BLAGDON MANOR

Appealing Devonshire home from home with added gastro flair

AS YOU ARRIVE AT 16th century Blagdon Manor, chances are that two chocolate labbies, Nutmeg and Cassia, will bounce out to greet you. Wagging tails will lead you inside, but pause to take in your appealing surrounds first: fields, hedgerows and sweeping lawns merging into North Devon vistas and Dartmoor.

Within, all is homely but stylish. Original features abound in this rambling Grade II Listed manor house, where heavy oak beams, old slate flagstones and a vast fireplace nudge a nice mix of period and modern pieces. Individual bedrooms benefit from prettily co-ordinated soft furnishings. A snifter before dinner? A glass decanter of Blagdon Manor's sherry awaits.

Chef-patron Steve Morey's award-winning cooking is exceptional, concentrating on seasonal south-west ingredients: free-range chicken and duck, local game, Cornish seafood and West Country cheeses. He also cultivates their own kitchen garden. Home cooking never tasted this good: enjoy seared trout with pea mash, or brandade of salt cod and crab with roasted scallops.

Join the Devonshire set

The Moreys – for whom nothing seems too much trouble – aim to make guests feel as if they’re relaxing in the country hidey-hole of close friends. And it’s well worth a stay here if your best mates fall short of these standards. Spotlessly scrubbed bedrooms are both cosy and freshly colour co-ordinated, with Laura Ashley-style floral bedcovers and cushions. All enjoy garden views.

Join the Devonshire set here and check out the Eden Project or Falmouth’s Maritime Museum, roam Dartmoor and Exmoor, follow bracing coastal paths, and play golf, fish or shoot. Labradors (and other canines) are most welcome at Blagdon Manor, and your four-footed pal will have as much fun as you do, with doggie treats, special bowls and their very own fleecy blanket.


Blagdon Manor was reviewed for Room for Romance by Mike North

Click on any picture to enlarge it and move through the gallery.

Dining in
This light and airy dining room, with its crisp white table cloths and fresh flowers, makes the most of its  rural surroundings with windows all around. Menus change every six weeks to reflect the season but include a medley of North Devon duck dishes, fillet of black bream with a tempura of tiger prawns, sweet chilli and coriander. Finish off with white chocolate and cointreau crème brûlée.

Dining out
You’re way out in the country here but should you fancy driving, the Arundell Arms at Lifton and Lewtrenchard Manor at Lewdown offer great dining.

See & Do
You’re not far from the north Cornish coastline and Padstow – a great place for boat trips, fishing and Cornish pasties – is just an hour away. The amazing Eden Project is also easy to get to and explore. Garden fans should make a beeline for RHS Rosemoor at Great Torrington.

Shop
This place is for country lovers, though historic Exeter is just 40 miles away if you must have a retail shopping fix. Take in the cathedral, river and  some old tudor-style buildings .

After dark
This is a place for early nights – or a game of Monopoly by the in the bar.

Dates

August
Music fans will love Bude’s annual jazz festival.

GETTING THERE

Location
Ashwater, near Beaworthy, Devon EX21 5DF

Parking
There is free guest parking

Trains
Exeter station – 40 miles

Taxis
N/A  – you'll need a car.

Airport
Exeter – 45 minutes

ESSENTIAL INFO

Rates guide
From GBP 125

Open/Closed
Open except New Year, two weeks in January and two weeks in October.

Check-in
2pm

Check-out
10.30am

Minimum night stay?
No

Breakfast
Full breakfast is served until 9.30am

Room service
No

Children
Welcome over the age of 12

Pets
Dogs are welcome, and the 20 acres of grounds lend themselves to walks.

Air conditioning
No

Languages
English

Wedding license?
No

Your contacts
Steve and Liz Morey – owners