Mill Cottage Guestbook.

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Summer 2004:

P from Windsor:

A perfect holiday! The photos didn’t do the cottage justice. We will be back! Children spent many a happy hour in the Wendy house. Couldn’t have asked for more, thank you.

H & B from Essex:

We had a lovely holiday at Mill Cottage and very impressed with North Devon. A very enjoyable meal at Yeory Farmhouse, and the Duke of York at Iddesleigh is worth a visit, but get there early. Also lovely food at the Beaford House Hotel, but not many guests!

B from Tadworth:

Children loved the Wendy House, bunk beds and fishing in the river. We all loved the garden. Plenty to see and do around. Just lovely to stay in and “chill out”.

B from Lancashire:

A perfect holiday in a perfect setting.

B from Canada: Wow!

What an idyllic setting. These surroundings highlighted our Devon holiday. Our 2½ yr old would have gladly slept in the Wendy house, if we’d let him. We return to Canada with wonderful memories!

P & H from London and Australia:

A lovely home & yard (garden) which made our stay very enjoyable. A truly relaxing place.

S from Milton Keynes:

An excellent setting – children loved the spacious garden and Wendy House. Thoroughly recommend a trip to “The Big Sheep” and a drive up to Lynton & Lynmouth. Enjoyed a meal at Ye Olde Inn in nearby Roborough.

R & M from Marchwood & Worthing:

Really enjoyed the cottage & garden. Loved Woolacombe beach & the children liked “The Big Sheep”, Watermouth Castle and the Miniature Pony Farm. Granddad liked the pheasants & assorted birds in the garden. Thanks for a lovely week.

B & S from Nottinghamshire:

A very comfortable & relaxing place. Cottage & garden lovely. Very well equipped & homely. If we have the weather no real need to move. Recommend the “Duke of York” at Iddesleigh. Good food & atmosphere. Many thanks.

K from Mayfield:

Enjoyable, relaxing week. Home from home! Even baked a cake! The girls loved playing in the Wendy house and with all the toys. The recommendation to the “Duke of York” in Iddesleigh was great – good (large) meals & atmosphere!! “The Big Sheep” a good day out for the children. A beautiful garden to sit in when the weather is right!!

K from Whyteleafe:

Very relaxing week. Enjoyed the house & garden and the birds are a joy. The grandchildren really loved it.

M from Market Harborough:

A beautiful cottage and fabulous garden. The children loved the Wendy house. Excellent meal at Yeory Farm. “The Big Sheep” a great place to visit.

J & C from Knighton:

The beautiful woodpeckers on the bird feeder were the highlight for us. House and garden wonderful.

S & M from Bickbury & Dundee:

What an idyllic spot! We don’t want to leave. Even the weather smiled upon us – well, 3½ days out of 6! The kids loved the Wendy House and the garden. Nana and Grandpa loved the garden too and Rosemoor Garden almost next door. We’ll be back!

B from Godalming:

A lovely two weeks have flown by at Mill Cottage. Good enough weather for plenty of beach excursions to Croyde, Woolacombe, Bude Westward Ho! and even Clovelly which kept the kids (and Daddy) happy. The boys have turned into surf dudes, complete with brown skin and leather necklaces! We enjoyed the very comfortable, home-like facilities of the cottage (bed-linen and towels particularly gorgeous), and felt spoilt by the beautiful bread waiting on arrival, and the lovely courgettes and beans from the garden. Also loved delving into the varied bookcase and enjoyed our first lunch at Yeory Farm so much, we went back on our last day for a final blow-out!

P from Isleworth:

What a very special place! We have had such a lovely holiday, enjoying the beautiful cottage and gardens. We loved visiting the enchanting villages, particularly Hatherleigh and Winkleigh. Favourite pub Duke of York at Iddesleigh – a warm welcome for children. Beautiful beach at Saunton, worth going very early to ensure a parking place. Many thanks for a wonderful week.

