Knowing special when we see it: An inspection at Willows Rest in Devon

It was a cold and miserable February day when I visited Willows Rest in south Devon. The sort of day that begins to get dark just after lunchtime and nurtures a general feeling of gloom. But a deep dive down a hidden lane to a gorgeous 300-year-old farmhouse proved to be the perfect pick-me-up, banishing my winter-fuelled blues. The house, barn and cottage sat around a charming courtyard with a touch of the dreamy Dordogne, minus angry French farmer. The feel of the place was unfussy, sedate and soothing. It was just the right aura for family holidays which, given the wrong setting, can sometimes be more stressful than staying at home.  

Softly spoken Raymond, the owner, gave me an unrushed cup of tea, then we set off to see the barn and cottage. Raymond was effusive on how squeaky green the place was, with ground source heating and 120 solar panels, which can even charge your car. He’d put a lot of focus into making it family friendly too, with cots, stair gates, highchairs and so on. What struck me was there wasn’t a whiff of compromise in the aesthetics – a clever feat. Cunningly too, the barn and cottage face away from the main house so you wouldn’t feel overlooked or hemmed in.  

Raymond and Emily, escapees from London along with their young children, had set out to create a space which was sustainable, truly child friendly, and beautiful. I’ve seen a lot of people try and many fail, but I could see instantly that they’d nailed it, from the little details to showing a true understanding of what family groups need on holiday. 

The upstairs living space in the barn felt roomy and alluring, conjuring up images of convivial evenings cooking, reading, watching films, playing games, lighting the wood burner and generally having enough space to ensure you don’t bump into one another. The extra sitting room could house the incorrigible sport watchers, or anyone who wanted to watch a film undisturbed. Next door, the extra little cottage for two is an even quieter spot and equally pretty with its own cosy sitting room and kitchen, the idea being that you’d come together in the barn for meals, if you chose to. I decided that would be the spot I’d claim in the post-arrival bedroom rush. 

Everybody has their own list of the truly important things when it comes to a family holiday. For me, it’s pans big enough for the amount of people the place sleeps, sharp knives, feather duvets and pillows, good lighting, thickly lined curtains and interesting original art. That’s not to say that I won’t stay in, or invite into Sawday’s, any place that doesn’t tick all those boxes, but it’s a sort of personal litmus test that helps me work out if a place has been well thought through. 

As it happens, Willows Rest does ticks all those important (to me) boxes and manages to be truly toothsome at the same time – everything my eye landed on was comely, restful and made me feel happy. Nothing jarred. Tick, tick and triple tick. But there was more, far more than the essentials, and that’s what makes a great Sawday’s place.  

Hidden in the grounds is a magical indoor heated swimming pool – big enough for sedate laps or for older children to play in all day. I imagined tired parents, happy to leave their eager splashers safely, nipping off to the cedar hot tub for a soak, or to the courtyard treatment rooms for a massage, then lighting the firepit and barbecue, opening a bottle of wine and feeling very happy to be on holiday. Smaller children would be happy in the wooden game area, the gardens are festooned with fairy lights and when the sun disappears, those in search of solitude would find a hammock for stargazing, or maybe everyone would tell stories round the firepit with a marshmallow or seven.  

For me, family holidays by the sea demand picnics and I was delighted to note some beach stuff in the kitchen, because there’s always something you’ve forgotten or couldn’t fit in the car. Raymond recommended Ben’s Farm Shop in Totnes for supplies and could have listed sandy bays in the South Hams all day: Bantham (ahead of you gentle surf, behind you fields of cows), Bigbury (best for building sand castles), and Sunny Cove which is just the other side of the estuary from Salcombe and with a fresh water stream for paddling.  

After all that sun and sand, you don’t always feel like cooking, even in such a dazzlingly well-oiled kitchen. You’re meant to be on holiday, after all. Here, Willows Rest scored highly again. The local pub is less than a mile away, so you can easily stumble to good pub food or simply a pint of the local ale and a packet of crisps. Raymond picked out The Maltsters in Tuckenhay and The Ferry Boat Inn in Dittisham, both excellent foodie pubs, or the sizzling fish and chips from Start Bay Inn – always tastier when blisteringly hot and eaten outdoors with your fingers. 

It’s important to consider exactly who would love a place when we welcome it onto Sawday’s and I struggled with Willows Rest, because I couldn’t think of anyone who wouldn’t! It sits happily between trendy Totnes and bustling Kingsbridge, both with independent shops, tempting delis, markets and some interesting restaurants, including Taguchi-Ya in Totnes for Japanese food – and a takeaway service. Committed hikers can head for stunning cliff walks or to rugged Dartmoor, bonkers cyclists who like bombing would be happy there too. Gentle strolls can be had along some footpaths from the door, and Raymond or Emily – keen walkers who know their patch well – will happily help you find something for your energy level. There are boat trips, crabbing from harbour walls, vineyards to raid for great English wines, even otter sanctuary and a rare breeds farm.  

There’s so much to do, on so many different types of holiday, that you may want to stay longer or come back sooner, but even with all that exciting stuff I can’t think of a lovelier place to come home to than Willows Rest. Tired children in bed, a last silent swim, a stargaze in the hammock, perhaps a sundowner by the firepit under fairy lights and the chance to do it all again tomorrow. There’s something timeless and reassuring about English seaside holidays and anybody with a soul would be content here, even if the weather isn’t playing ball. I certainly was, and I only stayed for a few precious hours. 

 

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