The Old Vicarage, Lee

The Old Vicarage is a luxury, self-catering, holiday house for groups of up to 17 (maximum 15 adults). It is a perfect house for beach lovers, situated as it is in an area of outstanding natural beauty on the North Devon coast. A five minute stroll along a footpath leads to Lee Bay, a perfect beach for small children with an abundance of shallow rock pools. It is only three miles to Woolacombe beach, a great favourite with surfers as well as boogie boarders, dog walkers and kite flyers.

The house stands in a secluded, elevated position surrounded by almost an acre of garden, with views across the church and onto the valley below. The decor is clean, light and minimalist, stylish and contemporary, blending well with period character.

The house was built as the Vicarage in the tiny village of Lee, but constructed to a very high standard. It has some beautiful period features, including tiled floors and a large galleried staircase with stained glass windows.

The garden overlooks the church and valley beyond. A good kitchen should always have plenty of space for socialising, and the kitchen at The Old Vicarage is no exception. There is a large oak dining table, seating at least 10/15, a large range cooker and all modern appliances including a dishwasher and microwave. Adjoining the kitchen is a small utility room complete with washing machine, tumble dryer, iron and ironing board. If you'd like a night off from cooking, excellent meals (created by a local chef) can be delivered to the house, that only require heating. You'll find a menu of delicious dishes at the property; simply call (giving 24 hours notice) to place an order. Guests can dine outside in warm weather; the large teak garden table seats 10, and children can sit at a pub-style bench table close by.

The drawing room is the room to relax in. It has exposed floor boards, an open fireplace and slate hearth, and double doors opening to the front and views over the garden and valley. A fully loaded iPod with docking station is provided which makes this room the perfect place to enjoy a book or the papers after a big lunch. It may be that watching a good film, a great sporting event or just catching up on your favourite sitcom is in order. In which case, you have a large 37" LCD to watch it on, with no fear of the kids interrupting as they have their own room next door! The Vicarage bedrooms are large, light and airy. All the beds have Hypnos reactive mattresses and cool Egyptian cotton bedlinen. Rooms are configured as follows: 2 x super king size doubles 1 x king size double 1 x twin 1 x single with a cot 2 rooms each with a set of bunks and one single bed. There are 7 bedrooms altogether, 2 bathrooms and 1 shower room.

'The Bothy - an extra king suite and shower room, if required, available from late January 2012. The Bothy resembles in character a cosy miniature version of Snow Whites Cottage, with a wood burner to light on a chilly evening, it will also have all the mod cons of the 21st century including under floor heating, slate wet room and a 42 inch plasma TV, wall mounted for bedtime viewing.

42” plasma TV with FreeSat,

DVD/video player 37” LCD TV with Blu-Ray DVD and FreeSat.

Library of 260 DVDs + children’s classic videos

Bose iPod dock with fully loaded iPod.

20” iMac computer with printer

Wii console and games

Dishwasher

Washing machine

Tumble dryer

Freezer

Trip Trap high chair

5 boogie boards,buckets and spades

Board games for all ages.

In the village of Lee, three miles from Ilfracombe and Woolacombe. The village has just one single country lane running through it, plus a pub and a small general store, making it ideal territory for family holidays. The pub, The Grampus Inn, serves great meals. A large Tesco, butcher, greengrocer, hardware shop etc are all available in Ilfracombe. Further facilities can be found in Barnstable (20 mins). The house is a 3.5-hour drive from London. Online supermarkets can deliver, as can Majestic Wine in Barnstable. Airport: Exeter (65 miles, approx 1hr 20 mins) Station: Barnstable (15 miles). Direct links to Exeter, 50 mins. Tiverton Parkway (50 mins) for direct trains to London Paddington (2hrs 30 mins).

There is an abundance of local attractions and activities in the immediate area. At low tide there is a sandy bathing area at Lee Bay beach, and it is also possible to walk ‘through’ the rocks to Sandy Cove. The Cove is secluded and great fun to explore, with caves etc. There are steep steps that take you onto headland, so there’s no fear of ever getting trapped by the tide. If a walk to the beach followed by a pub lunch in Lee is not your thing, then you can really stretch your legs by walking the famous Lee to Bull Point coast path. Ilfracombe has the Tunnel beaches, an Aquarium, the Ilfracombe Golf Club, and Mullacott Equestrian and Quad Biking Centre. Lundy Island, which lies 12 miles off the coast, was named as Britain’s 10th natural wonder, and has been designated a site of special scientific nature. Ferries depart regularly from Ilfracombe. Other attractions include Woolacombe, Royal North Devon golf course (England’s oldest), Point Break extreme watersports, Combe Martin wildlife and dinosaur park, Lynton and Lynmouth cliff railway, Clovelly, Croyde Bay, Exmoor National Park, Putsborough Sands and Valley of the Rocks.

Prices for 2012:

Main House Low/high season £1,600 to £3,340, The Bothy (sleeps extra 2) low/high season £200 to £350.

Special rates available for smaller groups low/mid season.

Main House 3 night break low/mid season £1,295 to £1,670, The Bothy (sleeps extra 2) low/mid season £170-£200.

Special rates available for smaller groups.