W & C from Rushden:

What a treat to stay in such a beautiful cottage. The garden was a paradise for the children despite the weather. Yeory farm is a must for future guests, the food was wonderful, (book early to avoid disappointment). Good places to visit were “The Big Sheep” –great! Watermouth Castle and Dinosaur Land. The Milky Way was a big disappointment – does not live up to expectations. Despite the weather we have had a lovely stay – the beautiful cottage is a credit to its owners. Thank you very much.

B & F from Oxford:

Wonderful house with everything you need and more!!! The garden was ideal for four little ones who like to run around. We can’t really comment on the local attraction, as the weather was so fantastic we went to the beach every day!!! Would definitely recommend Croyde Bay & Saunton Sands – lovely clean beaches & very safe for the children. Thank you very much for an excellent week – and a big thank you from the children for the Wendy house in the garden. Love from Baby Barney.

L from Norwich & R from Leigh on Sea:

Apart from the changeable weather we enjoyed our stay here. We had the odd hour of memorable moments in the garden and managed to get about and tour the local area. The villages here are definitely worth exploring – all maintaining a traditional character and way of life fast disappearing in other parts of the country. We had everything we needed at the cottage and our hosts were very friendly and charming. Thank you.

H from Farnham:

The cottage is perfect and an excellent base from which to explore this lovely part of Devon (apart from the permanent traffic jams in Barnstaple!). Somewhat windy week – and riding bikes in the rain along the Tarka Trail was interesting!

Summer 2005

M from Northamptonshire:

We have had a wonderful week! We’ve enjoyed the bird watching (even glimpsing a kingfisher down near the mill!), local walks, cycling along the Tarka Trail and Granite Way, horseriding on Dartmoor, plus National Trust properties at Arlington House, Castle Drogo & Lydford Gorge. Martha’s favourite thing, however, was the well-equipped children’s play area in the park at Bideford (behind the tourist information office). We spent much of our one rainy day in the Duke of York, Iddesleigh –huge portions of food and friendly staff (not to mention the roaring log fire!). The cottage is extremely comfortable (Bill managed to hit his head on the beams once of twice though ….as expected). We love the beautiful garden too and hope that we will return here. Thank you!

G from Orpington:

We have had a wonderful week. The garden was paradise for the children and we too saw the woodpecker! You couldn’t fault the cottage. It is excellent. Although the weather could have been better we had some wonderful days out, the children thoroughly enjoyed “The Big Sheep” & cycling along the Tarka Trail. We also enjoyed Clovelly & Lynton & Lynmouth. The food at the Duke of York in Iddesleigh was great but would advise booking at Yeory Farm as soon as you arrive. We tried to book on the Monday & it was fully booked all week. Many thanks for a great week.

H from Hebdon Bridge:

A perfect cottage in a perfect setting – we have had a wonderful holiday.

T & Grandma from Halifax:

A beautiful, well-equipped and very cosy cottage with a glorious garden in an idyllic location – what more can we say!! Rosemoor Gardens at Great Torrington definitely worth a visit, plenty of ideas to be had for our own gardens! Cycling on the Tarka Trail was good fun, although there are some very sneaky hills! Edward enjoyed traveling on the back of Daddy’s bike, once he got used to the helmet. Lovely coastal walks around Croyde and woodland around cottage was excellent for some short, close walks. We all enjoyed the wildlife in the garden & spotted: squirrels, the woodpecker, many many different birds, a roe deer in the wood (very early morning) and loved watching the resident pheasant couple “Mr & Mrs Vitaflight”. The weather shined upon us for most of the week which made our holiday even more enjoyable! Mr & Mrs Bennett made us feel very welcome & have created a lovely cottage which has been so much more than just a “holiday home”! Thank you. XXXX

A from Camberley:

We have enjoyed our weeks holiday hear in Beaford and have visited many places of interest, Clovelly, Hartland Quay, Castle Drogo, to name a few. Excellent food at the Duke of York at Iddesleigh and Beaford House Hotel. Mill Cottage is very comfortable and the garden is full of wildlife, very peaceful and relaxing. Thank you.

