GREAT ESCAPES A Jurassic Coast getaway

…and a very hospitable one at that as Sally Land discovers DEVON IS A PLACE ON EARTH

OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: The beautiful setting of Larkbeare Grange; Larkbeare Grange owners Charlie and Julia Hutching in their apple orchard; The Five Bells serve up local venison loin with poached pear, damsons, dauphinoise potatoes and seasonal greens; a gorgeous suite at the welcoming Larkbeare Grange THIS PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM: Butter poached cod with brown shrimps, fennel and dill from Jack in the Green; chef Charlotte Vincent of The Five Bells; lemon and pine nut mille feuille, white chocolate sorbet from Jack in the Green

Driving in the inky wintery dusk, we wound our way through the wild Devon countryside. With the wind gusting around our car, the rain hammering down and floods all around, the day felt less than inhospitable. But as we rounded Larkbeare Grange’s sights, a sense of anticipation took over as the warmly lit bed and breakfast came into view.

From the friendly hosts, Charlie and Julia Hutchings, to the delicious home baked scones everything about Larkbeare Grange is cosy to its very core.

My husband and I were lucky enough to spend two nights at this comfortable and most delightful bed and breakfast in East Devon. Over the weekend we sampled some of the best food ,evon has to offer and did our best to walk off the hearty meals in the day. Whether you are a foodie, a budding historian, or simply love the outdoors, this corner of our beautiful island has plenty to offer. Set between Exeter and 0oniton, 4arkbeare /range is a rather fine /eorgian country house, surrounded by mature orchards, green fields and an impressively immaculate croquet lawn.

“I’ve never been as tempted by every menu option”

Upon arrival we were ushered into the lounge where a roaring fire crackled away and soon Julia produced the most delicious tea, complete with home-made jams and scones. ?e immediately felt our shoulders relax and enjoyed a couple of hours reading and chatting by the fire.

Finding The Five Bells pub in the nearby village of Clyst Hydon was easy and after a short ten minute drive, we arrived at the picture postcard beauty. The thatched pub comes complete with a massive beer garden and pretty lavender pathway approach. We enjoyed a hearty meal · crayfish thermidor for me, and seared scallops for the husband, followed by duck and venison respectively. The Five Bells is certainly a destination I would recommend if you enjoy both pub classics and more refined daily specials. )nd this is a pub that knows how to support local business with almost all the drinks selection sourced from nearby producers.

That night we slept like we used to before children came on the scene – with neither of us stirring until 9am – unheard of for the past ten years. )nd I¼m still dreaming of +harlie and Julia’s breakfast, home pressed apple juice, fruit compote, their own freerange eggs, locally produced bacon, sausages, and home-made croissants, and a wide selection of home-made jams. They certainly deserve the countless awards they have won for their sustainability. )fter breakfast the rain showed no sign of easing, but we were determined to explore the coast. It’s not everyday that you have the Jurassic Coast on your doorstep after all. Dressed in waterproofs head-to-toe we headed to the coastal village of Beer determined to inhale some bracing Devonshire fresh air.

First we enjoyed delaying tactics in Dolphin )ntiYues · a proper )laddin¼s cave stuffed full of curios – and then whiled away more time in a lovely art gallery as the rain continued its worst outside. Incredibly though, as we stepped outside unable to hide from the inclement weather any longer, the clouds started to break and within  minutes, we were taking off layers in the warm sunshine. It was the first dry period for five days.

)nd how we were rewarded. ?e completed a circular walk from Beer to Branscombe along the cliffs and back again, taking a slightly different return route which led us more inland. The 9.6 km walk is varied and includes a cliff top, beach, and valley sections. ?hile the route is moderately demanding, with several steep sections, it is absolutely worth the effort, with spectacular views out over the sea. )nd make sure you take in the 0ooken undercliff path, which winds through chalk pinnacles and abundant wildlife, and is stunning.

)t the *ranscombe end you¼ll see the legendary , kilogram anchor of 5S+ Napoli, which was grounded on the beach in 2007 and brought the village to a standstill. Branscombe itself has two lovely pubs, a couple of welcoming cafés, and an awardwinning forge.

That night we had a table at The Jack In The Green at Rockbeare, another stone’s throw from the B&B. This pub is well known across the whole of the South ?est · and with good reason. The food, the atmosphere, and the service were all absolutely spot on. Every dish was so enticing we struggled to choose our meals – I’ve never been as tempted by every menu option. The dishes were beautifully presented and bursting with flavour. I was treated to a very generous and perfectly cooked monkfish, while my husband was delighted with his delicious partridge. Landlord Paul Parnell’s passion was very clear and infectious. Our evening at The Jack In The Green really was the perfect way to end our heavenly weekend in East Devon.

STAY AND DINNER DETAILS Larkbeare Grange rooms from £125, www.larkbeare.net

Five Bells,starters from £6.95, mains from £14.95, www.fivebells.uk.com

Have A Big Heart For Little Valley Fosterers Needed!

Here at Little Valley Animal Shelter, we rely on our wonderful fosterers to look after some of the hundreds of animals that we care for every year. Our fosterers care for the animals in the safety and security of their own homes for us. This forms a vital part of the rehabilitation process as it helps our animals recover from the traumas of neglect, abuse, cruelty, illness or injury.

As a fosterer, your one-to-one care and support hugely improves our animal’s chances of finding a new home as a family lifestyle restores a sense of normality, enabling our animals to grow in confidence and take their first tentative steps towards starting again and having a second chance at finding a new, loving forever home.

Although the animals we care for come in all shapes and sizes, we currently desperately need more fosterers willing to open up their homes for some of our cats and dogs who are patiently waiting to be adopted, but who first need a little extra behavioural or medical support and lots of TLC.

