15th Century Grade II Listed Thatched Cottage - With 21st Century Comfort & Amenities

Vale Cottage is a beautiful 550 year old thatched-roof Devon longhouse. It is traditionally built of cob & lime render and is Grade II listed, to recognise and protect its historical significance.

It has just been comprehensively but sympathetically renovated, in keeping with its great age and character. So it now perfectly combines 15th century charm with 21st century comfort and amenities.

Vale Cottage is, primarily, our home and is designed & equipped as such - making it a lot more personal, better equipped and comfortable than your average holiday rental.

There are 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms across 2 floors. It has 1 double bedroom and ensuite shower room, plus family bathroom downstairs. Upstairs it has a Master Bedroom with ensuite bathroom, further generous sized twin room, further Kingsize bedroom with ensuite shower plus additional `Den` with travel cot.

All beds are made up ready for your arrival with high quality linen & towels, which are professionally laundered.

All bedrooms have a 32" smart TV. The Den has a 50" TV with Wii, PlayStation and DVD player.

Downstairs you will find a well equipped kitchen, utility room, dining room and living room.

The kitchen has a range cooker with 5 ring induction hob, separate microwave, dishwasher, kettle, toaster, Nespresso machine & ice cream maker. The large fridge, separate freezer and washer/dryer are in the adjoining utility room.

Both the separate dining room and living rooms have wonderful original oak beams and seat 8 comfortably. Both rooms have cosy underfloor heating, in addition to standard central heating throughout. There is a 50" smart TV in the living room and also a Bose Bluetooth speaker.

Go through the stable door to the private covered courtyard, where there is seating for 8 - Perfect for al fresco relaxing.

There is a bigger garden - which is work in progress right now - which is a nice, peaceful place to absorb the Devon sunshine in the company of the nearby cows, sheep and our resident buzzard. The garden is a short 50 metre walk up the lane: The garden is not attached to the house, but moments away.

There is a BBQ and table & chairs for 8 in the garden plus an outdoor shower.

There is also a private parking area for our cottage. This can comfortably park 3 cars and there is a car port, so you can park undercover if you wish.

The cottage is a 7 minute walk to the centre of the village of Croyde, passing along the way our nearest thatched-roof pub, The Manor (3 minute walk) and the picture-postcard May Cottage Tea Rooms. Croyde Village has 2 further pubs serving food, 3 restaurants, an ice cream parlour, a Post Office and general store, some great clothes shops, a local craft market in the Summer and a small skate part year round.

Croyde is nicknamed Devon`s Mini Maui, as it is famous for its world class surfing beach, which is life guarded most of the year. There are plenty of surf shops to buy or rent equipment and plenty of surf schools if you want to learn.

We fell in love with the combination of surfer chill with olde-worlde thatch and charm.

As well as surfing, both paddle boarding and coasteering are growing in popularity and there are plenty of places that you can learn and take part in both.

Walkers are in for a treat, with direct access to the South West Coast path and never ending sea views when you get up to the top. You can walk to three separate - and all stunning - beaches in half an hour from the door.

For runners, the nearest 5km Park Run is Woolacombe Dunes, which includes an exhilarating 1 mile beside the waves, one of the most beautiful (and toughest) Park Runs in the UK.

If you like cycling, check out the Tarka Trail along the river and to the beaches. There are plenty of places to hire bikes, even electric ones.

Saunton Golf Course is ten minutes away. They offer 2 challenging links courses and welcome guests, with green fees of £130 summer, £80 winter and £65 with a county card.

We love Vale Cottage and this wonderful part of North Devon and hope you will love it too.

About the location

Seven minute walk to the centre of the village, where there are 2 pubs serving food, 3 restaurants, a traditional Devon tea room, a Post Office & general store, some cool clothes shops and plenty of places to hire or buy surfing equipment and arrange lessons. In summer, there is a local craft market and there is a little skate park year round.

The beach is about the same distance again as the village and is life guarded most of the year. Croyde is nicknamed Devon`s Mini Maui, as the surf really is world class.

Three minutes walk to the nearest pub, which serves food to eat in or take home.

The whole are around Vale Cottage is designated as a Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and it is not hard to see why. Abundant wildlife, including our own resident buzzard. The beaches are magnificent and the dunes (known as burrows in Devon) are fascinating.

Great walks from our door, with never ending sea views when you get to the top.

Saunton Golf Club offers two well regarded and quite challenging Links courses and welcomes members.

Barnstaple is a 25 minute drive. It has a pedestrianised high street and a wonderful old covered pannier market. There are also a good choice of supermarkets and all the essential shops and services.

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