Large Holiday Cottages in Devon

How to Choose From the Large Holiday Cottages Devon Has to Offer

Devon is two holidays in one county. The south is all sheltered estuaries, sailing boats and sandy coves, while the north faces the Atlantic with long beaches and cliffs dropping into the sea, and in between sit the granite tors of Dartmoor and the wooded combes of Exmoor.

So start with what your lot want to do.

Surfers should head north for the sandy beaches. An extended family after a pub lunch by the water will be happiest in the South Hams. Walkers do best inland, where spacious farmhouses come with acres of grounds, big views and plenty of parking. And a big birthday weekend needs a different house from a quiet family reunion.

Which Part of Devon Suits Your Group?

Salcombe and the South Hams

Salcombe is where Devon goes sailing. Hire a boat or a paddleboard on the estuary, then take the little ferry across to the sand at East Portlemouth. There are about 40 houses in the town and more in the village of Hope Cove. Our big group houses in Salcombe come with sea views, steep lanes and very little off-road parking.

Dartmouth and the River Dart

Fancy something gentler? Colourful houses with river views climb the hill above the Dart, ferries criss-cross to Kingswear all day and grandparents can cruise up to the market town of Totnes while the rest of the family walk out to the castle, so our group cottages in Dartmouth suit every age.

Torbay and the English Riviera

Rain forecast? Torquay, Paignton and Brixham have the most family attractions in one place, from Paignton Zoo and the steam railway to Brixham's fish quay, and booking a table for 16 is easy.

East Devon and the Jurassic Coast

This is the quickest drive off the M5. Red cliffs run for 95 miles along the Jurassic Coast from Exmouth into Dorset, past Sidmouth, Beer and Seaton, with Lyme Regis a few miles over the border. Behind them, the Blackdown Hills hide some grand old manor houses.

Dartmoor, Exmoor and Mid Devon

Walkers, this one's yours. Expect tors, ponies on the lanes, long views and pubs with open fires, and the Dartmoor National Park team publish walking routes for every level. The houses are mostly old farmhouses and barns with a big garden and plenty of off-road parking.

North Devon's beaches

Croyde, Woolacombe and Saunton are the big three for surfing. Miles of sand face the Atlantic, and the surf schools will take your whole party out in one lesson. Ilfracombe has the boat to Lundy, and Lynton's water-powered cliff railway climbs out of Lynmouth on the edge of Exmoor. Our houses in Croyde are a short walk from the waves.

Bideford Bay and Hartland

Here's the surprise.

This stretch of coastline has more big cottages than anywhere else in Devon, well over 100 across Westward Ho!, the fishing village of Appledore, Instow and the old port of Bideford. Hire bikes for the Tarka Trail, 30 traffic-free miles from Braunton to Meeth. Walk the cobbles of car-free Clovelly, or watch the Atlantic hit the cliffs at Hartland Quay. Our cottages in Westward Ho! sit by two miles of sand.

The Biggest Houses in Devon for 20 or More

Of all the large holiday cottages Devon has, only 33 sleep 16 or more. Here are seven of the most spacious:

• Nethercott House, Iddesleigh: sleeps 47 in 9 bedrooms, with a games room
• Orchard Barn at Duvale Cottages, near Tiverton: sleeps 29 in 10 bedrooms, hot tub and sauna
• Nut Tree Farm at Ashcombe, near Dawlish: sleeps 28 in 13 bedrooms, swimming pool, pet friendly
• Barn for 26 in Pancrasweek, near Holsworthy: sleeps 26 in 12 bedrooms, hot tub, dogs welcome
• Brimpts Barn, near Princetown: sleeps 24 in 10 bedrooms, hot tub and sauna
• Grade II-Listed Manor House for 24 in Yarcombe: sleeps 24 in 11 bedrooms, pool and games room
• Corffe House, near Barnstaple: sleeps 22 in 9 bedrooms, hot tub, pool and cinema room

All are self catering, so you'll cook together, set your own hours and, in a holiday house this size, never be short of someone to wash up.

Do the Big Houses Have Hot Tubs, Pools and Room for Dogs?

Plenty do. Here's how many of our Devon houses have each one:

• 159 with a hot tub
• 77 with a swimming pool, often a heated pool
• 207 with a games room
• 179 with a woodburning stove
• 139 with an enclosed garden
• 397 that take dogs

That makes dog friendly cottages in Devon easy to find. The beaches are trickier in summer: at Woolacombe dogs are banned from the north end between Good Friday (or 1 April) and 30 September and must be on a lead as far as Mill Rock, so check the local dog zones first. The 630 miles of the South West Coast Path are open to dogs all year, and the moors are too.

Planning a Devon Group Holiday

Getting there

The M5 ends at Exeter, where the A38 heads for Plymouth and Kingsbridge and the A380 for Torbay, while the A361 North Devon Link Road leaves it at junction 27 for the 40 miles to Barnstaple. Allow an extra hour on summer Saturdays.

Bedrooms and off-road parking

• Count bathrooms as well as bedrooms, so the morning queue stays short.
• Ask for a ground floor bedroom for older guests. Plenty of farmhouses are three storeys and have no ground floor bedroom at all.
• Match the off-road parking to your cars. Town houses in Salcombe and Dartmouth often take two at most.
• If a sea view matters, ask which rooms have one. Often it's only the living room and a couple of bedrooms.
• Look for one dining table that seats everyone.

What it costs and when to go

Prices start from around £49 a night for the smaller houses. The typical one on our site is around £154 a night, and split between 20 friends even the biggest often beats a hotel. Unless your family is tied to the school holidays, aim for May, June or September. The days are warm, the beaches quieter and prices lower than in August.

Find Your Devon Group House

Every one of our holiday cottages in Devon is in the listings above. Still weighing up a Devon holiday? Our big houses in Dorset start at Lyme Regis, or compare Cornwall and Somerset in the UK destinations guide and see all our big group cottages across the UK.