South Devon is one of the most beautiful and unspoilt areas of Britain. With its gentle year-round climate and pretty estuaries, dramatic coastline, beautiful beaches, historic villages and great food and drink producers, this area has much to offer visitors.

Dittiscombe Holiday Cottages is an ideal base from which discover its secrets. Here is just a small selection of places to visit and things to do which we hope will appeal to all types of visitor, whether here for a summer holiday, a spring visit, or an autumn or winter short break.

Superb Walks from the doorstep, you don't even have to take the car............

Beaches
South Hams boasts many of the finest and most unspoilt beaches in the country. For families there is great choice: sheltered coves and fine sand at Mill Bay or Hope Cove, or the sweeping, safe beach with the award-winning Venus Cafe at Blackpool Sands; rock-pooling at Thurlestone; surfing on the magnificent beach at Bantham; and for visitors with dogs there are many beaches to explore all year round at Slapton, Torcross and Beesands, East Prawle, Rickham Sands and many more.

Villages and Towns
Slapton Village saw plenty of action in the Second World War with D-day landing practices around Start Bay, and an old Sherman tank stands as a memorial to those who lost their lives. The village is now more tranquil and boasts two excellent pubs with varied menus, open to families and welcoming to dogs and their owners.

The Slapton Ley Field Study Centre is based here too and they are thecustodians of the freshwater lake which is protected from the sea by a shingle barwhich divides it from the sea. This is a great bird-watching area, and the Field Study Centre offer coastal walks, bat and badger days, guided tours and nature safaris in and around the area.

The thriving and bustling market towns of Kingsbridge and Totnes are well worth a visit, and the coastal and estuary towns of Dartmouth and Salcombe with their colourful shops and gentle waterways make for a relaxing day by the water.

Food & Drink - Buy Local, Eat Local
Over the last few years there has been a great swell of interest in locally produced and organic food, and here in South Devon we have an abundance of excellent food producers and chefs. There are brochures in the cottages which guests can use to find the best sources of local food. Very local to us and an ideal place to pick up supplies is at Stokeley Farm Shop at Stokenham. Local apple juice and cider, meat and fish, and fruit, cheese, smoked and dairy foods are just a few tasty examples.

Fresh fish and shellfish are a speciality of this area and Britannia Shellfish have a shop at Beesands. And a visit to the Riverford Field Kitchen a guided tour of the organic farm ends in a delicious lunch; or why not have a selection of great food delivered to your cottage door by the Local Food Company.

Many of the pubs and restaurants use locally produced ingredients and more information can be found on the lovetheflavour website.

National Trust
An exciting new addition to the National Trust portfolio is Agatha Christie’s house and garden at Greenway on the River Dart. As parking is limited visitors are encouraged to take the ‘green way’ to the house by using the ferry service which runs either from Dittisham on the banks of the river or from Totnes using the Greenway Ferry Service. Other historic houses such as Colyton Fishacre, Saltram House & Gardens and Overbecks are within an hour’s drive.