Idle Hours Cottage

Idle Hours is a charming, down to earth stone cottage with sea views, a short walk from the historic fishing village of Clovelly. Well located, close to amusement and parks plus surfing beaches and stunning historical locations. The refurbished kitchen, with its cast iron range, looks onto the garden with a view of Lundy. A lounge with stone inglenook fireplace and wood burner (smokeless fuel only). Upstairs there are two double bedrooms, a further one with bunk beds and the skylit bathroom. The main Bedroom has a double bed (plus fold away cot) and rear garden view. The front facing mid size Bedroom has a slim fold-out double bed. The small bedroom, also front facing, has a bunk bed. The bathroom with its cast iron bath has a new skylight, fitted shower and natural cork floor. Hot water is provided by a small immersion tank ( half an hour reheat) and heating via 4 electric storage heaters. The kitchen come dining room has been sensitively modernised with reclaimed parquet flooring, recycled work surfaces, a blowheater, ceramic sink, fridge, dishwasher, washing machine, oven, microwave & usb sockets. The spacious lounge has many original features, games, a card table and a tv/dvd. The is a small but significant historic vernacular building located on a hill down to the fishing village. It has full and independent access. Disabled access is somewhat restricted due to the nature of the property, but seasonal Landrover trips are available at the Clovelly visitors centre to take guests up and down from the harbour. Within the cottage we have where possible installed hand and grab rails wherever we can to help some of our elder returning guests to continue to enjoy the cottage with some independence. There are also small fences in the garden to direct our supervised younger guests on the lawn. The neighbour looks after the property and tries her best to introduce herself to most guests. She is normally available in the evenings when home to answer any questions you may have and happy to help give advice and tips. Clovelly fishing village is 1 mile away via a pleasant walk which has two pubs and a restaurant. The Milky Way Adventure Park and North Devon Wakepark are 5 minutes by car or bus. Bucks Cross Post Office shop and Bucks Mill are 10 minutes by car or bus. The Big Sheep and Atlantic Village Shopping Centre are 20 minutes away in Bideford. All major supermarkets also delivery to the cottage. It is 30 minutes drive to Sandy Mouth Beach and 1 hour to Croyde & Woolacombe beaches, both good surfing spots. Many other adult and kids attractions are a short drive away and information leaflets can be found in the cottage. Driving is, as everywhere off the beaten track easier, but you can ( and people have) come by train, coach and bus. Don't let us put you off but please do plan your journey, it particular local bus times and check all the info for your journey.. The 502 coach runs twice daily, with onboard facilities between Heathrow airport, Bideford or Barnstaple, around 5 hours journey time. The 339 bus runs once daily between Bideford and Bristol and the airport in just under 4 hours. Buses also run between Bideford and Exeter. Drive time to nearest airports are; Exeter (1.5 hours); Bristol (2.5 hours) London (4-6 hours). All major car hire firms operate at the airports. Plymouth & Portsmouth (2-3 hours) run ferries services to France & Spain ! The 319 bus, stops 5 times daily by the cottage and runs between Bude, Hartland, Clovelly, Bideford (nearest town, with boat trips to Lundy Island) & Barnstaple (larger town with mainline train connections to London & Eurostar to France and Belgium). We are are always happy to help with any questions you might have about arranging the travel for your trip. We have chosen not to have wifi in the cottage. If you need to check emails you can get a signal in the upper rooms. Alternatively the local club is very friendly, open most nights has free wifi, very cheap beer as well as darts, pool and often card games or quizzes, so we encourage you to meet the locals whilst you go online.