Rural farm vacations in Devon

Smack bang in the center of Devon, a stay at the farm opens the door to all of the southwest’s attractions, from dramatic Dartmoor to the stunning southwest coast. You can wear out the kids while biking or hiking the Tarka Trail, try some sea kayaking or even learn to surf. If you’re looking for more family options, local favourite The BIG Sheep offers fun days of sheep racing and animal petting. On wet weather days you can drive (or buy a bus ticket) to Exeter and explore city’s cafes and cathedral, bravely dash from pub to pub along the Tarka Line Rail Ale Trail, or try your hand at wood turning in the farm barn.

Why not combine your countryside accommodation with a week-long electric bike cycling vacation in Devon? England’s southwest is well known for its scenic landscapes but, if strenuously steep climbs are keeping you off the saddle, you may find the solution in an e-bike. Not just for the novice or more senior cyclist, a power-assisted ‘pedelec’ (a pedal bike with a small motor) will get you moving on those hills and keep you on track if you start to tire on the way home. You’ll breeze through North Devon’s UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, taking in miles of dunes and rural roads, stopping only for scones heaped high with clotted cream, or to wash down a long day’s pedalling with a pint of local cider.

As well as your accommodation at the farm, your vacation includes the hire of an electric bike and all necessary safety equipment, a full orientation, rescue back up (should anything happen to put a spoke in the wheels) and, course, all your route notes and maps, carefully researched with plenty of local tips from your in-the-know hosts. Electric bike cycling vacations are available from April to mid-July and from September through to mid-October, outside the peak season when the country roads are busiest – so you can enjoy a quieter ride.

“[We loved] the beauty and peace of the environment, the meadow we looked out on, and the challenging cycling up and down steep Devon Hills. The hired electric bikes were very important for exploring the lovely countryside for us 70-plus year olds!” – Hilary Mayne on an electric bike cycling vacation in Devon

If you haven’t already gathered, this is green living at its finest. The farm has garnered many awards for its low carbon vacations and eco accommodation, from England’s top award for sustainable tourism in 2015 to ‘gold’ level approval from the Devon Wildlife Trust.

Fear not, it’s not all tofu and drop loos here; the farm prides itself on being “for everyone and every shade of green”. If you’re new to the notion of an eco-friendly getaway, know you’ll still enjoy the same comfort and normality of a regular vacation, but one more beneficial to both the environment and you. Energy efficient lodges are well-insulated for winter and a farm free of heavy machinery means fewer hazards for little hands and feet, whereas conservation projects keep fields full of butterflies and wildflowers, with bats and barn owls roosting in the grounds.