Enjoying Home


Home House is a Grade II listed thatched Devon Longhouse in the delightful little village of Combeinteignhead, hidden in a sheltered valley and less than 3 miles from the sea in one direction and the A380 in the other. So while it feels like you are in a rural idyll in the middle of nowhere, it is in fact really accessible. It is one of the few large houses in a village of cottages and was originally a major cider producing farm (in fact, you could even get to sample some of the cider which is still made in an artisan way in the village).

 

The house is situated at right angles to a country lane which means that the windows mostly look only over garden and countryside.


There is an ancient village church (bells only on Sundays and weddings) and there are two historic pubs – one, the Wild Goose (www.thewildgooseinn.co.uk) is a very short stroll away (200 yards) and is a CAMRA award winning traditional 17th century pub with log fires and good food,  often  with musicians on a Friday night. The other, Coombe Cellars (www.coombecellars.co.uk), is a stylishly refurbished old smugglers’ haunt, now a gastropub located right by the River Teign with spectacular views up and down the estuary to Dartmoor and to Shaldon.

 

Further Afield

There is a community owned and run village shop in the next village of Stokeinteignhead (1 mile) which sells lots of local produce – delicious bread and cakes and locally sourced meat and vegetables as well as all the staples and of course, newspapers.  There is a farm shop on the way to Stokeinteignhead which is only open on Saturday mornings but is well worth a look for vegetables, juices and preserves with food miles measured in yards. At the other end of the scale there is a large Sainsbury’s within 2½miles in Newton Abbot, as well as Tesco, Asda and the usual high street shops.

Shaldon is a gem - a quintessential English seaside village just two miles away at the mouth of the Teign with a wide choice of lovely restaurants and pubs.  Very “boaty”, it has a great atmosphere and is a good place to spend a happy day mucking about on the beach, crabbing, getting the ferry to Teignmouth or just enjoying a cappuccino and watching the world go by. It also offers practical facilities such as a post office and a good butcher. As well as the main beach there is Ness beach – reached through a tunnel which legend says is an old smuggling route.
Other beaches locally are at Maidencombe, Watcombe and Oddicombe – and of course the many beaches in bucket’n’spade Torquay, as well as the rather elegant harbour there – from which you can go on mackerel fishing trips or take the “round robin” to Dartmouth which combines a steam train journey, an open topped bus and a boat down the lovely River Dart.  The Riviera Centre has a large indoor swimming pool with flumes and there are outdoor pools in Teignmouth, Kingsteignton and Bovey Tracy.  Golf is available at several courses around Newton Abbot and Torquay.

For the energetic, why not learn to sail or kayak or windsurf while you are here?  There are sea sports schools in Teignmouth and Torquay.  Cycling is delightful in the quiet lanes, giving you a chance to appreciate the countryside at a gentler pace – although the hills will leave you breathless. There are also dedicated mountain bike tracks in a large forest a few miles up the road towards Exeter at Haldon. The walks around Home House are wonderful – there are a huge number of “green lanes” where you can wander for miles without ever walking on tarmac and there are footpaths just behind the house.  The South West Coast Path is only a couple of miles away if you feel like stretching your legs by the sea.

Dartmoor is only 20 minutes away with its wild moorland and beautiful villages and the South Hams towns of Totnes (30 mins) and Dartmouth (45mins) are both definitely worth spending a day in.  There are five National Trust houses within 15 miles of Home House if living in a historic house has inspired you.
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