2 Old Coastguard Cottage
Available to rent year round, this is an exceptional cottage for wonderful holidays and relaxing weekends, which start when you row across this beautiful river to it in the boat provided. Old Coastguard Cottages are situated on the Wembury side of the River Yealm, opposite Newton Ferrers, a pretty sailing and yachting village in South Devon. The cottages are situated only two hundred yards from the National Trust coastal path so there are superb walks from the doorstep, one of which takes you around the cliffs to Wembury, a beach that boasts superb rock pools at low tide and good surf at high tide. From Wembury you can walk through to Plymouth – a good half days hike, but well worth it. Alternatively you can cross the river and walk the coastal path around the clifftops on the old carriageway of the Revelstoke Estate and on to the beaches of Mothecombe and the River Erme, where you can pick your own mussles at low tide. In the evenings, you can enjoy a meal on the terrace overlooking the yachts moored below, or visit one of the three cosy local pubs which are a ten minute row down the creek from the cottages at high tide or a row across the river and a walk at low tide. Wembury too boasts a good eating pub within walking distance.
This cottage featured in the Sunday Times top 100 holiday destinations in 2010 and is recommended in Alistair Sawday's Special Escapes.
Click the link to read Sawday's independent review.
2 Old Coastguards has been extensively renovated in New England style but retains its Coastguard character. The cottage is decorated to a very high standard and sleeps six. Downstairs there are two main reception rooms and the kitchen and utility room. The dining room has views over the estuary and has a door leading to a shared enclosed porch which then opens onto the terrace. The sitting room is panelled and has a stable door leading directly onto the terrace, which when open gives a wonderful view up the creek to Newton and Noss. Both rooms have wood burning stoves so the cottage is cosy even in winter. A log basket full of logs is provided. The kitchen is at the back of the house. An old cream Aga remains in the kitchen but cooking is provided by ceramic hob, electric oven and microwave. There is a built-in 'fridge, toaster, coffee machine, kettle, magimix and dishwasher. The kitchen also has views of the river through the serving hatch to the dining room. Leading from the kitchen is a utility room with sink, a freezer, drying rails and a shower and it has a separate door to the outside to accommodate swimmers coming in from the water in wetsuits. An outside loo will be available in 2012. Access to a washing machine will be provided for those staying two weeks or more.
The terrace at the front of the cottage is large and provides magnificent views of the estuary pool and creeks and up the river to Dartmoor. Dining outdoors is very special.
Upstairs there are three bedrooms, one has a double bed, and the other two have full size twin beds. There is an upstairs loo and washbasin and a separate upstairs bathroom with screened shower over the bath and heated towel rail. There is also the separate shower room downstairs. The views from the front two bedrooms are spectacular; you go to sleep with the twinkling lights of Newton Ferrers reflecting in the water and the sound of the halyards dancing lightly in the wind and wake up to mists lifting off the water as the sun rises above the nearby cliffs. The third room is pretty with a back view to a wooded bank with many primroses in the spring and is exceptionally quiet and ideal for children.
