Neil Clark

A perfect haven of peace in north Devon

We needed a break. We found one

You’ll think you’ve gone to heaven: Lynmouth pier [Getty Images/Shutterstock/iStock/Alamy] 
issue 22 February 2014

It was late September. My wife and I were feeling overworked and overstressed — our mental states not helped by the fact that we hadn’t managed to get away for a proper summer holiday. We couldn’t face the prospect of middle-of-the-night flights or airport queues, so we looked for somewhere in the UK where we could drive to.

We hit upon Wheel Farm cottages near Combe Martin in rural north Devon.

The journey there was an adventure in itself, taking us over seven hours from our Oxfordshire home. The A39 coastal road was closed at one point, meaning a long detour along single track roads on Exmoor in the dark. We got to Wheel Farm at 11 o’clock at night but were already feeling more cheerful than when we’d set out. And it was a case of love at first sight when we opened the door of Mill Farm cottage.

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