Devon Dens

09/04/2025

The absolute joy of catching some waves with girlfriends a few weeks ago. Body boards only, but that didn't lessen the thrill of travelling on a wave at speed 😀

There are SO MANY good surf spots to choose from in Devon and Cornwall. Bude is closest to Devon Dens, with two great beaches and surf schools for novices or those who want to brush up before they hit the water. Widemouth and Sandymouth are also good, then there's Croyde, Woolacombe and Putsborough further north.

The water is starting to warm up. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?? 🏄‍♀️

06/04/2025

🌸🌸 VERY LATE AVAILABILITY 🌸🌸

POV:
You've left booking an Easter break waaaaay too late and now you've seen the fabulous forecast for the week and would rather enjoy a gorgeous spring time escape here in the UK than contribute to climate change by flying abroad 🌎

IS THIS YOU??? WE CAN HELP! 😁

The Den has very last minute space THIS WEEK Monday - Friday....

Sleeping up to 6 (dogs welcome) @ £180 a night, minimum two nights. Free sauna session with a two night stay, free hot tub hire for longer stays 🔥

Beaches, coast path walks, swimming, Dartmoor, cycle routes all within easy reach 🏖️

Come and enjoy a last minute, uncomplicated holiday off-grid in peaceful West Devon.

📍 Devon Dens, West Devon

🌿☀️🌿☀️🌿☀️🌿☀️🌿☀️🌿☀️🌿

28/03/2025

26/03/2025

We've made it to the final!! Woohoooo!

🎉🤸🥳💃🎉🤸🥳💃🎉🤸🥳💃🎉🤸🥳

Finalists in the awards BEST BOUTIQUE STAY category ❤️

Thank you so much to everyone who voted for us 🥰 It means A LOT. Now, they set the counter back to zero and we need you all to go again 🙏🙏🙏

TO VOTE.... The link is in the bio or our stories and please DON'T FORGET to confirm your email afterwards or it doesn't count!! 😬

These are great regional and national awards which recognise small businesses and we'd 💚 to be in with a chance of winning!

Good luck to everyone who's made it through to the final! LET'S GO! ✴️

24/03/2025

How gorgeous is this? 😍 I love the glass of wine on the side! More lovely guests who had a super weekend.

Are you planning an Easter break? May half term? We still have space and by staying with us you...

🤯 Avoid the stress of airports (because let's face it, they are stressful!)
🛩️ Have a lower carbon footprint than if you jumped on a plane
💲 Support a small, hard working local business instead of the mega corps
🌸 Experience beautiful West Devon in spring time
🏄 Have amazing Cornish beaches within easy reach for surf and swim fun
🥾 Can hike across Dartmoor with maps and routes provided
🔥 Enjoy the wood fired sauna or hot tub
🌳 Stay in a peaceful two acre woodland
🦉 Tune into the bird song and owl hoots
💛 Relax in cosy comfort in our gorgeous cabins

Book a simple, uncomplicated holiday away from the noise and news 🌿

📍 Devon Dens, West Devon

22/03/2025

Oh the endless lines written about Devon V Cornwall and the jam / cream debate. Frankly, we don't give a damn about how you eat it*, but what we DO know, is that Rectory Farm Tearooms is THE BEST place to enjoy a cream tea (as well as all manner of other delicious dishes) and when they reopen each year at Easter, it's like the return of the swallows, heralding the start of the season 🥰

*but I'm with the Cornish on this, jam first!

We know summer is on its way when Jill at the Rectory Farm Tearooms is ready to open!

Open daily from 11am with a special Mother's Day Afternoon Tea
on the 29th and 30th March (pre-booking is essential)

14/03/2025

Did you know....
We have 100% 5 🌟 Reviews... 🥳🤸😍*

❤️ 83 on TripAdvisor
💚 85 on Facebook
🧡 50 on Google

If you've been thinking about booking but aren't sure whether it's for you (and your family / friends / partner / dog), have a read through some of them. They do a much better job than we ever could of describing a stay at Devon Dens. But we're always very happy to answer questions or provide more info. Just get in touch 🥰

📍Devon Dens, West Devon




*excluding the twonk who has never either visited or spoke to us but decided to give us 1 🌟 on Google 🙄 There's always one!

08/03/2025

International women's day 🙌💃🥰

A day to celebrate the brilliant chiquita's in your life and to consider the plight of so many women around the world. Why do we need an international women's day? Because around the world not only are gains in equality not being met, but extraordinarily in some parts of the globe they are falling backwards. Currently in Afghanistan, women are being erased from all aspects of society. In Iraq the age of consent for women to be married is possibly going to be lowered to 9. 9??? And in America the rights a woman has over her own body are being terrifyingly eroded.