C from Appley Bridge:

Thank you for a wonderful week at Mill Cottage. We particularly enjoyed the local river walks. We loved watching all the bird life in the garden. Unfortunately didn’t catch any fish but had a wonderful picnic on a gloriously sunny day.

R from Colchester:

We have had a lovely week at Mill Cottage, a lovely peaceful house to stay in. Birds in garden very interesting. The weather was great, spent most of the time at the beaches Sandymouth Bay, Ilfracombe, Woolacombe all good. Thank you

M from Hertfordshire:

I think this is the best holiday we have ever had – it really has been perfect. The cottage is beautiful and it has been a real pleasure to sit in the sunroom / garden in the sunny evenings. The weather has been fantastic this week so we have been very lucky. We have visited so many lovely places – the beaches at Croyde Bay and Saunton Sands were absolutely stunning (worth a visit!) and the beach’s tunnels at Ilfracombe are ideal if you have young children. The cycle ride on the Tarka Trail was great but the track is very exposed if the weather is hot. Clovelly is just a completely mad village on an amazingly steep cliff side – very beautiful with a lovely tea-shop and two pubs – again worth a visit! We really felt that we could have done with 2 weeks holiday instead of one – so many lovely places to go and a beautiful cottage to return to at the end of the day.

R & S from Herne Bay and Birmingham:

We’ve had a lovely stay at Mill Cottage. The house is very comfortable and well equipped and the garden is bliss. It’s very been fascinating watching the birds feeding in the day and listening to the owls in the garden at night. Had some great food at the Black Horse Inn in Torrington and the Pub at Iddesleigh (The Duke of York). Watermouth Castle was good fun for the little ones if a little quirky! There are some good walks around the cottage manageable by the children. Fergus had great fun in the Wendy house and garden – what a great idea. Grandad has caught about 60-70lbs of fish over two days from Stafford Moor fisheries so he is beaming! I think we’d all like to stay a bit longer as there are still many things to do and we have enjoyed the cottage so much. Many thanks

L from Farnborough and Dorking:

Daughter (8 years) It was a very nice cottage I stayed in and I had a lovely time. I really want to come and stay again. Thank you for a wonderful time. Daughter (6 years) I really liked staying in this cottage and I really liked the Wendy house. Mum Gorgeous cottage & garden. Weather glorious all week. Visitied some lovely places – children’s favourites The Gnome Reserve, Saunton Sands, Big Sheep & Woodlands. Westward Ho! Beach also very nice. Thanks for a fabulous time. Nanny I am so lucky the family brought me along on this holiday, I have so enjoyed the garden and the birds.

T & M from Coventry:

We have all had a simply wonderful holiday. We have loved staying in this beautiful cottage, in which all of our wants and need have been met. The garden is fantastic – the children have spent many happy hours riding their bikes up and down the garden, playing football and making pretend cups of tea in the Wendy house. Liam (2) has felt so safe and happy in the Wendy house that he has spent two afternoons fast asleep in bed there! Grandad (Gaga) has fallen in love with the garden and has ensured that the birds are well fed. Zoë (3½) and Liam thoroughly enjoyed The Big Sheep – plenty for little children to do –and Atlantic Village – both indoor and outdoor play areas are wonderful for children of all ages. Patricia and David – thank you so much for a lovely welcome to your cottage – it’s those little touches that mean so much.

