Woolacombe Folly is located on a holiday park, situated just above the coastal village of Woolacombe with its outstanding beach. This terraced holiday chalet offers cosy, well-furnished accommodation, and there is a pretty sitting-out area with sea views to watch the world go by. There is also a well-stocked shop just outside the park.
Woolacombe’s fantastic beach is a short walk downhill, but beware, it is a bit steeper coming back up! The beach is regularly voted as one of the best in the world and there is plenty for all to do, from avid surfers to committed sunbathers and rock poolers.
Woolacombe village has a good range of shops, surf schools, restaurants and laundrette as well as other local services. Nearby Ilfracombe has all the amenities of a bigger town, with a large range of pubs, restaurants and shops to choose from. The famous Tunnels Beach is just around the corner, and a short walk away is Ilfracombe’s pretty harbour area with its quayside, lifeboat station and church overlooking the Bristol Channel.
There are numerous attractions within easy reach of the house, including the Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park, Watermouth Castle and the Lynton to Lynmouth funicular railway. There are further beaches at Croyde and Saunton, where again you will find some of the best and cleanest surf beaches in the country, as well as many smaller coves and bays. Exmoor and the South West Coast Path are located close by, and on a clear day the views can be spectacular of the surrounding coast and countryside from these well-known walking areas. There are National Trust properties at Arlington and Knightshayes, as well as the RHS gardens at Rosemoor in Great Torrington.
All on the Ground Floor:
Open plan living space.
Living area: 38″ Freeview TV, DVD Player, DVDs
Dining area.
Kitchen area: Electric Cooker, Microwave, Fridge
Bedroom 1: Double (4ft 6in) Bed
Bedroom 2: Bunk (Double On Bottom, Single Above) Beds (Child Only)
Shower Room: Cubicle Shower, Toilet
Electric heaters and electricity by meter reading (payable on departure). Bed linen included. Patio with sitting-out area and garden furniture. On-road parking. No smoking.
With wide sandy beaches, remote moors, and chocolate-box villages, Devon is a stunning holiday destination at any time of year. It’s also a haven for bird watchers, offering a rich variety of landscapes and habitats, with dozens of nature reserves and over 200 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).
One of the county’s highlights is the Exe Estuary, a vital breeding and feeding ground for thousands of wildfowl and waders, including avocets, redshanks, snipes, little stints, and sandpipers. Surrounding the estuary are several nature reserves, such as Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve, where reedbeds, meadows, ponds, and saltmarshes support large populations of black-tailed godwits, dunlins, grey plovers, red-breasted mergansers, and wigeons. With its family-friendly sandy beach backed by dunes, it’s a fantastic spot for a day out.
Just 15 minutes from Exeter, Haldon Forest is a vast conifer plantation that supports five species of breeding birds of prey: goshawks, hobbies, sparrowhawks, buzzards, and kestrels. A bird hide and viewing point, managed by Forestry England, offer the chance to see these impressive raptors up close. The forest is also home to nightjars, crossbills, and a variety of butterflies. Walking and cycling trails, play areas, treetop rope courses, and picnic spots make it an excellent destination for families and nature lovers alike.
Owned by the National Trust, Lundy, an island in the Bristol Channel, is easily reached by boat from Ilfracombe or Bideford. From April to July, thousands of seabirds arrive to breed, including puffins, razorbills, guillemots, fulmars, kittiwakes, and Manx shearwaters. The island is also a magnet for migrating birds, with rare visitors from as far afield as North America and Siberia recorded annually.
Slapton Ley, the largest freshwater lagoon in southwest England, is separated from the sea by a narrow shingle ridge known as Slapton Sands. Surrounded by reedbeds, marshes, and woodland, it provides a rich habitat for birds such as Cetti’s warblers, reed warblers, sedge warblers, and grasshopper warblers. On the water, look out for great crested grebes, gadwalls, and water rails. Other wildlife in the area includes otters, badgers, dormice, and several bat species.
Exmoor National Park offers a remarkable diversity of habitats, from moorland and farmland to ancient woodland, rivers, and dramatic coastline. The open moors are home to Dartford warblers, linnets, and whinchats, while the woodlands host pied flycatchers, tree pipits, redstarts, and all three British woodpecker species. Along the rivers, look for grey wagtails, dippers, and kingfishers. The coastal edges are frequented by curlews, ringed plovers, turnstones, and occasionally knots, ruffs, and curlew sandpipers. Visitors can also enjoy walking and cycling routes, canoeing and kayaking, charming historic villages, Dunster Castle, and of course, Exmoor’s iconic wild ponies.
Located in the heart of the county, Dartmoor National Park is more rugged and wild, with dramatic granite tors and deep river valleys, perfect for a day of exploration. Bird watchers should look out for ground-nesting species like meadow pipits, skylarks, and stonechats. The moor also supports ring ouzels and red grouse, and is one of the best places in the UK to hear the distinctive call of the cuckoo in spring. For those wanting to cool off after a hike, Dartmoor has some of the finest wild swimming spots in the country.