As a small local independent charity, our Shelter relies totally on the generosity of our community to keep going each year (we currently care for almost 1000 animals a year and yet we receive no state funding). It therefore goes without saying that by fostering one of our animals

you will not only be helping the animal, but also freeing up much needed space in our Shelter so that we can rescue and help even more animals in the Devon area that desperately need our care and support.

Fostering is hugely rewarding; not just for the animals, but also for our foster carers – each of whom will have played a key part in helping a rescued animal recover and start a new life. And if you are unable to commit to a permanent adoption, you can still make a very real and lasting difference to the lives of the animals we care for by registering as a volunteer foster carer.

Could you help an animal in need? At Little Valley, we find fostering works best in homes where someone is around for much of the day, and ideally without other pets or young children. We are particularly keen to hear from you if you have experience of caring for large energetic dogs, dogs with more challenging behaviours, or cats and kittens. To learn more, please contact the Shelter reception on 01392 439898 or email info@rspca-littlevalley.org.uk.

Finally, although we operate under the guidance of the RSPCA, Little Valley Animal Shelter is a completely separate local Devon charity. As we do not receive any direct funding from either the RSPCA or the government, finding the necessary funds to cover our running costs each year is always challenging – it costs over £20,000 each week to run our Shelter. We therefore rely almost exclusively on the wonderful generosity of our local community. Please have a big heart for Little Valley and consider donating to our cause, as without your support we simply would not exist. Or perhaps you could consider remembering us in your Will by leaving us a legacy.

Little Valley Animal Shelter Black Hat Lane, Bakers Hill, Exeter EX2 9TA Tel: 01392 439898 www.rspca-littlevalley.org.uk

Meet the property expert

We catch up with the region’s professionals who can help navigate and advise on buying, selling and renting

KEVIN BRADFORD AREA SALES MANAGER, REDROW 01392 339637; www.redrow.co.uk

What exciting new developments are you currently working on? We are launching the fourth phase of our popular Saxon Brook development in Exeter this month which will include some brand new house types that we’ve not yet built here, including bungalows. Are you looking at future projects as well? We are always looking at new land opportunities in the area as we feel there is always demand for a premium new build product. What do you anticipate for the Exeter new build property market in 2020? We anticipate high demand for new builds in the area in 2020, especially with the upcoming changes to the Help to Buy Scheme. What was your first job? I was a trainee sales negotiator for an estate agent in Bristol. What are the key values of your company? As a premium homebuilding company, we want you to have absolute confidence when buying a new home from us. And it doesn’t end there. At Redrow we believe that customer service shouldn’t come to an end just because you’ve completed your purchase. We’ll be there for as long as you need us, helping in any way we can.

Kevin Bradford

Annie Gibson

ANNIE GIBSON FINANCE & LETTINGS OFFICER, FAIR LETS 07572390647; www.fair-lets.org.uk

What makes you different from other letting agents? Fair Lets is owned and managed by St Petrock’s (Exeter) Ltd, a well-established and respected housing and homelessness charity in Exeter. We’re a local non profit, ethical and independent professional letting agency. We work in partnership with Exeter City Council and other social landlords and agencies across the City assisting individuals and families who find it challenging to navigate and access private rented accommodation. We work with those individuals and landlords in providing a range of services which support tenants and landlords to ensure tenancies are sustained. What are the key values of your organisation? We are committed to providing effective services that work to help people out of homelessness and rebuild lives. We maintain high standards, working to innovate and develop services that achieve positive results. What new plans do you have for 2020? We want to grow our portfolio of accommodation through getting more landlords on board, ensuring we can support the increasing demand for affordable private rented accommodation. We’ve brought on board a number of landlords who clearly have a social conscience and want to assist individuals who otherwise would really struggle. It’s been amazing but we need more landlords who have the piece of mind knowing we are always there supporting their tenants to sustain their tenancy.

ANDY SIMS UNDERHILL ESTATE AGENTS 01392 477775; www.underhillproperty.com

What makes you different from other agents? We are one of the few estate agents in Exeter that advertise on the top four internet portals in the country: Rightmove, Zoopla, Prime Location and Zoopla. We also offer our clients an agency agreement that gives them flexibility with no contract tie-in term, just a notice period. What key bit of advice would you give to a vendor? When choosing an agent to sell your largest asset, consider three important things: where they advertise, what terms you are signing in their agency agreement and what do people say about them – what testimonials do they have?

What was your first job? Quality Control for an Engineering company when I was 15. It wasn’t much fun, but it allow me to save enough for a commodore 64!

What do you anticipate for the Exeter property market for 2020? Property has historically been the best investment to put your money into for as long as I can remember. It’s had low and high points but consistently recovers and grows. I believe this year will show growth and confidence that will see a steady increase with more people choosing to sell their property.

If you weren’t working in property, what would you be doing? They say in a person’s life time they will have around five to seven careers, and at 40 I have had three. Progressing to a retail manager at a young age allowed me to invest in property early on, which got me interested in the property sector. I was then a police officer before becoming an estate agent. So, I would probably still be a police officer.

What’s your favourite Exeter property that you have sold? It has to be a one-bedroom flat in Alford Crescent, not the most glamorous property, but after several agents tried and failed to sell, the owner was starting to form a negative opinion of estate agents. We managed to introduced a nice first-time buyer at full asking price. That’s what made it my favourite property, seeing the owner’s gratitude and appreciation and showing her what a good estate agent will do to help someone in need.

What do you think are the key values of your estate agency? Clear communication, great customer service and going above and beyond the normal expectations of an estate agent. It’s not unheard of for us to pick someone up from the station or help move furniture on moving day.