Planning your stay

Check in time is after 16.00hrs.  Check out is 10.00hrs. The 6 hours in between guests is when all the maintenance, gardening and cleaning is done and we have a super team that arrives to help us.

We have a 7KW Zappi charger. Guests are to bring their charging cables please.  Payment via BACS direct to the owners. 

To ensure everyone (and every pet) has the same fantastic experience, we do ask that you adhere to a few rules and guidelines: 

Dogs are permitted in the lounge, kitchen and dining room but not upstairs or in the downstairs bedroom. Please could you ensure the gates are closed at the top of the stairs (where fitted). Dog throws are available.

We welcome pets but we also have guests that do not have animals and it is only fair that the bedroom areas are kept pet free. If any further cleaning costs are needed above normal wear and tear this will be applied.

It is essential that dogs are kept on a lead whilst on the grounds because of livestock on the surrounding land.

Please do not leave your dog unattended in any of the properties or the garden as this can lead to distress and potential damage. A dog sitting service is available - Please prebook.

There is an outside tap on the side of the The Stables which you are welcome to use after your walk. Dog towels are available in the cupboards.

Please note that all pets are brought to Great Eckworthy at your own risk. 

Thank you so much for your co-operation. 

This is complimentary and free of charge. If for any reason the service is not available or suffers a drop out, there will be no recompense for the loss of serivce.

Food wrap
Tin foil
Washing up brush, scourer and J cloth
Placemats and coasters
Kitchen towel
BBQ tools
Tea towels
Vacuum, mop, ironing board, iron, clothes airer, rotary dryer in garden
1 pint measuring jug
Bag grips
Baking sheet
Bottle opener
Bread bin and bread knife
Butter dish
Cafetiere
Cake baking tin
Carving knife and fork
Casserole dishes
Chopping boards
Colander
Condiment set
Corkscrew
Crockery
Dinner and side plates
Cereal and pasta bowls
Tea cups and mugs
Cutlery: knives, forks, dessert spoons, serving and tea spoons
Dustpan and brush
Egg cups
Fish slice
Floor mop
2 x Frying pans
Garlic press
Glasses: beer, wine, champagne, tumbler. Indoor glass and outdoor plastic ones
Grater
Gravy boat
Ice cube tray
Kettle
Kitchen scales
Knife sharpener
Ladle
Large fruit dish
Large pasta pot
Meat plate
Milk jug
Nespresso machine
Orange juice squeezer
Oven gloves
Oven roasting tray
Pie dish
Potato masher
Potato peeler
Rolling pin
Salad bowl and servers
Saucepans and lids: small, medium and large
Scales
Scissors
Slotted spoon
Knife block
Sugar basin
Tea caddy
Tea pot and strainer
Tin opener
Toaster
Tray
Water jug
Electric Whisk
Wooden spoon

Bramley: hand soap, shower gel, bath gel and body lotion
Bumboo - Toilet roll (2 per bathroom)
Bumboo - Kitchen roll
Ecover - Toilet cleaner
Smol - Dishwasher tabs
Bin liners: food and general waste
Ecover - General purpose cleaner
Ecover - Washing up liquid
Donielli - Eco laundry strips
BaByliss hairdryer
Dressing gown per person
1 x Bath towels per person
1 x hand towels per person
1 x bathmat
Logs, kindling and fire lighters
Dog bowls, chair throws and bags

These are kept in storage and are readily available should you need one. Please just ask

All our toilet rolls and kitchen towels are from Bumboo. Award winning companies and recommended by Good Housekeeping. We buy in bulk.

All our cleaning products are environmentally friendly. We use Ecover, Bio D and Method products. All the plastic bottles are refilled as and when needed. Our glass ‘Sleep’ diffusers are refilled and the bottles recycled back to Joe at Essence of Hartland. We buy in bulk.

All waste is recycled and composed wherever possible. This is collected and recycled by a local waste management company.

The roads are very quiet here, walking and cycling from the property is easily done– you may pass the occasional tractor or car but not many. There is no public transport at Eckworthy. An Ordinance survey map is provided in all properties. The local parish book published in Oct 2022 containing very detailed information about the village of Buckland Brewer is provided in all properties.