B from Carlisle & Lockerbie:

What a fantastic Holiday! The Cottage is absolutely beautiful, and so well equipped. We’ve had lots of fun playing “Hide and Seek” in the garden. Ryan and Lucy have spent Lots of time playing in the Wendy House. One week just isn’t long enough and we’re sad to be going home already. This has been our first “family” holiday with Grandma and Grandad, the setting has been perfect and has strengthened the bond between us all. We’ve visited some great places. Clovelly was stunning & well worth a visit on a sunny day. Cream teas are just heaven on a plate! Diggerland was great for the kids (and the big kids!!). A lovely keepsake from our holiday was the kids’ handprints at Dartington Crystal, I also suspect we’ll be popping back into The Barometer World on the way home for a final keepsake. Grandma: Many thanks to Mr & Mrs Bennett for a wonderful warm welcome and for the many thoughtful touches in & around the cottage.

B from Oldham:

We have loved our time at Mill Cottage. The weather has been wonderful and the house and garden an absolute delight. We, too, have seen the woodpecker and a pair of nuthatches. We were lucky enough to have been here for the Torrington Cavaliers spectacular bonfire and firework display which attracted 25,000 people. Getting out of the car park proved “interesting”. Many thanks to Mr & Mrs. Bennett who took the trouble to let us know this was happening. It made a great start to the holiday. The beach at Westward Ho! Was voted the favourite by the children. We will also remember the peace of the garden and the sky at night with a magnificent display of stars and Milky Way absolutely free.

W from Hertfordshire:

Beautifully presented house and wonderful garden. We were lucky with the weather. Key attractions for us were: Rosemoor Gardens; Dartmoor (Two Bridges Hotel does excellent cream teas); Eden Project (fantastic but a 2 hour drive); Tarka Trail cycle ride (South from Bideford is excellent, mainly through trees). A lovely holiday.

F from Changford:

Have had a wonderful week here and enjoyed watching the birds in the garden, also exploring parts of Devon that we had not seen before. We did appreciate the welcome tea and newly baked bread on our arrival here. Thank you very much.

B from Brentwood:

What a delightful chocolate box cottage. We have enjoyed our stay here very much, wish it could have been longer. Thank you very much for the warm welcome that we received on our arrival.

D & D both from East Grinstead:

We have had a very enjoyable week. Weather was very good. So nice to revisit old familiar places. We thoroughly recommend “The Kings Arms” at Winkleigh and for a special meal “The Beaford House Hotel”. We did appreciate the food on arrival. Thank you.

S from Thornhill:

Wonderful cottage inside and fantastic garden and setting. Good beaches at Woolacombe, Saunton and Westward Ho! Daughter enjoyed “Big Sheep” and Atlantic Village play area. Good meal at Yeory Farm and friendly reception. Thank you David & Patricia for letting us borrow your Dream for a week.

M from Maidstone:

Thank you David & Patricia for letting us stay in your lovely home. We have had a good week walking and exploring Devon & Cornwall.

Summer 2006

S from Dorset & Hampshire:

A thoroughly enjoyable week’s stay in this delightful cottage so well equipped and comfortable.

S from Yate, Bristol:

Really enjoyable stay in a lovely cottage – thank you for all your efforts. Setting is superb, and we enjoyed bird watching especially! Hope to come again one day.

S & W from Cambridgeshire:

Lovely cottage, beautiful gardens, fantastic weather. We have had a wonderful week, you made us feel very welcome and the little touches made all the difference. Thank you.

J from Stockport:

Beautiful cottage - beautiful location – beautiful weather! We have had a fantastic week and really don’t want to go home at all. Peace and quiet, (apart from Fred the pheasant, who has been a joy to watch). The Wendy House is a definite hit with Molly (4½). Fantastic hosts – thank you for letting us borrow your cottage. We definitely intend to be back.

M from Welwyn Garden City:

Lovely week again – a real shame to have to go home so early. Thank you once again for your hospitality, it was great to see you again. P.S. Shed door is a bit “sticky”, can’t seem to lock it. Also bottle of wine on table is our thank you for babysitting.

