Clare & Skirr Cottage stands proud in the North Devon valley, where there is so much to see and do. For walkers there is the fantastic South West Coast Path just a few minutes away. For cyclists the Tarka Trail. Clovelly, Lynmouth and other quaint coastal villages are all close by. For the golfer’s there are two high quality courses nearby, Saunton Golf Club & Willingcott Valley. Some of the best surfing beaches the UK has to offer are within a short drive, with miles of golden sand and blue flag water quality at Woolacombe, Putsborough, Saunton and Croyde Bay. The market town Barnstaple is a short journey away with all the shops required for retail therapy and up-market restaurants. Braunton is approximately two miles away and has a good range of shops, pubs and restaurants.
Built at the turn of the last century, this conversion of two cottages into one, is a spacious period property set on land in the heart of rural Devonshire countryside - making it the perfect ‘get-away from it all’. Enjoy the pleasures of Georgeham & nearby Croyde from this secluded and peaceful vantage point.
This large house on a split level in a quiet county avenue has vast amounts of space, be it the double bedrooms, the huge lounge or the expansive outside entertainment area and lawn. Parking is available for two cars.
As you enter Clare & Skirr you are met with an immediate sense history and of being home in the country - So much so that Henry Williamson wrote the famous literary work “Tarka the Otter” in this very home.
As you enter and to the left is a large separate dining room with flagstone flooring, a wood burner, counter space and a large refrigerator with ‘medium’ freezer space. Enjoy conversation over a glass of wine, while your loved ones prepare your favourite treat and accompanied by a roaring log fire. (Logs supplied.)
From here there is easy access into the authentic-looking country kitchen, which runs along the entire back length of the house. The kitchen caters well for all your cooking, cleaning and entertainment needs. It is fitted with an additional wine fridge, oven, cooker and microwave. There is also a separate scullery with access to other areas of the home.
To the right of the entrance is a large lounge, easily seating 6/8 in comfortable sofas. On those colder nights there is a feature wood burner, waiting for you to sit back and enjoy a tipple of port, while watching your favourite movie on the TV provided - or on DVD - or alternatively, play games on the console. A small selection of games and DVD's are also available.
Upstairs and with access from both the entrance and the dining area, is the large master bedroom, where you can regale like a king in the period double bed. Down the passage there is a further bedroom with a further double bed and additionally, there is a single bed in an alcove at the top of the stairs. Light flows through cottage panes into all the bedrooms and with views over rural Georgeham.
Interspersed with the bedrooms is a family bathroom, which has a bath with shower attachment, W/C and basin. A further bathroom with W/C and basin is available on the ground floor. There is also a heated outdoor shower.
Outside there is a large lawned area with beautiful trees and shrubbery and overlooks the neighbouring chapel. There is a babbling brook just outside the lawned area, which adds to the feeling of rural tranquillity. (Parents with young children should be warned that access to the stream is NOT fenced off.)
Clare & Skirr Cottage is situated in the very heart of North Devon’s Gold Coast in the delightful village of Georgeham.
Nestling just above and a short walk away from the world famous surf resort of Croyde, Georgeham benefits from being close enough to experience the bustling Croyde life, but far enough away for you to enjoy a totally tranquil break.
Whether you want to enjoy the beaches of Croyde, Putsborough or Woolacombe or the surrounding stunning countryside, Clare & Skirr Cottage is your perfect base.
Our priority is to make sure you have a fantastic stay and leave with some wonderful memories.
Relax, enjoy and recharge your soul with a stay at historic Clare & Skirr cottage.
A NOTE FROM THE OWNER:
"The journey has seemed endless even without road works and heavy traffic; the children have been restless; and above all you can still feel the tension you thought you had left behind you at work. Finally come the narrow Devon lanes and an irritable discussion about which turning to take where the sign post is ambiguous.
And then you’re there, round the last bend: it must be here on the right. You open the car doors and the children tumble out and immediately find the stream splashing past at their feet. Just for a moment you can be still and the whole journey seems to dissolve away from you, a deep breath and your lungs and mind are filled with something not quickly definable: ancient stone walls, damp earth and air that is clear. There in front of you is the cottage, quite perfect just as a cottage should be and above you is the dark shape of the church among the trees.
For me this was truly a really significant moment because this is not just any cottage in Devon. For me this is one of the cottages. This is the cottage where Henry Williamson came after the First World War. He did not arrive with the tensions of the office buzzing in head, just the trauma of front line war at its most bloody. Few men who had had such experiences came quickly to terms with them and Williamson was no exception. Here was an escape and for a few shillings a week he rented this place.
He wrote. Perhaps the seeds of Tarka the Otter were sown here in Skirr cottage, although a cottage up the lane indicates that Tarka was written there. For me the important thing is that Williamson did begin to write and his writing was to influence me so powerfully. Casually looking through the university library in Exeter I stumbled upon a novel by Williamson. I already knew some of his nature writing and his grasp of Devon countryside and people, but the novel revealed a view of domestic English life that had close parallels with my own; and his First War descriptions are at the very top of the genre for understanding the horrors and pain. It is because of Williamson that I was set on the trail of my Grandfather killed somewhere near Arras in France.
You have unpacked the car, had the cup of tea, the children have explored the building, argued about where they will sleep, settled and fallen asleep to dream of owls in the trees and the prospect of wonderful beaches, rock pools and acres of sand and tumbling waves. You sit before the crackling wood fire, unable to drag yourselves away from it or the table. Perhaps you too dream of rock pools and cliff walks for tomorrow. Finally you ascend those ancient stairs where the sky is an unbelievable deep blue at the window; so perfect you resist closing the curtains and lie there listening to the soft murmur of trees and the rough call of an owl.".
E & OE |