Bird watching here is a lovely way to enjoy the peace and quiet. Pack your binoculars. We see owls, woodpeckers, pheasants, buzzards, wrens, robins, nuthatch, bullfinch, coal tits, mistle thrush, blue tits, long tailed tits, as well as the more common garden birds every day here. RSPB guides are provided in all properties. Red deer live happily around here as well.

All of the toilets are low flush.

Grass is mulched as we cut it to feed the nutrients back into the soil. (After the 1^st cut)

The planting of annuals is very limited here, we prefer to plant perennials. They are much better for the wildlife and water consumption.

We have recently had one of our hedges steeped, this a traditional Devon way of maintaining hedges.

Since moving here we have planted over 35 Beech trees, 24 Portuguese Laurel as hedging and will continue to plant more. Our latest tree is a beautiful Prunus Kanzan which you will see coming down the drive on your left. This is planted in honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and can be found on the Queens Green Canopy website.

There are numerous bird boxes, bird feeders, bat boxes and bee houses dotted about, as well as undisturbed areas for wildlife to live in within the grounds.

No pesticides are used here for any reason.

A washing line is provided for guest use in the guest garden.

There are solar panels here which electric to two of the three properties.

As appliances start to need replacing, they are all being replaced with A and A* rated alternatives.

There are LED low energy bulbs in each property.

There are many blankets for guests to use in each property.

Buckland Brewer has its own small store selling everyday products. Open Mon-Fri 09.00hrs-15.30hrs. Sat 09.00-12.00hrs. Sunday closed.

Woolsery has its newly refurbished village shop selling lots of local produce.

Numerous independent food suppliers at all the local pannier markets. Too many lovely ones to list.

Local food hampers can be ordered to arrive with us from:

Hoof to Block-Lovely hampers of meat. From joints to bar-b que packs. Bradworthy. www.hooftoblock.co.uk Tel 01409 241206.

Devon & Cornwall Fish Company- Bideford. Beautiful fresh fish and seafood. www.onlinefishmonger.co.uk. Tel-07871 616515

Marshford Organic – Northam. Delicious fresh fruit, vegetables and groceries. www.marshford.co.uk Tel 01237 477160

Bradworthy, Holsworthy, Torrington and Bideford are the nearest.

Waitrose is in Holsworthy.

Morrisons is in Bideford.

Tesco is in Bideford.

Sainsbury's is in Barnstaple

These deliver to Great Eckworthy and if you need to arrange a delivery for your stay, we can take the food in for you and put it away.

There is an M & S food hall in Barnstaple.

The mobile P/O van comes to Buckland Brewer Mon, Wed and Thurs 14.30hrs -15.20hrs.

Woolsery and Bradworthy are smaller branches.

Torrington and Bideford are larger branches.

If you have any allergies please do let us know before arrival.

A very detailed current list of what's on locally to Great Eckworthy is emailed out to guests after booking.

Many beautiful beaches, gorgeous villages and ancient woodland walks.

On your door step you have bird watching galore – bring your binoculars because you will need them. All our holiday cottages have bird feeders. Don’t be surprised if you see a pheasant on your windowsill.

We have wonderful dark night skies here at Great Eckworthy. We hope you get a beverage and either watch from the hot tub or simply sit in one of the garden areas with a blanket.

Massage by Hannah - Hannah is a good friend of ours and offers massage treatments during your holiday here. If you would like to book please phone her on 07521 272990.

Powlers Piece woods are just the most beautiful ancient woodland. Go with or without your furry friends. Just 5 mins away.

Trips to Lundy from Bideford run throughout the year. Fabulous for scenery, birdwatching, archaeologists and much more.

If you like antiques, pop into Torrington and browse one of the three that are there. Browns Antiques and Reclamation is a wonderful place to pick up a nice piece in South Molton.

If honey is your thing pop into Quince honey farm and have a guided tour in South Molton.

If your craving a fix in an independent book shop then we can recommend Shane at the Appledore Bookshop. Happily loose yourself for hours.

Twice weekly award winning markets in South Molton selling everything local.

Devon Salvage Fairs. Every 3^rd Sunday. South Molton Pannier Market.

