THE CREAM OF DEVON

Friday 1st December 2006

Lucy Banwell

From the cosy warmth of your bedroom, the view is simply breathtaking. Gently rolling fields are sprinkled with intense patches of dark woodland; happily grazing horses are dotted around the idyllic landscape. This is the view from Combe House – a stunning Elizabethan manor house, which has been lovingly converted into an unstuffy, but nonetheless luxurious, country house hotel.

Set in the heart of Devon's lush landscape, but just nine miles or so from the sea, the location of this award-winning hotel couldn't be more perfect. But if you can manage to drag yourself away from your elegant room, delicious food and superb service, there's plenty to do and see in this eastern pocket of Devon.

The BBC's hit series Down to Earth showcased much of Devon's natural beauty, but why not check some of it out for yourself? You could start off with a stroll around the local hamlet of Gittisham, heralded by Prince Charles as the 'ideal English village', thanks to its pretty thatched cottages. Next, you can hop in the car for the 20-minute drive to the charming fishing village of Beer, and enjoy a bracing cliff walk along part of Dorset and East Devon's Jurassic Coast – it is so-called because of its ancient, fossil-peppered cliffs and beaches.