Winding Devon lanes take you to Babbling By, tucked away in a blissfully peaceful setting with glorious countryside all around and the Little Dart River tripping merrily through the garden.
Downstairs
Step inside the door and it feels like home; so lovely, so welcoming, and straightaway you feel you can put your feet up, slipping gently into your holiday. This gorgeous holiday cottage is so tastefully furnished, the vibe is modern country living with all the creature comforts. Go through the hall to the open plan kitchen/dining/living room with French doors opening onto a veranda that runs the length of the house. To one side there’s a conservatory with steps down to the garden, to the other, there’s a cosy living room with a workspace.
Upstairs
Upstairs off a long landing are Bedrooms 1-5, 2 shower rooms and a family bathroom. Bedrooms 1 and 3 have room for an extra Z-bed on request. Bedroom 6 is in the annexe, just a few strides from the main house. This is the ideal solution for people who like their own space because it’s self-contained - downstairs there’s a kitchen, living/dining room and shower room, upstairs is the bedroom, with a free-standing bath and doors opening onto a balcony.
Outside
The gardens are what make Babbling By so idyllic. If the weather is good, you’ll want nothing more than to idle the hours away right here. The hot tub is on the veranda overlooking the lawns and trees, but only some of them, because the garden is huge, leading onto an orchard all puffy and pretty with blossom in the springtime, lush with fruit in late summer. The garden catches the sun for most of the day, the river babbles contentedly along its edge. This is a world of carefree days, of French cricket and croquet on the lawn, of picnics on the riverbank, and toasting marshmallows on the firepit as the stars come out one by one; it’s like time has slipped away from the hecticness of modern life.