Exeter

Many villages lay claim to being ‘picturesque’, but the village of Cockington is the real deal. Take a walk back in time along Cockington’s narrow lanes, lined with thatched houses and you’ll experience a quiet charm that is quintessentially English. Everything about Cockington oozes with history – there’s a water mill, a forge and even the cricket pitch was once a medieval deer park. It seems like a little, cute and human Hobbiton! At the heart of the village is Cockington Court, a manor house with roots in medieval times, surrounded by hundreds of acres of gorgeous country park. Today, Cockington Court is a hub for art and crafts and in the brand new contemporary craft centre you’ll find a canoe maker and a chocolate maker, and you can watch glassblowers and blacksmiths in action. Cockington Court has a full programme of events including open-air theatre, Cockington Fayre, Cockington Apple Day and the ever-popular Cockington Christmas Fayre as well as regular art and craft exhibitions. Check their events calendar before your visit.

Burgh Island, situated directly opposite Bigbury on Sea, is steeped in history and legend, being a one-time haunt of pirates and smugglers, and a hideaway for the rich and famous. Burgh Island is connected to the mainland by a lovely sandy beach. This beach is covered daily at high tide. Visitors can still reach the Burgh Island shore by way of a ride on the famous “beach tractor”.

These are two halves of a 3 mile sand and shingle bar stretching between Strete in the north and Torcross in the south. At the Torcross end, the bar divides the sea from Slapton Ley - a freshwater lake and Nature Reserve. All of this area of coast is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The beaches are close to the villages of Slapton and Torcross with pubs, cafes, and small shops on hand. Watersports equipment can be hired locally.