Dog friendly Devon holiday accommodation
Self catering lodges and a cottage where your dog is on holiday too!
Meet Muttley. It's a dog's life: just one long Devon holiday!
Muttley's Devon dog walk of the moment, March 2010
Your dogs will enjoy their holiday too! Our self catering accommodation is dog friendly. There's lots of room for dogs to romp about. We'll tell you about good dog walks and even lend you Devon maps. The pub in the village welcomes dogs, as do several other nearby pubs.
Woof! I'm Muttley, and I'm always on holiday at Wheatland Farm. It's great here coz lots of other dogs come for their holidays as well. Read on for my walk of the month and Devon days out ideas where dogs can come too.
I like playing with balls and kids. This is me with George, and my mate Molly, who came to stay in the farm accommodation. She came from Wiltshire. I often patrol around the lodges and cottage. I have to make sure those chickens don't bother people at their BBQs...
Good for vole-sniffing, this walk. And it's more for the adventurous dog amongst you, coz we started by squeezing through a gap in the hedge, or in in the human's case, choosing between a barbed wire fence or a distinctly ricketty gate.
It was Hollocombe Moor, only a mile or two from the farm and lodges. It's open access, but that doesn't necessarily mean easy acces. Not that I minded - I like a bit more 'wilderness' feel, but that's not to everyone's nose...
The good bit is there's loads of room to run about. Most of the walks I go on are along footpaths or bridlepaths. Even when they cross fields, you're supposed to stick to the line of the path. Hollocombe moor is different - dogs and walkers can follow their nose. You'll have to watch out for livestock at some times of the year though. None today but some of those cow pats I investigated still smelt quite tangy.
The human didn't do much running - more like striding, and in places jumping from tussock to tussock - parts of Hollocombe Moor are wet culm grassland. Fabulous if you're into wildlife or plants. Not so good if you need level walking, so if that's you, check out some of my other walks.
The moor still had its winter colours on - warm tawny browns on this particular March morning. Huge tussocks of purple moor grass waved in the breeze, and spagnum moss hung back in the hollows. I'm sure we'll be going back again later in the year - for the wildflowers and the birds. I imagine it's a good place for watching for barn owls hunting at dusk, but why go that far? This winter they've been hunting over the lodge field most evenings back home.
Anyway, it was a good romp, and a sniff of expanisve moorland withouth going to Dartmoor or Exmoor.
Hollocombe Moor is about 3 miles from the cottage and lodges. The easiest route is northwards on the main road out of Winkleigh - A3124. After a mile or so you'll see the moor on your right . Turn right along the northern edge of the moor, driving most of the way to the gate in the northeastern corner. The scenic route goes right out of our drive, first left at Tinker's Post and down into Hollocombe, then out the other side until you come across the moor. Ask for a map! These are steep and windy roads, but pretty. Take a lead in case of livestock. OS Explorer map 127.
Muttley says:
Of course, there are a few do's and don'ts...
I'm not allowed in the nature reserve - can't think why - all those deer, foxes, pheasants, snipe etc are just dying to be chased - and what does it matter if I scrub up a few orchids while sniffing out a vole?
The humans pick up my poo with a bag and put it in a bin, at least when I do it near the accommodation. Now why on earth would they want to do that?
I'm not supposed to go in the ponds either - but personally I don't like getting wet.
All my mates bring their own beds and usually a throw for furniture - spoils the fun for other dogs if you ask me, but apparently some people don't like doggy sofas. Strange these humans...
You'll like it here coz you get to stay with your pack - dogs aren't left in the accommodation (some pups can't help having a good chew can they - and that gets expensive).
There's no cats - 'cept the neighbours' ones. Pity that. I wish people would bring their cats coz I love them. Couldn't eat a whole one though...
There are a few other rules, like not eating the free-range chickens and not bothering livestock, but if you come to visit you'll get all the details. If you want to check, sniff out the small print.
(I think there might have been another one about not rolling in badger poo - but hey, I can't be expected to remember everything all the time.)
Looking forward to sniffing you out soon!
Hollocombe Moor - open access Devon countryside.
I'm a bit of a softy really.....
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