing off Start Point and Bolt Head. Many fishing trips are on offer at Dartmouth and Salcombe; or visitors can take out a permit to fish from the banks on the Dart estuary. There is also well stocked local commercial fishery at Valley Springs, just 2 miles from Dittiscombe.

Sailing

Salcombe Dinghy Sailing operates from Whitestrand in the centre of Salcombe. Here boats can be hired or you can take professional sailing tuition. Or the Island Cruising Club, based in the Salcombe and Kingsbridge estuary, is a sailing and sail training centre offering tuition or RYA courses for children and adults.

Cycling

Cycling is a great way to explore this area. There are traffic-free trails on Dartmoor, some of which are family-friendly, others are more challenging and cover more rugged terrain; or the riverside and woodland rides near Totnes and Ashprington with a picnic make an ideal day out. Further information on cycle routes can be found on the Sustrans website.

Painting & Photography

With such stunning scenery to choose from those visitors with an artistic leaning will find plenty to inspire them. The ever-changing sea, the gentle rivers dotted with bridges and boats, and the old stone farms and grazing animals all provide a host of new subjects for the painter or photographer.

The lovely pencil drawing here is by one of our regular visits, Helen Stead, who is a professional calligrapher, but always finds time to draw inspiration from the pretty scenes around our valley.