Plan Your Visit

to the beautiful Otter Valley

THE PIG-at Combe

A honey-coloured hideaway, 3,500 acres deep in the Otter Valley

Hidden away in Devon's rolling patchwork countryside, THE PIG-at Combe sits on a working estate where the pace was always going to be slower. Elizabethan stone, ancient woodland, an Arabian stud farm next door and views that roll on for miles - but for all its seclusion, this is a brilliant base for exploring.

The Jurassic Coast is eight miles away, Devon's antiques capital is on the doorstep, and one of England's only wild beaver populations lives in the river that gives this whole valley its name.

Here's how we - and a few of our favourite local faces - would spend the time.

Slow mornings, doorstep walks

Trails lead straight from the house into ancient oaks and open plains - a short 3-mile loop or a longer 6-mile wander, whichever the day calls for. Borrow a pair of Barbour wellies from reception and take a stroll onto our own Catshays Farm, where you might spot the Kitchen Garden team feeding our Gloucester Old Spot pigs among the apple orchards and beehives - home to almost a million bees come summer.

Head back to The Folly (quite possibly the only Folly in England where you can also get a spicy margarita) for a flatbread and something cold.

Further out, East Hill offers one of the best views in the area, looking straight out over Sidmouth - just a short drive from the house. And Dumpdon Hill Fort, an Iron Age hillfort on the Blackdown Hills, gives sweeping views across the whole Otter Valley for those who fancy a proper climb.

River, or sea - the choice is yours

The Otter Valley takes its name seriously, and the water here rewards attention in two directions - inland along the river which is worth building a day around, whether that's a wild swim, a walk along the banks, or simply the chance of spotting something you won't see anywhere else in England... Or out towards the coast.

A river with wild beavers

The River Otter that runs through our valley is pretty special - one of the only rivers in England with a wild beaver population, reintroduced after more than 400 years' absence.

Follow the water from Ottery St Mary down through Otterton to the estuary at Budleigh Salterton and you're in with a chance of spotting one at dawn or dusk, alongside kingfishers, trout and the odd curious otter.

Wild swimming at Fluxton Weir

Close to Ottery St Mary, Fluxton Weir is a proper local secret - a natural pool on the River Otter with a rope swing, a gentle flume and willow trees lining the bank. Perfect for a warm afternoon dip, with plenty of grass to dry off on afterwards.

Otterton Mill

Downstream, Otterton Mill has been grinding its own flour since medieval times - one of the country's oldest working businesses. Stop for a proper Devon cream tea (cream first, then jam, as tradition dictates), then wander the farm shop for local produce and their own milled flour to take home.

The coast

Eight miles away, the Jurassic Coast delivers dramatic clifftop walks and quiet coves. Walk from Sidmouth to Beer and drop into hidden beaches along the way, or head to Branscombe for a long sandy beach backed by green valleys and a proper pub - the Masons Arms - waiting at the other end with a roaring fire and good local ale.

Farm shops, or fresh off the boat

This is a part of the country that takes its food seriously, whether it's grown a mile from your table or landed that morning.

Farm shops and local produce

Darts Farm near Topsham has become something of an institution - a huge spread of fresh, local produce and a proper family day out in itself. Millers Farm Shop (run by James & Olivia Miller)in Axminster does an equally good job on a smaller scale, with a fresh fish shed worth the trip alone. Closer to home, Heron Farm & Vineyard in Honiton is a lovely post-walk stop for cake and coffee from produce grown just outside the window, with vineyard tours running through the warmer months for a taste of Devon wine at the source.

Fresh from the sea

Beer's fresh fish hut sells the day's catch straight off the boats pulled up on the beach - about as direct a journey from sea to plate as you'll find anywhere. In Lyme Regis, Tom's does some of the best seafood on this stretch of coast - Lyme Bay scallops, Dorset Blue lobster and a fish board for two worth booking ahead for. And on our own doorstep, The Jack in the Green, fifteen minutes away, has been one of the area's most-loved dining pubs for years, mixing land and sea on the same menu.

Devon rewards the unhurried.

Market towns and antique hunting

A short drive in any direction, and you're somewhere worth pottering

Devon does market towns properly, and this corner of it does them better than most. Antiques, ancient churches, seaside charm and a poet's birthplace - all within easy reach of the house.

Honiton Devon's antiques capital

Devon's antiques capital, and rightly so - a long Georgian High Street lined with antiques centres, independent shops and cafés. Time your visit for Tuesday or Saturday and the market brings the whole street to life with fresh produce, plants and local food stalls. The Allhallows Museum holds one of the world's most significant collections of Honiton lace - the craft that once clothed a queen - and the Thelma Hulbert Gallery offers a changing programme of contemporary art in a lovely Georgian townhouse just off the high street.

Ottery St Mary A poet's hometown, and a river worth lingering by

Birthplace of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who loved the River Otter enough to write a sonnet about it. A pretty town with easy river access, a unique circular weir, and Chris Piper's wine shop for something good to take home.

Sidmouth Regency charm, red cliffs and a donkey or two

A classic Regency seaside town with red cliffs, a genteel esplanade and Jacob's Ladder beach. The Donkey Sanctuary sits in the hills just above - a free-to-visit charity where hundreds of rescued donkeys roam the fields, with a good café for afterwards.

Bridport, over the county line Worth the drive for a proper antiques market

Worth the drive for its antiques markets (last Sunday of the month) and a couple of excellent cafés - Soul Shine in town and Rise down by the waterfront.

For a family day out

Wildwood Devon at Escot combines woodland trails with wildlife enclosures - lynx, wolves and red squirrels among them - plus a maze and adventure playground. Seaton Wetlands offers gentle walking and cycling through marshland with a Discovery Hut for budding birdwatchers, and Bicton Park Botanical Gardens has 64 acres of gardens, glasshouses and a miniature working railway.