I am so lucky to be surrounded by amazing women - two wonderful sisters and a strong group of great friends. Including this one, Amy who has always got my back at Devon Dens, deals with everything thrown at her with a smile and I love nothing better than hearing her laugh reverberating around the valley on changeover days 😂

We are incredibly lucky to live where we do and be who we are. I fully appreciate this is not the case for millions of women around the world. Which is why we need Now, more than ever 🥰

10/02/2025

Did you know a few years ago we won the award for Best Sustainable Tourism Site in the UK? 🥳 It was a great honour to have our eco credentials acknowledged and rewarded. We've always tried to lessen the impacts of tourism, which by its very nature has a footprint. We can't mitigate them completely, but we hope we provide a sustainable alternative to holidays abroad in a comfy and cosy environment. Here's some of the things we do to reduce the load...

1. Pollinator friendly planting
2. Extensive tree planting and management
3. Growing veg and herbs for guests
4. Growing flowers to place in the cabins rather than buying in
5. Using a natural water filtration system with reedbed and wildlife pond
6. Providing homes for wild bees with two Freedom Hives
7. Encouraging biodiversity
8. Managing invasive species
9. Composting guests food waste to enrich the raised beds and polytunnel
10. Using as much local timber as possible for our cabins and furniture
11. Using superb dry toilet systems which saves 52 litres of water per person per day
12. Promoting locally sourced food and drink to reduce air miles and encourage guests to shop local
13. Providing bat and bird boxes
14. Making sure guests have all the info they need for car free days and to make the most of local foot and cycle paths
15. Powering the site using solar with excellent PV systems

If reducing your holiday footprint without losing your creature comforts is important to you, then we'd love to see you 🥰

📍 Devon Dens, West Devon

04/02/2025

Yup, that's right! As a final fling before busy season kicks in, we're offering 25% off any stays booked from now and taken before the end of March 2025, with the winter spa offer also included -

🧡Free sauna session with 2 night stays
💚 Free hot tub use with stays of 3 nights or more

This is a gooooood deal, so if you've wanted to visit for some time but funds are tight, book now using the code TRUMPISANARSE and spend some time hiding in the woods away from the chaos, exploring Dartmoor or throwing yourself into the wild Atlantic.

(and yes, that is the actual code 😏)

📍 North Dartmoor

31/01/2025

Warning.... Political post so move on if you're not interested!

Very disappointing to hear chancellor saying this week that she will support a third runway at Heathrow. The rowing back on environmental promises and resulting green wanging (like green washing but worse 🤢) has been head spinning. Remember during covid when the skies were empty and the people of London could hear birdsong? We thought then there might be change. But as the recent record profits of easyJet and Ryanair show, this was a false hope.

Did you know the UK government, therefore YOU, the UK taxpayer, subsidises the aviation industry in the form of fuel tax and VAT exemptions by around £10 billion a year? As a small, eco site, trying to offer a sustainable, relaxing, easy alternative to flying abroad, this is hard to swallow. We feel the announcement on the runway sends a clear message that the climate is NOT a priority for this government and many people will see this as the green light to fly without any regard for the consequences.

It is known, without any doubt, that flying is detrimental to the climate. So to see it being actively developed and encouraged is frankly baffling. Perhaps if we stopped subsidising cheap flights abroad, people would be more likely to stay home and spend money within the UK and therefore growth might be more likely.. 🤔

Thanks to everyone who decides to reduce their flying. Whether that's to stay with us, interail round Europe, stay in a B and B in Skegness or just hang out at home. We're not suggesting never to fly. We're just suggesting flying less.

This photo is Marcus who made our beautiful beehives. Marcus left this earthly realm last week. He was ALWAYS on the side of the planet and plants and wildlife. He'd have something to say about growth and third runways
💚

📍 Devon Dens, West Devon

29/01/2025

You know when friends get a new hobby and you're really pleased that something has enthused them so much but after a short period you want to kill them if they don't shut up about it? HELLO! We're Ben and Jo and we've started wabjabbing! Wabjab - a term dubbed by big sister - stands for walk a bit, jog a bit. It's like the gateway activity for trail running. Trail running's slightly less strenuous younger sibling 😀 Borne from a desire to improve our fitness, a love of being in nature and time spent walking Molly on Dartmoor, it's a fabulous way to combine all three and the opportunities both on the moor and closer to Devon Dens are plentiful. From a gentle 2k circular route taking in woods and waterfalls to a 20k+ challenge traversing bogs and boulders, with everything in between. We're going to be making routes available to guests very soon via so when you stay, you have access to all the info you need to enjoy this fun activity in this beautiful part of Devon.

