Five reasons to visit Devon

I’ve just come back from a lovely weekend in Kilkhampton, Devon, which is about a 20 minute drive from Bude in Cornwall. I’ve written a review about what a group of 14 bloggers get up to over on my lifestyle blog, WitWitWoo (clue: it involves a hot tub), but I thought it might be useful to talk about 5 reasons you should visit Devon:

• The countryside

Being a Kent girl, I am never too far away from the countryside, but whenever I travel I am always surprised by just how different the countryside is elsewhere in the UK. For example, I’ve been to Cornwall and Yorkshire for the first time this year and was surprised at how very different they were to each other. Of course, the different types of weather come into play because sunshine just makes everything pretty! But Devon has its own style. Rolling hills dotted with small towns. Cliffs, sandy shores and beaches to die for. And Dartmoor, the largest open space in southern England, is a massive windswept moor that is utterly unique.

• Accommodation

I was lucky enough to stay in a converted barn near Bradworthy, courtesy of holidaycottages.co.uk.  Holidaying like this is much more cost-effective if there is a big group of you going as some cottages are massive (for example, ours slept 14,) so bear that in mind and invite all your friends! Having said that, there was a small cottage next door to where we stayed that slept six which was much more homely, more cottagey, so I would imagine there is a style of accommodation to suit everyone across the county. Imagine staying in a cottage right by the sea .. that’s next on my bucket list!

The food

We experienced a lot of food in a short space of time and all I can say is wow! From the Devonshire sausages from John’s Deli that we had for breakfast, to the clotted cream we had with our scones, it was honestly some of the best food that I have ever eaten. The only restaurant pub we had time to visit, was the Bradworthy Inn. I ate Thai fishcakes, sirloin steak with all the trimmings and then finished off with a home-made lemon cheesecake to die for!

For the record, I ate my scone completely the wrong way for someone visiting Devon, with jam on the bottom and cream on the top, so I’m sorry about that Devon. But I just think the cream should be seen as a topping that’s all. Am I right? Either way, Scones? Good. Jam? Good. Clotted cream? GOOD!

• The Friendliness

What struck me when we visited the pub was that people actually talked to us! We were clearly out-of-towners, so I was surprised that everyone was so friendly, especially when I often travel to London where nobody looks at you, let alone talks to you. There was just an air of everyone being laid back, smiley and friendly. I guess living in Devon is such a different way of life it’s no wonder it has such a positive effect on everyone.

 

There was probably only one thing I didn’t like about my trip to Devon and that was the mobile phone reception. Be prepared to have to travel to the top of the mountain and stand on one leg to connect to O2. Or just rent a cottage that has Wi-Fi!

There are infinitely more than 5 reasons to visit Devon and I’ll definitely be back.