Peaceful Devon

Did you know that the Tamar River is part of the boundary between Devon and Cornwall?

And on the Devon side, Hotel Endsleigh overlooks the Tamar River.

Mum decided it might be a good idea to break up the long journey to Cornwall and stay at the hotel, which we had heard so much about.

As the taxi pulled into the driveway into 108 acres of garden, we didn’t quite expect to see this grand pile at the end of it!

Everything about the inside was just rustic cosy …

We were told that each of the 19 rooms is individually designed.

Our room looked out to the front of the hotel.

After settling in and a nice cup of tea, we went to check out the more formal gardens immediately around the house – while the sun was still out.

There was a picturesque dell with little bridges crossing the streams.

Later that evening we walked out again to watch the sunset and just felt so pleased to have found another place we loved visiting.

Dogs are not allowed to dine in The Restaurant which was located in the original dining room featuring beautiful wood-panelling and crests of the friends of the Duke of Bedford. But we could dine in the library or in any of the other rooms.

We loved our spot in the library. It was cosy with a wood burning fire and had Afternoon Tea, dinner and breakfast there.

The wood fires made the place so cosy.

The next day, Fiona and Missy met us at Endsleigh for lunch before we headed off for our next Cornwall visit.

May’s comment: Once the country retreat for the Duke and Duchess of Bedford, the house was designed as a picturesque “cottage orné” – a modest and rustic retreat in contrast to the family’s main residence at Woburn Abbey.

Endsleigh is set in 100 acres of fairy tale garden, woodlands, follies and grottos created by landscape designer, Humphry Repton.

The hotel has 19 rooms, individually designed with uncluttered elegance. The furniture is a mixture of old and new, with some unusual pieces.

And because it was once a hunting and fishing lodge, they are open to all dogs. And all rooms are dog friendly. There is a daily charge of £25.

This makes an ideal stopover on our way to Cornwall to break up the long train or car journey. This way we can rest, take in the lovely acres of grounds before we crossed the river over to the other side.

Hotel Endsleigh is part of the Polizzi Collection of hotels. We will be visiting Hotel Tresanton when we are at St. Mawes and hopefully get to stay at The Star in Alfriston sometime soon.

As with all our recent getaways, I had originally planned this with Darcy. And so we lit a candle for her in each of the places.