Toad Hall Bantham

Toad Hall

'BEACH HOUSE' STYLE CABIN IN SECLUDED VALLEY 1 MILE FROM BANTHAM BEACH Nr. SALCOMBE, SOUTH DEVON

About Bantham and the Area

Bantham has a large, unspoilt sandy beach with views to Burgh Island and Bigbury on sea. It is perfect for families, surfers, body boarders, kayaking and walkers. It is one of the foremost surf beaches in the UK and has been named number 6 in The Lonely Planet's 2015 guide to the 10 best beaches in Europe - the only English beach on the list. https://www.lonelyplanet.com/travel-tips-and-articles/lonely-planets-best-beaches-in-europe-2015                                                                                                                                                                    RNLI lifeguards patrol from May - September and there is a surfing school based at the beach. It also has the 'Gastrobus' which serves lovely hot and cold food and drink. There is a large car park at Bantham beach which is privately run by the Bantham Estate. They charge between £3.50 and £6 a day for parking.  A weekly ticket is £25 and 2 weeks is £40.   Dogs are permitted on the beach year round, but in the summer season are restricted to the Ham, a large area of grass and scrub behind the dunes, and also on the beach at the western end - at low tide this is a large area of sand.   Bantham village is a few minutes walk and has a shop, cafe and an excellent pub (The Sloop Inn).                                                                                                                       Here is a link to the Bantham Estate website which gives loads of information about the area and facilities (it is well worth watching the video): http://www.banthamdevon.co.uk/                     The South West coast path is accessed from the beach with walks to secluded coves, pretty villages such as Thurlestone, Modbury and Hope Cove and the vibrant yachting town of Salcombe.

The cabin is within approximately half an hours drive of Dartmouth, Plymouth and the vast, rugged expanse of Dartmoor. The nearest town is the lovely Kingsbridge which has two supermarkets, a delightful High Street, Doctor's surgery/hospital, cinema and lots of excellent restaurants, cafes, pubs and takeaways.

Buckland Park is situated on the road to Bantham and separated from Bigbury on Sea and Burgh Island by the beautiful Avon estuary. There is a seasonal foot ferry from Bantham to the Bigbury side.

It is possible to walk from the cabin to Bantham, either across the fields and public footpaths to West Buckland and down a quiet road to the village, or by walking up the drive, along the Bantham road for about 100 yds, turn right and join a public track which runs along the side of the River Avon to Bantham. The only steep bit is the driveway to the road, which is about a 5 minute walk.

The valley that Toad Halls sits in has a huge amount of wildlife with a large variety of birds including Buzzards, plus rabbits, squirrels, weasels, shrews, moles, owls, badgers and so forth (all seen from the property). Deer also sometimes cross the fields in the valley. In addition, the small farm at the top of the lane has Alpacas (Llamas), chickens and pigs (piglets).

During our recent visit there was a Spotted Woodpecker on the decking post plus we also found a Glow Worm in the garden (first I have ever seen!). Best of all, I spend 10 minutes kayaking off Bantham beach with a pair of Dolphins that came to within 20 feet of my kayak and with the water clear enough that I watched them swimming under the boat... exceptionally exciting!!