This Dream House in Devon is a masterpiece of joyful, contemporary architecture–designed to channel an abundance of uplifting light, create flowing space and capture natural beauty. Built into a hill in the rolling Exmouth countryside, minutes from the town’s Blue Flag beach, this three bedroom haven, worth over £2,000,000, features floor to ceiling panoramas, a sea view, heated outdoor pool and separate annex for guests. For your chance to win the keys, along with £250,000 in cash, enter the Devon House Draw supporting Campaign Against Living Miserably.
Exmouth is one of Britain’s oldest and most picturesque seaside towns, with a Victorian promenade and elegant Georgian terraces. Exmouth Marina, nestled in Lyme Bay–a sheltered harbour at the mouth of the River Exe–welcomes sailors to the beautiful Exe Estuary and the South West’s stunning coastline. Exmouth Beach’s two mile stretch of flat, golden sand is the longest in Devon, and has achieved Blue Flag status for six years running. Explore rockpools, wade and splash in the shallows, or swim, kayak and paddleboard further along the shore.
The River Exe Café is a bespoke barge floating offshore in the Exe Estuary, where the River Exe meets the English Channel–the finish line of its journey through miles of untouched countryside. Devour some of Devon’s finest seasonal produce on the cafe’s top deck, with unparalleled views and a cocktail in hand, before hitching a Puffin Water Taxi back to dry land. Journey ten minutes to the village port of Lympstone to indulge yourself at Lympstone Manor, Sir Michael Caine’s idyllic hotel, restaurant and vineyard, or a peaceful pint beneath oak beams at The Swan Inn.
Walkers and cyclists will love the abundance of nature trails surrounding the house, including those of England’s longest way-marked route: The South West Coast Path. Ramble out of Exmouth all the way to Sidmouth, through East Devon’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, past the Geoneedle at Orcombe Point, a sculpture marking the official beginning of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. This dramatic coastline, with its red sandstone cliffs and abundance of bird life, gives way to meadows, woods and the Otter Estuary Nature Reserve.
Ten minutes north is Bystock Pools: a diverse, Wildlife Trust reserve with a lake polka-dotted with floating lily pads and woodland, heathland and wildflower meadows boardwalked for easy strolls. A few minutes further east is the contrastingly manicured Bicton Park Botanical Gardens, where over 60 acres of formal gardens, an arboretum and parkland hold three centuries of living, horticultural history. Bicton’s 1825 glass Palm House, and magnificent collection of tropical palms, precedes Kew’s, while its Rose and Italian gardens are picture perfect.
Take a direct, half hour train from Exmouth to Exeter for national rail links and an international airport. This vibrant, harbour city has a beautifully restored, historic quayside where former wool warehouses hold antique boutiques, live-music venues and cafes. Stunning Exeter Cathedral, with its gilded, medieval stone-vaulted ceiling and Norman towers, dominates the city’s skyline. Head to the West Quarter or cobbled Gandy Street for celebrated independents, such as The Fat Pig–a backstreet brewery, distillery and smokehouse with infamous Apple Pie Moonshine.
The famous Exploding Bakery Cafe is the place for an irresistible sour cherry and pistachio slice or an all-consuming salted caramel and chocolate brownie–so much so that the lauded eatery now offers a national delivery service, as recommended by The Times, Guardian and Tatler. Just outside the city, Sandford Orchards offers tours of its Cider Works, the oldest working cider mill in the country, as well as weekend pizza and tasting evenings, while Exe Coffee Roasters, crowned ‘Best Coffee in Exeter’ by BBC Good Food, is the place to go for a wake-up cup of joe.
Just by entering the Devon House Draw, you’ll be supporting Campaign Against Living Miserably to help anyone struggling with life to find hope and a reason to stay.
So, why wait?
