Per week
from 1245.00 to 4295.00 GBP
Coulscott’s white Georgian manor and original farmhouse peak through the trees in a lovely leafy valley just a mile inland from the North Devon coast but closer inspection reveals an exclusive hamlet of gorgeous holiday cottages with fantastic family facilities. Indoors and out, children and grown-ups alike are spoiled rotten, staying in the lap of luxury and having so many ways to while away the days without leaving the glorious 16 acres of grounds.
There are six properties at Coulscott, comprising Coulscott House, Georgian House, the Old Farmhouse and three cosy cottages created from the old farm buildings. All of them have been designed and furnished to high standards which would be perfectly placed in the pages of country interiors magazines. From magnificent galleried living rooms to sumptuous period elegance, Travertine tiled bathrooms and four poster beds, all the properties provide somewhere special for families, and of course they come with all the baby and toddler essentials as well. Even the family pet is well catered for since all cottages are dog-friendly, each pe is given his/her own welcome pack and there's a 5-acre field within the grounds dediacted to off-lead play.
The home entertainment is bang up to date, including Smart TV’s and unlimited WiFi, plus larger cottages have hot tubs where grown-ups can soothe away the stress with a glass of bubbly, admiring amazing views or gazing at the stars. If parents can’t be bothered to cook, a wide range of frozen ready meals from ‘COOK’ are available to buy from the courtyard freezer, along with delicious local ice cream.
What’s especially great about Coulscott for families are the superb facilities that will keep everyone happy whatever the weather. The lovely indoor pool is kept at a toasty 30 degrees and has great views through big barn windows, with seats around the side to kick back with a book. An adjoining games room includes table tennis and table football, whilst babies and toddlers have their own soft playroom, with a ball pool and giant Liquorice Allsorts.There's also a new communal firepit which is great for toasting marshmallows on come sunset.
There are acres of garden and grounds for children to play hide and seek, have picnics by a stream or build dens in the woods, plus a new outdoor play area includes a wooden pirate ship, 2-storey Wendy House, adventure climbing frame and swings, custom made tractor with a slide, turf labyrinth and a large, netted trampoline.
Children may well meet a peacock strutting around the garden and will be delighted to get acquainted with the Coulscott menagerie of hens and ducks, alpacas, pygmy goats, micro pigs and Matilda the wallaby. Other wildlife are regular visitors to Coulscott, including owls, foxes and badgers who might just make an appearance in the dusky twilight.
Accommodation Overview:
Coulscott comprises 5-bedroom Georgian House, 3-bedroom Old Farmhouse, 2 bedroom Peacock and Aylesbury Cottages and 1-bedroom Bantam Cottage, all set in 16 acres of gardens and grounds with an indoor pool, adventure play area and friendly animals.
Old Farmhouse (sleeps 6 + up to 2 babies in cots), with a 5-star gold award from Visit England, dates right back to medieval times and the authentic character has been preserved whilst being brought luxuriously up to date. An amazing living room is the heart of the house, being open to the first floor rafters and overlooked by a minstrels gallery but also featuring a slate floor with a large Persian rug, an inglenook stone fireplace with a big wood burner, huge comfy sofas, Sky freeview TV with Netflix and a DVD player. The dining room is just around one corner of the living room and the modern kitchen is well equipped and has a central island breakfast bar. Helpfully for elderly relatives, one twin bedroom is on the ground floor with an ensuite shower room and WC. The two other bedrooms are beautifully furnished, including an antique super king-size 4-poster in the master bedroom, which also has an ensuite shower room, and a twin room with wrought iron bedsteads. The Travertine tiled family bathroom includes a bath with an overhead shower. Old Farmhouse opens onto a big, private, paved terrace with outdoor dining table, barbecue and hot tub. A ‘secret’ door links Old Farmhouse to Georgian House which makes these two ideal for a large group of up to 15 people (Old Farmhouse has dining facilities for 15).
Coulscott has a best-of-both-worlds location, being in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the edge of the Exmoor National Park and just a couple of miles from the North Devon Coast. The cottages have a secluded valley all to themselves and are set in 12 acres of enclosed gardens and grounds including woodland, streams and ponds in the owners’ animal enclosures.
Combe Martin, which has England’s longest High Street leading to a sheltered beach, is just over a mile away for all the necessities, including minimarkets, a bakery, Boots pharmacy, the ‘Top Chippy’, family friendly pubs and a choice of places to eat. Tesco and Sainburys in Barnstaple will also both deliver to Coulscott, as will Besshill farm shop (10 mins), which sells home reared meats, local vegetables, fruit, preserves and cheese.
There are plenty of beautiful beaches and coves within easy reach of Coulscott, including nearby Hele Bay, the 3-mile long Saunton Sands, backed by dunes, and the spectacular Woolacombe Bay. Families who love the great outdoors also have the wild beauty of Exmoor only half a mile from Coulscott’s gates. The national park boasts England’s highest sea cliffs and over 700 miles of paths and tracks to explore the heathery moors, wooded ‘coombes’, pretty coves and unspoilt villages like Parracombe, with its traditional country inn, The Fox and Goose. Exmoor also has plenty of wildlife to keep eyes peeled for including wild ponies, red deer and birds of prey.
