West Devon

While much of Devon pulls visitors toward its coastline, West Devon sits inland, shaped instead by the high ground of Dartmoor and the farmland that rolls away from its edges. This is a quieter corner of the county, made up of small towns and scattered villages rather than seaside resorts, and it has a different rhythm because of it. Stone walls, wooded valleys and open moor define the landscape more than sand and surf, and that difference is really the point of coming here.

We list 81 self-catering cottages across West Devon, and they reflect the spread-out nature of the area. Rather than clustering in one town, places like Acorn Leaf Cottage, Barwick and Bolland Barn are dotted through the countryside and its villages, giving you a genuine base in rural Devon rather than a holiday-let strip. Others, such as 6 Mill Road, sit closer to village centres, useful if you want shops and a pub within easy reach. Converted barns feature heavily too, with Bluebell Barn among them, offering the kind of thick-walled, characterful stays that suit this landscape.

Days here tend to be shaped by the moor. Dartmoor's northern and western fringes are within reach of many of these cottages, making it easy to head out for walks over open moorland, along tors, or through the wooded river valleys that cut into the high ground. It's a landscape for slower pursuits, walking, cycling the quieter lanes, or simply sitting outside a cottage like Beech Cottage or Annie's Cottage with the hills in view.

Villages and small towns provide the practical side of a stay, with local pubs and shops filling in the gaps between longer days out. Cottages such as Bumblebee Cottage put you within striking distance of these amenities without losing the sense of remoteness that draws people to this part of Devon in the first place.

Eating out tends to mean the village pub rather than a restaurant scene, and that suits the pace of a West Devon break well. A meal after a day on the moor, a pint by a fire in cooler months, or a garden table in summer are the norm here, in keeping with an area that trades bustle for space and quiet.