Devon Records office in Barnstaple is the place to go for your genealogy answers. Staff are so helpful and you never know what you will find.

Devon Wildlife Trust manage many areas very near us. There work is incredibly important to restore our natural environment. There are nature reserves, places to view seals and porpoises and marshes. Events are on throughout the year.

If you are a cyclist, then you will want to explore the Tarka Trail. 180 miles of stunning scenery, starting just six miles away.

Barnstaple museum has regular events and exhibitions throughout the year.

Fancy learning Clay pigeon shooting? Roy Peacock near South Molton offers one to one lessons. Tel 07919 576445

Walking out down the lane is heavenly. Almost no cars, just the odd tractor, a public footpath is just a few minutes away. The South West Coast path is very near if you would like to do a section of that. 

You are spoilt for choice if visiting gardens is on your wish list. RHS Rosemoor is on our doorstep. Castle Hill in Torrington, Clovelly Gardens, Hartland Abbey, Arlington Court and Marwood Hill Gardens a bit further and the NGS gardens that open throughout the year.

Buckland Brewer has the beautiful Anglican Church of St Mary and St Bendict and the Methodist Church.

Torrington has the Catholic Church of the Holy Family and Bideford has the Church of the Sacred Heart.

Each of cottages has a small selection of herbs for you to use from a planter in the garden during the summer months.

The parish of Buckland Brewer is a rural one, encircled by fields, woods and moorland. The six miles between Buckland Brewer and the sea make it a year-round, living community, rather than a holiday village. Historically, the economy of the parish was rooted in agriculture. The nineteenth century village, located in the north eastern corner of the parish, was largely self-sufficient, with a range of shops and craftsmen. A map of the village in 1851, showing who is believed to have lived where, has been researched and drawn by villagers and is sold in aid of local projects. There were small settlements towards the south of the parish at Tythecott and Bilsford. The remainder of the inhabitants lived in farms or cottages scattered throughout the parish. Equidistant between the towns of Great Torrington and Bideford, the Buckland Brewer of the past probably had stronger links with Torrington. The current route that most villagers take into Bideford did not exist until 1835.

People have lived in Buckland for over 1000 years. Hembury is thought to have been one of the earliest places of habitation in the parish, with evidence of Saxon settlement. Prior to the Norman Conquest, Buckland was owned by Edmer Ater. The manor of Buckland, containing 42 villains, 5 craftsmen, 3 swineherds and 7 labourers, was given to Robert, Earl of Mortain, by his half-brother, William I. Mortain then owned vast tracts of the country so Ansger Brito held it on his behalf. The value was £7 10/-. In 1086, Galsworthy was a separate, 120 acre, manor worth 10/-, held by Edwi. The ‘Brewer’ part of the name is taken from the Brewer family who acquired part of the manor of Buckland in 1202. By 1544 it was owned by the Rolle family of Stevenstone who remained as the principal landowners for the next three centuries.

Although not mentioned in the Domesday Book, a local manor house was Orleigh Court. This was granted to the Dennis family by Tavistock Abbey in 1198. When the male line died out, in 1684, the manor was sold to John Davie, of Bideford. The Davie family became significant land owners in the area, acquiring property from Lord Rolle. In the nineteenth century, the manor was let to the Spekes; the eldest son, John Hanning Speke, being famous for discovering the source of the Nile. In 1869, the Rogers family came to Orleigh. William Rogers wrote a history of Buckland Brewer in 1938. This has now been reprinted and is sold by the History Group.

In the mid seventeenth century, it is likely that less than 300 people lived in Buckland Brewer. Along with the rest of the country, the number of inhabitants rose steadily during the early decades of the nineteenth century, reaching a peak in the 1840s. This was followed by a steady decline. The 1108 people recorded in the census of 1841 had fallen to less than half that number (526) by 1931. Initially this was due, in part, to waves of emigration from rural North Devon in the mid-nineteenth century. In the first half of the twentieth century, lack of employment opportunities saw people leave Buckland Brewer for lives in the towns. More recently, car ownership, enabling villagers to commute and an influx of retired people has led to another upward trend.