D & M from Bourneville & Leatherhead:

We had a thoroughly enjoyable week. The cottage was charming and the garden perfect for relaxing dinners in the evening warmth. We will remember body surfing at Croyde and Westward Ho!, a spectacular picnic on Dartmoor, and the miniature pony centre. Thank you for babysitting, David and Patricia, and for making us feel so welcome.

B from Nottingham:

Amazing landscape and still nights and mornings, friendly people and good food. Looking forward to coming again – many thanks to David and Patricia for a great time.

W from Burton-on-Trent:

What a fantastic week, lovely cottage, superb location, would certainly come again, couldn’t ask for more.

H from Cambridge:

A wonderful fortnight in Devon. Lovely beaches like Puttsborough. Great walks like on cliffs at Baggy Point. Patricia & David ensured we were very comfortable & had a good holiday. Great vegetables from the garden.

W & B from Northolt:

An absolute dream cottage to stay in. Perfect for us & the children. Very comfortable & homely. Many thanks to Patricia & David for your very warm welcome. Thoroughly enjoyed the quad biking at North Devon Quads, also the day’s bicycle ride, (despite the little accident). The lads had a very good days fishing at the lakes. Don’t really recommend the Dinosaur Park at Combe Martin.

C & G from Tonbridge & Swanley:

From Charlotte, Sophie and Elliott:(the children) We have had a cool time here at Mill Cottage. The Wendy House is great and fun to play in, and the garden is really big and is great to play hide and seek in! The beaches are great! We really enjoyed the Big Sheep! It’s been a great holiday! (The grown ups wrote:) Thanks for a lovely time in your wonderful cottage. We’re envious of the garden which is lovely and so peaceful – how will we sleep at nights with noise and street lights! We agree with all the comments about Yeory Farmhouse and Gill’s meals (be warned, she’s booked up for Saturdays and Sundays until March next year). The Duke of York and the Kings Arms also do excellent food – by the way we did do other things besides eating! PS. We hope Percy (the cat) gives you years and years of love and friendship.

R from Stockport:

Thank you for a lovely holiday – everything was perfect – even the weather was good despite dire warnings! Garden is lovely & the cottage gorgeous although downstairs WC would have been useful with kids! Recommend Tarka Inn on way to Saunton Sands, (we avoided worst of Barnstaple via A3125 to Bridlington?). Thank you for making us feel so welcome – hope Percy (the cat) is adopted permanently soon – all the best K & R

H from Brampton:

What a beautiful setting! The Wendy house was a huge hit with Katie (aged 2½)! Had a fantastic meal at Yeory (you must save room for the lovely puddings they have). Food at the Duke of York was good but we had to wait an hour before our food arrived so I would suggest either getting there early or late! Caught some great fish & crabs in the rock pools at Westward Ho! & had a lovely carvery at Country Cousins – just as good as Yeory but cheaper!!). Fantastic days out at Croyde & Big Sheep!

N & H from Littlehampton & Worthing:

Thank you David & Patricia for loaning us your little corner of heaven for this week. We have been able to relax, chill out & recharge the batteries! We’ve enjoyed visiting lots of places in your pretty county & the food at Yeory Farm and Iddesleigh! Thank you for making us so welcome & we wish you lots of luck with all your plans for the future.

A & T from Ely & Watford:

Thanks for your very warm welcome. You have made us feel very much at home, and marking Issy’s birthday was much appreciated. It is indeed a beautiful part of the country as well as being a good location from which to make some very interesting visits. Most days we found walks both local and a little further afield. Enjoying the sands at Westward Ho! in shirt sleeves at this time of the year was a delightful experience and is perhaps further evidence of global warming! Hope Percy (the cat) your latest guest settles in well & fully enjoys the many home comforts that are on offer here. Thanks once again for a lovely stay – it has made a deep impression on all of us. (From Issy) Great holiday! Lovely house, we’ve had a really enjoyable stay. Plenty of wildlife and a beautiful garden. Thank you so much