One of the things that make us stand out from the crowd are all the added little touches which we love to provide with our compliments;
Bespoke toiletries;
In your cottage you will find a beautiful hand-crafted soap to use during your stay with us. We have moved away from providing lots of different bottles as many of our customers are concerned about the impact of single use plastics and detergent based shampoos on the environment and particularly the beautiful waters surrounding our North Devon coastline.
Making the switch to soap-based toiletries means no plastic waste as our beautiful Seagull paper is compostable and printed on FSC paper with environmentally friendly inks. Our stickers which seal the soaps are made from compostable cellulose which breakdown within a few months in a hot composter. Soap itself does not cause harm to aquatic life and biodegrades naturally with no harm to the water systems. Our soaps can be used for Shave, Shower and Shampoo and are also much kinder to your skin and scalp than harsher detergent based shampoos and liquid soaps
We hope you love the new locally hand made products and our continued efforts to protect our beautiful environment, if you have any questions about them please do not hesitate to ask.
Cream teas;
A trip to Westward Living at Duckhaven Stud would not be complete without sampling a world famous delicious local cream tea. All the ingredients are locally sourced and placed in your cottage ready for your arrival – please let us know 10 days in advance or your stay if you have any food intolerance.
Towels and linen;
Linen and towels are included for all cottages.
Cottage inventories
Each cottage will have the following as standard,
Hair dryers
Microwaves
Dish washer (with the exception of Surcoat cottage)
Washing machine and tumble dryer or washer dryer
Iron & ironing board
The essentials;
All our of cottages are self-catering and we are close by to a great selection of local shops to stock up on the essentials for use during your stay with us, however each cottage is equipped with a small selection of essential cleaning products to get you through your first night including dish washer tablets, washing up liquid, bin bag, tea towels, washing sponges, anti bac spray and toilet paper.
If you require our directions, access statement or any other documents in larger point font please contact us [email protected] or call us on 01237 238967
We have 4 accessible cottages, these are can be viewed here.
Each property has a full access statement on the listing.
Smiley cottage has been built with accessibility in mind, a ramp access into the main lounge and 2ft 9" door into the master bedroom and wet room. The wet room is equipped for disabled persons use.
We offer a choice of bathroom chairs, one with wheels and one static, please advise when booking which you prefer.
Our larger family properties Farriers, Gallops and Furlong are also suitable for disabled access and have wet rooms.
Wheelchair friendly beaches
Westward Ho! Beach facilities include disabled access, toilets (including disabled), easy access refreshments and lifeguard cover during the summer months.
Exmoor National Park A Tramper electric wheelchair is available to hire to explore sections of the stunning north Exmoor coast.
Ilfracombe Tunnels Beaches Beach facilities include disabled access, toilets (including disabled), refreshments and lifeguard cover during the summer months.
Saunton Beach Easy Disabled Access. Toilets and Showers with disabled facilities including the new Landeez, the all-terrain and beach wheelchair available for hire. Sand is very soft sand at entrance making wheelchair access difficult.
Croyde Bay Easy Disabled Access. However, sand very soft sand at entrance making wheelchair access difficult.
Combe Martin A great beach for families with loads to keep the kids entertained. Shingle at the top with sand closer to the water for building sandcastles, rockpools to explore plus easy disabled access.
Woolacombe. Ideal beach with broad golden sand and safe swimming. Easy disabled access from lower car parks
Shared usage part of the trail runs from Braunton to Meeth and is suitable for wheelchairs with easy access at many locations along the route.
The local AONB have worked hard to produce a range of very informative information on accessible tourism, local walks and cycle routes, please click here for more info.
If you are looking to stock up the cupboards when you arrive, then the two best places for us to recommend are the village of Westward Ho! which has pretty much everything you might need; including a great local butchers called F Heards, bakers, as well as Tesco Express, Co-op and a local NISA village store. Alternatively, if you require a larger supermarket, ASDA is about 3 miles away, just off of the A39, and Morrison’s is located in Bideford, also about 3 miles away.
If you are coming via Barnstaple, there is a huge Tesco and Sainsburys on route to us at the Barnstaple roundabout.
