Wednesday 19 September 2018

TRAVEL: A review of our stay at Green Knowe Cottage in North Devon with Rural Retreats


As the school summer holidays draw to a close, everywhere gets that bit quieter and the sun is still shining (if you're lucky), September is one of our favourite times of year to go away as a family. This year we headed to North Devon to stay at Green Knowe Cottage, which we booked through Rural Retreats. If you're looking for places to stay that are luxurious, have those extra touches and are in stunning locations then Rural Retreats is the website you want to lose hours browsing. We usually head all the way down to Cornwall, but this year fancied discovering somewhere new. North Devon has the benefits of being a lot more accessible (cutting the journey there down from six hours to three), lots of child-friendly attractions and a beautiful contrast of moorland and coastline. 


Green Knowe Cottage is set amongst rolling fields, woodlands and farmland, giving you a real sense of being in the middle of nowhere. This means that on a clear night you absolutely must head outside, it's stargazing heaven. The perfect place to escape everyday life, enjoy some quiet time (or as much as possible with two young children) and soak up the countryside. When we arrived we were greeted to a delicious hamper filled with artisan products and all the essentials we'd need. There was a bottle of wine chilling the fridge, a block of cheese of a local artisan cheese shop, a fresh loaf of bread, beautifully arranged flowers, as well as butter, biscuits, coffee, cereal, milk, tea, sugar, apples, bananas and even carrots for the horses. This is just one of the reasons why I love booking through Rural Retreats; the hampers are always so exciting to discover and I have to say this was the best hamper we've had from a Rural Retreats property to date. I instantly regretted making such a big Tesco order to be delivered that evening!
The cottage comfortably sleeps four people, with a twin bedroom downstairs and a double bed upstairs. I am so excited for the day that Isabella and Poppy can share a room together, but for now Poppy was upstairs with us in a travel cot (that was provided and set up with a little duvet and pillow when we arrived). Downstairs is open plan with a kitchen/living/dining room that leads out onto your private patio area at the back. This is where the views are breathtaking, nothing but fields and trees for miles and the perfect place to relax with a glass of wine and watch the sun set. I only wished it had been a bit warmer, as enjoying breakfast out there would have been such a nice way to start each day. Also downstairs there is a toilet and then the twin bedroom, which had ample storage for clothes and a full length mirror. The kitchen is very well equipped (truly a home away from home), children's plates/bowls/cups are provided and there is even a dishwasher to make holiday life that bit easier. 

Something I'm never sure about when we go away is how much entertainment will be provided, so we often end up packing large board games that take up valuable space in the car. We were pleasantly surprised to find Monopoly, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, two packs of cards, maps, books, leaflets and all the Guinness World Record books you could ever want to read (one of the owner used to work for them, which would be a pretty exciting job if you ask me). Everything you could want to enjoy a cosy night in-front of the wood burner; I was going to say minus the glass of wine, but even that was provided in the fridge.

Up the stairs leads you to a generous sized bathroom (with shower overhead) and double bedroom, again with plenty of clothes storage as well as a tv and dressing table. The wooden beams are a beautiful feature throughout the cottage, as well as the interesting round windows and other quirky features that really tell a story about where the cottage has come from. The beds were all extremely comfortable, so much so Isabella didn't want to return home to her much smaller bed.

It was the ideal location for exploring Exmoor National Park, as well as heading to the coast and to some of North Devon's biggest attractions. During our four night holiday we visited Croyde beach, Westward Ho!, Dunster Castle, The Big Sheep and Tarr Steps, all of which I'd highly recommend if you're visiting the area. Overall we had a lovely holiday, enjoying lots of quality family time, discovering a new area of the country and taking in the stunning surroundings of Green Knowe Cottage. 

If you want to see what we got up to for the whole holiday, as well as a cottage tour then head over to Weekly Vlog #8 on my IGTV.

Have you visited North Devon before?


Feel free to leave a comment - I love reading every single one :)


Helen x

*We received a discount for our stay at Green Knowe Cottage. As always, all opinions are my own and 100% honest.  


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17 comments

  1. The ‘Green Knowe’ books were among my favourites as a child, so I was predisposed to like this place... it looks absolutely gorgeous - I love that there was a bag of carrots to feed the horses! And wine in the fridge too?! This is definitely going on my list for holiday places next summer!

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  2. What a beautiful cottage! I love the fact it looks and feels like a home away from home rather than a holiday lettig, with the cute cushions, comfy furniture and games you could play!

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  3. What a beautiful, homely and inviting cottagge in stayed at, I am loving all the decor in the place and sounds like a lovely visit with the family.

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  4. I love September holidays too, you get a lovely mix of the end of summer sun and cosy autumn nights slipping in. This cottage looks absolutely stunning and a great base to explore the local area. It sounds like every detail has been taken care of and that hamper looks delicious!

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  5. The cottage is so gorgeous, a perfect place I would love to have a vacation in.Looks like you all enjoyed your holiday. Even I would not want to go back home with that bed though xx

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  6. Oh not far from us. I love a cottage holiday and that one looks gorgeous x

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  7. Looks lovely, how lovely is that hamper! I love the idea of getting away and enjoying the quiet. Look is like you had a lovely time

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  8. What a beautiful cottage, it really does look idyllic 💕

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  9. What a modern and fresh looking place this looks to stay. This is exactly what we hope for when we book to stay somewhere. I love the effort and attention to detail that they've gone to. Lovely photos

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  10. What a lovely retreat! It looks so beautiful and clean too! It looks like you had a lovely time x

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  11. What a beautiful cottage. I like the interior decor.

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  12. This looks like a lovely place to stay, love the pops of colour in the decor. x

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  13. Oh wow it looks so beautiful here and what an amazing hamper. I love that there are treats for the horses too. It makes it so much extra special for kids. I have to say, I really want those nap cushions. We're looking for an autumn retreat, I'd love to visit somewhere like here. It looks so family friendly and yet peaceful at the same time. x

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  14. What a beautiful cottage. We have never been to North Devon but is on the list. We love staying in self catering; you have so much more freedom!

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  15. That's a very beautiful cottage. I love the decor and that hamper sounds amazing. It seems like they've thought of everything!

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  16. It looks like a beautiful place to stay - very clean and inviting

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  17. Love all the bright and colourful furniture, looks like a lovely place to stay - we love Devon

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