Swallows Retreat

Walk through the entrance and the whole layout opens before you. Swallows Retreat is a converted barn where everything happens on one floor—a living space that flows from sitting area to dining to kitchen, then out through French doors onto a decked garden. Two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, mean no queuing in the morning. One has a kingsize bed, the other two singles that zip together; both have televisions. The kitchen is properly equipped for cooking, with an electric cooker, dishwasher and all the basics. Heating, electricity, bed linen, towels and wifi are all sorted.

You're staying on a 260-acre working cattle and sheep farm on the Hartland Peninsula, in the heart of Devon's Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The enclosed garden has a decked area and a barbecue. You can walk directly from the property onto circular coastal routes; the coastal path itself is about 3 miles away. Hartland village, 3 miles south, has shops and pubs. Bude (13 miles) offers more variety and seafood restaurants. Bideford, 16 miles east, is the bigger town with a market, boat trips to Lundy Island and waterfront restaurants. The beaches and coves along this stretch of coast pull in walkers, swimmers, surfers and cyclists year-round. No smoking inside, please.