It is possible to arrange for a supermarket to make a delivery to your cottage, If you have arranged a supermarket delivery for your arrival, please make sure you are here to receive the delivery. The team are not able to accept grocery deliveries on your behalf. Make sure the driver has your contact number so they can call you once they arrive. There are a number of major supermarkets 5 minutes away in Bideford and a 15-minute drive away in Barnstaple; with Tesco and Sainsbury’s offering delivery. If you do book a delivery, please let us know as we need to ensure that you are there to take the delivery. In the event that you are not here to receive it, the order will be sent back.
There are four petrol stations in the local town of Bideford which is about 3 miles away from us here at Westward Living. Morrisons supermarket in the centre of Bideford has a large petrol station which is open every day, alternatively there is a local petrol station called Blights close by to ASDA as well as ASDA now offering petrol.
ASDA - EX39 3QU
Blights - EX39 3ET
Morrisons – EX39 2LG
Esso - EX39 2PF
Morrison’s and Esso garages are next door to each other in the town of Bideford about 3m away.
Blights garage is located on the left-hand side of Clovelly Road near ASDA. Carry on past ASDA on your right; Blights garage is on the left-hand side it is about 2.5m from Duckhaven.
If you are coming via Barnstaple there are two opportunities to fill up en route to us, one is at Tesco's which is 10 miles from us and clearly signposted from the A39, the other option is slightly further up at the Shell Station or Sainsbury’s at Roundswell, this is easily recognisable near the KFC and Barnstaple Travel lodge.
A service station is located at Roundswell (near KFC) on the A39 link road from Barnstaple towards Bideford.
If you are travelling south to see the wonderful local delights of Hartland, Clovelly and Bude make sure you have plenty of gas in the tank as the petrol stations are few and far between until you get to Bude (17 miles away)
In the interest of security, only guests staying in the cottages whose names have been provided at point of booking are permitted on the grounds at Westward Living. This applies to any wedding guests, suppliers or friends/family, in order to protect the security of guest staying on site, our team will regularly make contact with guests they meet on site and check which cottage they are staying in - please do not take offence as this is for your safety.
All our cottages and venues are strictly non-smoking. Smoking is permitted outside of your property (outside seating, gardens, patios etc) where we have wall mounted ashtrays for your use.
In order for our properties to be ready for your arrival, our largest family cottages Farriers, Furlong and The Gallops will be ready for you to check in from 4:00pm.
All of our other properties have a check in from 3:00pm.
When you arrive onsite you will see directly in front of you the guest parking area in front of our reception building, this is clearly sign posted .
This is our check in and reception area where your keys will be ready for collection.
If you are planning to arrive outside office hours (Monday – Friday, 9.00 – 5.30 pm), please let us know 48 hours before your anticipated arrival so we can make arrangements for your keys to be left in a secure place ready for your arrival. When you arrive, please call 07807 096 997 and let us know you are safely here. Alternatively if you experience any difficulty trying to find us please call us on this number and we will be delighted to help.
We have a clearly signposted guest parking area, each holiday cottage has a secure off-road designated parking space/s, this will be allocated prior to arrival and have the name of your cottage displayed on it.
Cars are permitted to drive up the cottage for loading and unloading purposes.
If you are traveling with young infants or require an earlier check time, please contact us prior to your arrival and we will always assist where possible, however this is not possible in the peak season and busy periods
All our guests enjoy complimentary WIFI on site and in each cottage, a passkey is provided in the guest info books on arrival. We do not offer telephones however we are in a good signal area for most service providers.
We have a limited phone signal at the Sunset Rooms and Ocean Kave but everywhere else on site works well
When you are our guest here at Westward Living we want to make sure that you have a fabulous holiday with us and if it rains on your short break, we have lots of things to do onsite to keep you occupied; and North Devon has lots of wonderful places for you to visit as well!
There are lots of ideas of things to do if the weather is a bit grotty on our website or visit the team in reception where we have a tourist information point with lots of leaflets for local attractions and places to visit. If you would like any additional games or DVDs, we also have an extensive library in reception for you to choose from.
If there is anything else that we can do for you during your short break to make your stay more pleasant & enjoyable, please do let us know!
Can I bring horses?
