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Millbrook Cottages - Umberleigh

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Luxury self-catering in beautiful Devon

If you thought that a weekend in the country meant abandoning all your city luxuries, book one of these stunning self-catering cottages and prepare to be proved wrong. Set in 32 acres of gorgeous Devon countryside, Millbrook Cottages is a fantastic renovation project that has turned a beautiful mill and its outbuildings into four luxury retreats, perfect for romantic couples looking for that uninterruptable escape.

Three cottages, all on a separate floor of the mill, offer charming period features mixed with 21st-century luxury - all have super-comfy beds, flat screen tellies and DVD players (in the sitting room and the bedroom), high-tech kitchens, bathrobes, crisp linen and lovely views across the grounds. The old workings of the mill have been kept as part of the design, and the romantic history of the building certainly hasn’t been lost in its conversion. For five-star luxury though, opt for Millbrook’s Lake View - a big, open-plan apartment, equal in style and luxury to any city penthouse. Wooden floors, chic leather furniture, super power shower, jacuzzi bath, Bose hifi and full-length windows with fab views of the lake. There’s even a Nintendo Wii for some grown-up gaming action! Lake View also has its own little private terrace, with barbecue for long summer evenings eating meat and drinking Pimms. Bliss.

Millbrook Cottages’ grounds are even more stunning than the cottages themselves. A rural idyll within the rural idyll that is North Devon, there are woods, fields and gardens to enjoy, plus three (yes, three) lakes - one for fly fishing, one for coarse fishing and one just to look at. And if all that’s not enough (?!), there’s a hot tub in a log cabin in the woods - reached by a fairy-lit path - for a romantic soak al-fresco.

It’s all a bit perfect actually. And you can stay at Millbrook safe in the knowledge that your money is being pumped back into keeping the place as beautiful as it can be. All the money from the cottages is invested by owners Kate and Bob back into further renovation and conservation - a policy that has already earned them several well-earned conservation awards.

Where is it?

The grounds of Millbrook Cottages sit close to the pretty little village of High Bickington and 5 miles from the well-known riverside village of Umberleigh. Walkers and those simply craving fresh air can leave Millbrook and walk for miles along footpaths and winding country roads. For a lovely day’s walking, follow the widening River Taw downstream from Umberleigh to Barnstaple (about 8 miles in total), before returning by train (that bit takes 10 minutes - quite galling when you’ve spent the day doing the same thing on foot!) on the scenic Tarka railway line.

Umberleigh itself is good for a potter, with its picturesque three-arch bridge over the Taw, higgledy-piggledy antiques emporium (Murch’s Tel: 01769 560522), pubs and the famous Gables Tea Rooms ( www.gablestearooms.co.uk Tel: 01769 560461), serving up delicious Devon cream teas in a colourful, quirky cafe right next to the bridge.

Drive twelve miles from Millbrook Cottages and you’ll arrive in the market town of South Molton, the self-styled ‘Gateway to Exmoor’. Have lunch (or tea - their toasted crumpets, scones and apple pie are amazing) at the brilliant Corn Dolly Tea Shop (Tel: 01769 574249) on East Street before venturing north and immersing yourself in the 267 square miles that makes up one of the UK’s most scenic National Parks - a gorgeous mixture of dramatic moorland and rolling valleys. Walks on Exmoor are mind-bogglingly plentiful, with longer trails such as the 180-mile Tarka Trail, the 36-mile Coleridge Way and the stunning South West Coast Path passing through, and offering lots of doable-in-a-day stretches. For maps and details of some of the best Exmoor walks, log on to the brilliant www.walkingbritain.co.uk).

If walking on its own doesn’t float your boat, Exmoor is also a playground for all things equine - the National Park is home to the famously hardy Exmoor ponies, plus lots of great Riding Stables. Collacott Equestrian Centre ( www.collacott.co.uk Tel: 01769 572725) in Kings Nympton, 11 miles from Millbrook, is a good place to start. An afternoon’s hack is the ideal way to enjoy the countryside made famous in RD Blackmore’s romantic classic, Lorna Doone (a book which, incidently, couldn’t be a better choice for curling up with back at your cottage).