Throwing himself completely in the new hobby, this weekend Ben volunteered as an Arc Angel for the race in Cornwall, a gruelling ultra marathon covering distances of either 100, 50 or 25 miles ran along the . 2000 participants pushed their bodies to extraordinary limits and it was a truly awe inspiring thing to witness. Seeing head torches appearing over cliff tops at 6am was quite something to behold. The winner of the 100 mile race finished in just over 19 hours and most of that was in the dark. On the coast path. In winter. After a massive storm. Incredible. Hats off to everyone who took part, even those who didn't finish. Next year!

If you fancy a challenge, it doesn't have to be 100 miles! Come and wabjab your way round West Devon, then back to a gorgeous cabin with hot tub and sauna to rest those bones 🥰

21/01/2025

Fancy a sauna and a soak? We have space this weekend in both the Cabin (sleeps up to 4) and the Den (sleeps up to 6).

💚 Den - £160 a night
🧡 Cabin - £140 a night

Minimum two nights with free hot tub AND sauna 🔥

17/01/2025

Who else loves a spooky path?

I've always hiked - marched up hill and down dale by parents trying to exhaust three energetic daughters (in an attempt to get some peace and quiet!), but my love for walking continues to expand as I age. My app is my most used app, as I constantly seek out new routes, remind myself of old ones and check distances from A to B.

Paths like these didn't always appeal, especially when walking alone, but now the lure of these atmospheric tracks is strong. I cannot walk them without thinking about all the other feet, the journeys, the who / why / where to. They provide a moment or two for contemplation and time to notice the flora and fauna invariably growing from crevices and banks.

I realised I'd gathered a small collection of photos from these cocoon like routes. Be a shame not to share them 🌳

15/01/2025

If you've never stayed with us before, you may not know what to expect. We're an eco site, which extends to much more than planet friendly washing up liquid! More on that some other time.... First and foremost, Devon Dens is a place with two comfy, cosy and stylish cabins made by us with our other hats on , in two acres of quiet woodland located in the gorgeous area of West Devon.

We have excellent reviews across the board (check out the links in our bio to read what past guests say 🥰) and we take huge pride in our work, working our hardest to make sure you have a fabulous break, whether it be a few days with friends or a week with the family.

We love where we live and we love giving guests all the info they need to discover this beautiful area.

We have space here and there in three next few months and we have our winter spa order running until the end of March..

💚 Two night stays - free sauna session
💚 Stays of three nights or more - free hot tub

Whether it's a last minute mini break to allow you to unplug from the constant noise and news, or a weeks holiday in summer, take a look at the website and calendar or drop me a message for more info. We'd love to see you ❤️

📍 Devon Dens, West Devon

13/01/2025

After a long winter, who's ready to start thinking about SUMMER?? ☀️☀️☀️

Being so close to North Cornwall, we're a bit spoilt with some of the best beaches in the UK.

⛱️ Summerleaze (Bude)
🌊 Sandymouth (North of Bude)
⛱️ Duckpool (North of Sandymouth!)
🌊 Widemouth (South of Bude)
⛱️ Crackington (South of Widemouth!)

Between them you can...

🏄‍♀️ Surf
🏊 Swim
👙 Sunbathe
👣 Walk
🍦 Eat - ice creams, pasties, cafes, pubs
🐕 Take doggo (check dates for where and when)

Summerleaze is great for everything and is our nearest beach just 35 minutes from Devon Dens. With good access to Bude town centre if you feel like a mooch around the shops and next to the legendary (free!) .

Sandymouth is a fantastic, long beach which can be reached at a decent low tide on a superb walk from Bude, then back over the cliffs on the

Duckpool also has great walks on the coast path as well as a wonderful coffee van in the warmer months

Crackington is on a dramatic stretch of coastline with killer steep cliffs either side for the intrepid hiker and an excellent pub

If having your toes in the sand is an essential part of your summer, we're within easy reach of so much beach fun. See you there! 🤿

📸 by

08/01/2025

Are you..

A musician? A walker? A runner? A historian? A swimmer? A cook? A BBQ maniac? An explorer ? A reader? A surfer? A yogi? A Scrabble demon? A teacher in need of time without noise? A jangled soul in need of time without screens? A husband? A mum? A friend? A lover? A son?

Whoever you are and whatever brings you to Devon Dens, there's always a warm welcome and a wealth of info to make sure you have the best stay.

📸
📍Devon Dens, West Devon

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