DEVON - England 2012 and the Best of Wales - page 380

and elegant; beds are orthopedic and comfortable. The hotel restaurant—headed by
double-Michelin-starred chef Michael Caines—is revered by food critics throughout
the nation. In fact, many people stay here primarily for the food. The spa treatments,
the tennis courts, and the miles of grounds on which to wander make this a perfect
country retreat.
Gidleigh Park (2 miles outside town), Chagford, Devon TQ13 8HH. www.gidleigh.com. & 01647/432367.
Fax [phone] units, 1 cottage. £320-£530 double; £1,175 suite. Rates include English breakfast,
morning tea, and dinner. AE, MC, V. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; babysitting; bowling green; croquet
lawn; golf course; putting green; spa treatments; tennis court. In room: TV, hair dryer, Wi-Fi (free).
INEXPENSIVE
Easton Court Bed & Breakfast Just outside Chagford, this pleasant guest-
house amid lush gardens and paddocks is a favorite of the literati and theatre folk.
Evelyn Waugh lived here while writing Brideshead Revisited, and the atmosphere is
still that of a relaxed English country cottage. Guest rooms are snug and comfortable,
decorated in subtle shades of cream and white; many have brass beds and William
Morris prints. All have peaceful countryside views. The owners are friendly, and
breakfast is hearty.
Easton Cross, Chagford, Devon TQ13 8JL. www.easton.co.uk. & 01647/433469. 5 units. £70-£75
double. Rates include English breakfast. MC, V. No children 10 and under. Take the A382 1 1 ⁄ 2 miles north-
east of Chagford. Amenities: Guest lounge. In room: TV, CD player, hair dryer.
Globe Inn This friendly pub restaurant on Chagford's main street has looked out for
wayfarers since the 16th century. The pub is traditional, with dark wood paneling and
floors and big fireplaces. Locals and visitors meet here for drinks and traditional English
cuisine. The guestrooms upstairs are comfortable and modern, with plenty of space.
High Street, Chagford, Devon TQ13 8AJ. www.globeinnchagford.co.uk. & 01647/433-485. 7 units.
£70-£90 double. Rates include English breakfast. MC, V. Amenities: Pub/restaurant. In room: TV, hair
dryer, free Wi-Fi.
Whiddons ENGLISH TEA At teatime, drop in at Whiddons, a tea shop in a 16th-
century thatched cottage. You can sip your Earl Grey or English Breakfast tea while
nibbling freshly baked scones and delicate cucumber sandwiches. It makes a great
break from sightseeing.
On the High St., Chagford. & 01647/433-406. Sandwiches/scones £4-£8. MC. V. Mon-Sat 9am-4pm.

9

OTHER TOWNS IN DARTMOOR
Most travelers enter the moors through Oakehampton, a pleasant enough workaday
town right at the edge of Dartmoor. It has a handful of restaurants and a gas/petrol
station (rare in the moors—fuel up first), so you're likely to run into other visitors if
you stop in.
A few miles inside the moor on the A382, the peaceful market town of Moreton-
hampstead is perched on a hillside, surrounded by moorland. Along with little tea
shops and pubs, it contains rare 17th-century colonnaded almshouses and an old
Market Cross, which for hundreds of years has marked the site of the local market,
still held here on Fridays and Saturdays.
From Moretonhampstead, you can head 6 miles down the winding narrow B3212
to the little village of Postbridge, which has a rare, ancient “clapper” bridge. Clapper
bridges were made by supporting large flat slabs of granite (some weighing several
tons) on sturdy stone piers. (The word “clapper” is believed to be a corruption of the