Explore East Devon

In addition to walking, East Devon is great for cycling along quiet, near traffic-free lanes.

Attractions near to Cadhay include Escot, Bicton Park, Seaton Tramway, The Donkey Sanctuary and Crealy all of which will appeal to families. Otterton Mill is extremely popular for its arts and crafts, food and nearby walks. Sporting activities include swimming at Sidmouth and Honiton; Leisure Centres at Ottery St Mary (fitness suite and dance studio) and Honiton; watersports on the Exe; golf at Honiton, Woodbury and Budleigh Salterton; and a range of outdoor activities on Dartmoor including rock climbing, canoeing, orienteering and more.

For the gardeners amongst you, in addition to our own glorious grounds, RHS Rosemoor is within reach and there are many other gardens which open for the National Garden Scheme. For any budding fossil hunters the whole of the Jurassic Coast is ready to be explored with the world famous Lyme Regis nearby.

If you are unlucky with the weather and have an odd wet or chilly day to fill then there is plenty to do locally inside as well as all the fun you could have in our big properties with their cosy woodburner’s. Children love a game of hide and seek in the Manor House or they can enjoy a game of table tennis in the East Attic. There is plenty for history buff’s with the National Trust properties of Montacute, Barrington Court, Killerton, Castle Drogo or Al a Ronde nearby .

Devon in recent years has emerged as one of the best regions in the country for local, quality food and drink. There are outstanding independent food shops, producers, excellent pubs and restaurants, all virtually on the doorstep.

Devon is a compact county. From the seaside to the grandeur of wild Dartmoor, over rolling green pasturelands and thickly wooded forests, and from town and city to rural and quiet country, it is a place that deserves to be visited and explored.

Cadhay is your ideal base for discovering this fabulously beautiful region. East Devon is fantastic all year around, we have created a small guide to highlight some of the things East Devon has to offer if the Autumn.

Jayne, Cadhay house manager, knows Cadhay and the area intimately and is happy to advise on your stay.

Around Cadhay – what to see and do in the Otter Valley and East Devon

Cadhay is located just outside of Ottery St Mary, an attractive parish town on the River Otter some ten miles from Exeter and six miles from the sea at Sidmouth. Mentioned in Domesday in 1086, the town is the birthplace of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It is probably most famous today for its annual Tar Barrels, an event that takes place each year on Guy Fawkes Night when the tar barrels are set alight and carried through the streets of the town by local residents. Apart from this extraordinary happening, Ottery is a peaceful and beautiful town that has all the amenities, including excellent independent shops for local food as well as one of the best wine merchants in the South West.

East Devon is an ideal place to enjoy walks along the lovely Otter Valley, Woodbury Common, the South West Coast Path plus Exmoor and Dartmoor. The nearby coastal stretch that extends across East Devon and West Dorset takes in the so-called Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, covering some 95 miles of stunning coastline with rocks recording 185 million years of the Earth’s history. Each stretch of coast tells its own history, from the red sandstone cliffs of Exmouth and the smooth East Devon pebblebed that washes out to sea at Budleigh Salterton, to the chalk white cliffs of Beer and Lyme Regis’s fossil-laden Undercliff.

In seaside towns such as Sidmouth, Budleigh Salterton and Exmouth, to the west, and, to the east, Branscombe, Beer, Seaton, Lyme Regis and West Bay you can explore prehistoric geology or pursue traditional seaside activities alike.