If miles of walking (or riding) really isn’t your thing (or maybe you weren’t quite as fit as your unused Holmes Place membership card led you to believe...), there’s plenty of fantastic places on Exmoor to visit by car. Thirty miles from Millbrook are the twin coastal villages of Lynton and Lynmouth, joined by the quirky, water-powered Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway ( www.cliffrailwaylynton.co.uk Tel: 01598 753486). Lynmouth, at the bottom of the gorge created by the two Lynmouth rivers, is dwarfed by the dramatic backdrop where Exmoor meets the sea. It’s a very pretty place, despite a glut of tourists in the summer, and has a shingle beach that’s great for surfers, baskers and paddlers alike. Further east along the coast is the romantic medieval village of Dunster. With over 200 listed buildings, the village is remarkably well-protected from the scourge of mass-tourism and is a potterer’s paradise. Pretty boutiques, galleries, antique shops and cafes line the main street, that has stayed pretty much unchanged for centuries. But it’s hard to miss Dunster’s main attraction - the fairy tale Dunster Castle ( www.nationaltrust.org.uk Tel: 01643 823004), which sits on a wooded hill overlooking the village and has views and gardens to die for. For the full romantic experience, walk from the castle to Dunster’s West Somerset Railway station ( www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk Tel: 01643 704996) and board a steam train. The trains stop at the long and sandy Blue Anchor Beach just a mile or so from Dunster and the lovely little harbour town of Watchet, before travelling inland, past the Quantock Hills, towards Taunton.

If it’s full-on beach action you’re after, the pretty village of Croyde and its 800m of golden, sheltered beach is only a 40-minute drive from Millbrook Cottages. Known by many surfers as 'The Place of Legends', it’s one of the UK’s most popular surfing destinations. If you fancy having a go, Surf South West ( www.surfsouthwest.co.uk Tel: 01271 890400) offer classes, from 2-hour introductions to full weekend courses.

Where can I eat?

For good pub grub and a pint or two, the ten minute walk into High Bickington will reward you with not one, but two cosy pubs - The Old George (Tel: 01769 560513) and The Golden Lion (Tel: 01769 560213). A little further afield is The Grove Inn ( www.thegroveinn.co.uk Tel: 01769 580406) in Kings Nympton, 11 miles from Millbrook. Named as North Devon’s Best Pub for two years running, it’s a proper country pub, with fantastic ales and ciders and delicious food. Local and seasonal produce are used to create vibrant menus with puddings to die for. Oh, and don’t miss the Sunday lunches - they’re fantastic.

If you’re after something a little more refined, the award-winning restaurant at Northcote Manor ( www.northcotemanor.co.uk Tel: 01769 560501) is in Burrington, 5 miles from Millbrook. Fantastic British-led menus put together by head chef Richie Herkes, feature lots of local produce, some great food and wine matching, and really amazing puddings. Or you could eat at the amazing Weirmarsh Farm (www.weirmarsh-big-barn-devon.co.uk Tel: 01769 560338 ) just outside Umberleigh - a cosy restaurant that serves up fantastic home cooking, all made with the best local ingredients. Set on a lovely farm in the middle of stunning countryside, the restaurant is unsurprisingly popular (and only open at weekends), so should be booked well in advance.

At the other end of the scale, take a trip to Braunton, 16 miles from Millbrook, and Squires Fish Restaurant (Tel: 01271 815533), one of the best fish and chip shops in the country. Multi-award-winning and a favourite of the fish-meister himself, Rick Stein, this colourful 125-seater restaurant sees locals and chippie fans flocking. Simply legendary.

If you’re looking to stock up back at the cottage, or want some hamper-stuffing goodies for an Exmoor picnic, look no further than lovely Ballantyne’s deli in Barnstaple (Tel: 01271 379742).

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If you thought that a weekend in the country meant abandoning all your city luxuries, book one of the lovely Millbrook self-catering Cottages and prepare to be proved wrong.