For over a hundred years, there were six places of worship in Buckland Brewer. The Anglican Church of St. Mary and St. Benedict, stands on one of the highest points of the parish. The top of the tower is more than 600 feet above sea level and can been seen from several miles away. The church is believed to have been Norman in origin. After several disasters and renovations, only the south door remains from this period. The church was struck by lightning in 1399 and reputedly reduced to ashes. It was struck again in 1769, causing considerable damage. Lack of funds meant that the eighteenth century rebuild was of poor quality. Most of the current church dates from the extensive renovations of 1877, which were commissioned after yet another storm rendered the tower unsafe. The church bells were cast by local bell founder, John Taylor. The neighbouring parishes of Bulkworthy and East Putford were once chapelries of Buckland Brewer. The first known vicar was Sir Walter de Denetone, who was inducted in 1279. Today, the church is part of the Hartland Coast Mission Community.

Methodism arrived in Buckland Brewer in 1808, when Mr Sleep preached in the Club Room of the Bell Inn, owned by Mr Daniels. Initially, Wesleyan Methodist services were held in the home of Robert and Alice Curtis. In 1827, a Mr and Mrs Curtis gave a cottage on their farm for use as a Methodist Chapel and Sunday School. Robert died in 1818 so this may have been one of his sons. By 1842, it was necessary to extend this chapel. The building later became the Village Shop (now closed).

In 1815, William O’Bryan and James Thorne, founders of the Bible Christian Church, a Methodist offshoot, preached at Tythecott and dined at Holwell Farm, the Buckland Brewer home of the Reed family. James Thorne later married Catherine Reed. Four years later, William Reed and Samuel Thorne were arrested for preaching on the Village Green during the Village Revels. The Bible Christians also began meeting in private homes.

The Bible Christian ‘Salem’ Chapel opened at Thornhillhead in 1830, complete with Sunday School and graveyard. The gravestones have been recorded and photographed. The building is still open as a Methodist Church. This served the south of the parish but although Anglicans and Wesleyans were catered for, there was still no Bible Christian place of worship in the centre of the village. In 1832, a licence was granted for Bible Christians to preach in the home of John Hancock, a labourer. This house is likely to have been in a row of cottages known as New Buildings or Smale’s Cottages.

The Baptists too could worship in Buckland Brewer. In 1840, Robert Heal granted land at Eckworthy for use as a Baptist Chapel, in return for a peppercorn rent of 4d a year. The first pastor was John Richards, formerly a town missionary in Barnstaple but later a grocer at Tythecott. Records state that Zion Baptist Chapel was erected in 1847, so it seems that either it took seven years to build, or the original chapel was quickly rebuilt. This chapel is now closed, although the graveyard remains. The gravestones have been recorded and photographed.

In 1842, another Bible Christian Chapel was opened, at Cannapark, Twitchen. This building closed in 1966 and is now derelict. Finally, the village got its own Bible Christian Chapel when a local stable, next to the Wesleyan Chapel, was converted in 1854. Three years later the Bible Christians purchased Ash House, which adjoined their existing former stable, from Ann Clarke and John Eddy. This became the Providence Bible Christian Chapel. The building fell into disrepair in 1900 and was rebuilt on the same site. Reverend Thomas Braund preached at the opening ceremony in 1903. The Bible Christians became part of the United Methodists in 1907.

During the First World War, instead of worshipping separately in their adjoining chapels, the United and Wesleyan Methodists shared services. This predated similar unions elsewhere and Buckland Brewer was held up as an example. This is reflected in the close association between the Anglicans and the Methodists who share services in the village today.

The formal union between the United Methodists (which now included the Bible Christians) and their Primitive and Wesleyan counterparts took place in 1932, creating the Methodist Church body of today. Between 1932 and 1939 all services were held in what is the current Methodist Church. The former Wesleyan Chapel was used for Sunday School and evening activities until it was sold in 1939 and converted into a shop. It is now a private dwelling.

The war memorial on the village green commemorates the villagers who fell in the First and Second World Wars. A presentation about their lives has been compiled and the biographies of all those from Buckland Brewer who served in the First World War are being researched.

For a multi generational holiday we meet the criteria for the Visit England One Step Ahead award downstairs in The Barn.