We welcome horses as well has humans here at Westward Living. Farriers cottage has a private paddock including field shelter, adjacent to the garden where you are welcome to bring your own horse at a small fee of £100 per week which includes hay and straw bedding. Please call us on 01237 238 967 to request more information about our livery option.
Do you accept dogs?
With the exception of Dream, Kala's, Smiley, Sadlers & Furlong cottages, our properties do not accept dogs. Guests who are bringing dogs must comply with our dog policy and will be charged for damages. If you have not advised us that your dog will be travelling with you we reserve the right to append your booking if possible (with relevant surcharges) or deny access to your dog. Please ensure that you are aware of the conditions before booking.
We love dogs, but unfortunately due to our location on a stud farm with many thorough bred horses running free in the cliff top fields & goats and chickens living within the grounds we are not able to accept dogs in all of our cottages. Assistance dogs are made very welcome all year round and Smiley Cottage is our recommended property for guests requiring an accessible cottage or wishing to bring an assistance dog. We do accept well behaved dogs over 12 months old in Smiley & small dogs in Furlong, Kala's, Surcoat, Sadlers & Dream cottage by prior arrangement, however all dogs are expected to be on a lead at all times and not to jump up on sofas or beds.
If you are considering bringing a dog, please advise us on point of booking to check if this is permitted & we will forward you a copy of our dog policy which forms part of your contract with us.
There is a £20 surcharge for bringing along your four-legged friend to cover to cost of a deep steam clean that is carried out after your departure. This is not intended to offend in any way but is simply to ensure that the fibres of the fabrics and soft furnishings in the cottage are ready for our next guests and will not affect any future guests with allergies.
If you have not advised us that your dog will be travelling with you we reserve the right to append your booking if possible (with relevant surcharges) or deny access to your dog. This is because we have a max head count of dogs that can be permitted on site at one time.We advise that you contact us on 01237 238967 to discuss the availability of our dog friendly cottages and to receive a copy of our dog policy prior to booking your short break.
What clothing should we bring?
In the Summer the weather is usually glorious, but please remember we are on stud farm on the coast, so a warm jacket and suitable walking shoes/boots are advisable if you are going to take in the amazing views and scenery. In Winter months be sure to wrap up warm with suitable walking attire, that way you can get the best views of the sea crashing against the rocks and take in Westward Ho! beach.
Things to bring check list
We have compiled a quick check list of holiday essentials that you may find helpful:
Beach towel
Bin bags
Cling film
Coffee
Cooking oil
Freezer/sandwich bags
Freshly ground coffee (filters are provided)
Lunch box’s (for days out)
Milk
Sauces (ketchup, mayonnaise etc)
Sugar
Suntan lotion with a high SPF
Tea
Tin foil
Toilet roll
Toothpaste
Washing powder
If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact the team on 01237 238 967
What if we change our mind?
We regret that deposits made for holidays and events are non-refundable as per our terms and conditions which can be found on this website. For this reason we advise you to make sure your dates work before making a booking. If you are making a reservation in our cottages to attend an event or wedding at Ocean Kave, we strongly advise that you take out the appropriate holiday insurance to cover you in the event of a wedding cancellation. Ocean Kave Ltd and Westward Living are two separate businesses operating thier own terms and conditions.
How can we pay?
Our preffered method of payment is BACS (bank transfer) We accept most major credit cards and debit cards with the exception of AMEX. Details of how to make payment are available at point of booking.
We take our guests safety very seriously and we have attained the Visit England "We're good to go" accreditation which is awarded to businesses in recognition that they have followed government and industry COVID-19 guidelines ensuring processes are in place to maintain cleanliness and aid social/physical distancing. Torridge (our local authority) has been one of the safest COVID-19 track records in the country.
Our terms for 2021 bookings are 20% deposit with the balance due 6 weeks prior to arrival. If there was another lock down or the post code on the booking form was prohibited to travel due to Government Guidelines we will refund 80% in full but we will need to carry the 20% deposit over against another stay with us (there is no time limit on this).
For the time being we are only taking bookings for a max of 6 guests in our larger properties (in England this also includes infants) but when the restrictions lift we will go back to the usual occupancy.