Cloud Farmhouse

On Cloud Farm by Badgworthy Water, Cloud Farmhouse is a light and airy semi-detached cottage with the picturesque Doone Valley on its doorstep. It shares this idyllic, wildlife-rich spot with neighbouring Carver Cottage (sleeps six) as well as Cloud Farm Campsite in the summer season. Exmoor has changed little since RD Blackmore chronicled its tumbling rivers, ancient woodland and deep valleys in his 1869 classic novel, Lorna Doone, and the cottage makes a great base for hikers and energetic families.

A five-bar gate leads past Carver Cottage, through a shared, shingled area and to your front door. The porch has original quarry tiles and plenty of space for coats and wellies, and a couple of steps take you up into the cottage’s modern, fresh interior. There are two bedrooms and a shower room on the ground floor. The master bedroom, with a view of the hills, and family bathroom are both upstairs.

Once upstairs, another flight of steps leads into the open-plan kitchen, dining and living room. Whether you’re cooking in the kitchen, dining at the farmhouse table or relaxing on the comfortable sofas, you’ll be looking out onto the valley and surrounded by nature.   

Fans of Lorna Doone will enjoy roaming the expanse of Exmoor, hunting out places featured in the novel. These include a ruined medieval village near Cloud Farm, allegedly the inspiration for the Doone clan’s hideaway. Others will enjoy relaxing by the river, wildlife spotting or strolling down to the tea-room, The Buttery Café & Riverside Gardens, just under a mile away in Malmsmead hamlet.

For a longer walk, Watersmeet is an 11-mile round trip from the front door. The South West Coast Path is accessible 3 miles to the north of the cottage, and an hour’s walk south down the Doone Valley will lead you out onto Exmoor. Lynton, Lynmouth and Porlock are all approximately seven miles away, where you’ll find independent shops and eateries. Lynmouth also has a funicular cliff railway, joining it to Lynton. The wildlife rich Heddon Valley is roughly 30 minutes west. Holnicote Estate, where you may be lucky enough to spot the resident beavers, recently reintroduced, is a 25-minute drive east.