A blissfully quiet, beautifully-designed cabin with a copper bath out on the deck and a mini treehouse for lounging in the afternoons.
Designed and built by Out of the Valley Ltd.
Available for bookings on Canopy & Stars.
Click here for Holly Water Cabin’s Instagram.
From their Canopy & Stars page:
The smooth wood and simple aesthetic of this cabin make it feel like something from a Scandinavian lifestyle magazine, although touches of leather, stone and copper hint at its local sourcing. It’s a place to breeze through, sliding back the windows to blend the indoors and outdoors into a single space, stretching out on the sofa and taking in the views, or padding out to the bath and steaming away in the fresh air. The kitchen and bathroom are well-equipped and modern, but there’s an outdoor cooking area over the bridge across the stream, in case you want to make life a little wilder.
You can also scramble up the ladder to the treehouse, built long before the cabin as a way to enjoy the lovely secluded spot, possibly over coffee or cocktails. Part of the land around the cabin has been given over to the creation of wildlife habitats and the treehouse makes a great place to lie in wait for deer, kingfishers, otters, barn owls and the many other creatures that call the area home.
A dedication to conservation runs right through the farm and the cabin itself. Local materials and the latest eco-build design (Swiss envelope technology!) mean brilliant energy efficiency and solar panels and a ground source heat pump provide what little is needed. All your water comes from a borehole on the land. It has a taste unlike anything you’ll get out of a city tap, but it’s filtered, treated and lovely, even when it runs a bit brown after heavy rain.
Sara, Ed and their three children have been at Marsh Farm for over ten years and began planning the cabin in 2018. You’ll barely see them after you’ve arrived, unless you want to meet the dogs – Gunner, the Arsenal-supporting terrier and Flash, the big grey labradoodle whose allegiances are unknown.
You could easily enjoy their slice of “Devon on earth” without ever leaving the cabin itself, but there’s plenty to do if you feel like heading out. You’re an hour or so from Dartmoor, Exmoor or the coast, meaning you can take in stone circles and high tors, clifftop walks, a little surfing and ice cream on the seafront, but still be back at the cabin for a sunset bath and a little stargazing.
If you’re thirsty from a day of adventuring, grab a torch and make the mile walk to the Ring of Bells for excellent food with a local pint and a chat in the friendly bar.
