Tor Cottage

In its own secluded wooded valley, this B&B is ideal for guests who want to come and go as they please. Only one room is in owner Maureen Rowlatt’s cottage, but it is in a private wing with a sitting room. Four rooms are in garden annexes, three of them equipped for self-catering, with a microwave, grill and full-size fridge, and outdoor seating. They each have a log-burner and a king-size bed. Laughing Waters is a secluded bedsit, in its own garden and woodland, designed in New England style, with maple furniture, a patchwork quilt, a fridge, cutlery and crockery, veranda, a decked barbecue area and steps down to a stream. Breakfast, in the conservatory or on a flower-decked terrace, is the only meal provided, and brings a buffet and a choice of kedgeree, a full English or a vegetarian grill. In summer, the heated pool is available to guests; there is also a river for fishing. If you want to eat out, you might drive the six miles to The Horn of Plenty in Gulworthy (see entry under Tavistock), or into Tavistock proper, with its choice of pubs, restaurants and cafés. Dartmoor and the Tamar valley are on the doorstep.