North Devon has a host of family attractions, starting with Combe Martin Dinosaur and wildlife Park just across the valley. Children can have close encounters with animatronic dinosaurs and ride the Dino Train then see all kinds of animals from lions, primates and wolves to penguins, meerkats and otters. There’s also a 7,500 sq ft indoor soft play centre opening Easter 2015 with slides, tubes, scramble nets, rope bridges, ball pools and more to keep kids busy while parents have time for a coffee. Other favourite family days out include The Big Sheep working farm and adventure park at Abbotsham, The Milky Way amusement park near Bideford, Lynton’s picturesque narrow gauge railway and Watermouth Castle and Theme Park at Ilfracombe. While in Ilfracombe, 11 The Quay is Damian Hirst’s restaurant, with great views, fab fish specialities and of course plenty of original artwork.
Nearest Medical Services: GP in Combe Martin.
Click to enlarge
Check-in time: 16:00
Check-out time: 09:30
Reservation Deposit: 20%
Balance: 35 days prior to arrival
Check-in time: 16:00
Check-out time: 09:30
Reservation Deposit: 20%
Balance: 35 days prior to arrival
2 guests: 10% maximum of 21 nights
Check-in time: 16:00
Check-out time: 09:30
Reservation Deposit: 20%
Balance: 35 days prior to arrival
2 guests: 10% maximum of 21 nights
click to view full-size image
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2 super king size, 1 twin (2 can be a twin or superking) (plus 3 cots) |
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 | Bristol airport is under 2 hours drive. |
| Bristol airport is under 2 hours drive. |
 | Sandy beach less than a 5 minute drive away. |
 | Sandy beach less than a mile away. |
 | The village with its shops, pubs and beach is a 1-2mile walk, along unpaved narrow country lanes in places, so some caution would be needed with little ones and driving might be less stressful. |
 | Indoor shared heated pool. |
 | Soft play barn with ball pit. |
 | Wooden Maria Saplings cot, most are the large folding, 2 are the compact ones ( in our 1 bedroom cottage),standard travel cot is available, high chairs, booster seats, baby bath, bathroom step, some plug sockets protectors, stair gates, plastic plates and cutlery and cups and food blenders. |
 | Netflix, large range of DVDs, books and games. |
 | Pre arrival shopping and COOk meal delivery avaialble on request. |
 | Adventure climbing frame with sandpit, slide and swings, custom made 2 storey Wendy House, custom made large pirate ship with huge sand pit, custom made large tractor with slide, large trampoline, labyrinth cut into our hillside. |
 | Stairgates are provided. |
 | Private garden with BBQ and dining area. |
 | Wi-Fi is available. |
 | Dedicated recycling area, solar panels on the pool, energy efficient bulb, good insulation, own copiced wood provided for the wood burners, wild areas in the grounds, own water from bore hole has no chemicals. |
 | Dogs are welcome at a charge of £30 per dog per week including special welcome pack |
 | Alpacas, mini pigs, pygmy goats, ducks, chickens, peacocks, wallaby and a dog. |
 | Multiple cots and higchairs are available. |
 | Log burner in the lounge. |
 | The Old Farmhouse has a private hot tub. |
Please click the text to scroll through reviews.
We spent a wonderful week for a family holiday with our toddler in The Old Farmhouse at Coulscott House.
Having been recommended by friends, we had high expectations - both for the location and amenities on offer, and we certainly didnt disappoint.
The house was well setup for our needs during the week, with books, games and toys ready for our son to explore.
Only ever so minor bit to draw attention to is that if you are tall (over 6 foot!) you will need to be careful of some of the door frames in the house!
The main draw however is outside the house with the amazing site. Our son adoried the excellent outdoor playground as well as spending each morning out in the paddocks feeding the animals.
There is plenty of family activities in the nearby countryside and towns should you want to venture further afield, equally there is lots to do should you just want to stay put.
Alice and her team were fantastic hosts.
We hope and ...
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Lovely site and we had a super week.We travel a lot and although the cottage was very nice we were expecting perhaps a higher standard when described as luxury.A few little niggles which we didn't worry about but Alice would have dealt with we are sure very promptly.
Parking is very limited.There are electric car chargers which is great however we had an issue accessing these as non electric vehicles blocked access.There were only two electric cars on site and we think the site was not full.Possibly overkill but large signs indicating for electric vehicles chargers would be sensible but I accept because of the limited parking this might be difficult
The children loved the animals and the pool.The hot tub was a lovely facility.. ...
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Great location with plenty to keep our 4 year old occupied when the weather turned. Would definitely go back and recommend.
A characterful and well equipped farmhouse with stunning views across the Combe Martin valley. The children loved the indoor pool, imaginative playground and soft play areas and the adults enjoyed the hot tub! It is a little remote and you do need a car. Woolacombe Beach is a 20 minute drive.
Lovely place for toddlers with loads to do and very helpful staff. Only real downsides were low doorways in the old Farm house and slightly creaky floorboards upstairs when trying to get said toddler to sleep. Would still go back though.
Overall ExperienceChild-FriendlinessLocationHospitality / Welcome
Interiors*Ratings by verified BFB guests who stayed here with young children.
Rated by 3 guests.
