We arrived here a few days ago shortly after lunch on Wednesday. It was a relatively short drive from Croyde although the roads are challengingly narrow in this part of the world.

Venn Farm CL site is beautifully maintained and an Adults only site. All pitches are fully serviced.

You can find further details about the site here.

Despite this part of Devon / Cornwall being very rural, the overriding theme of “difficult” hospitality purveys. At the third attempt to find somewhere for dinner, we managed to secure a table at the Village Inn at Ashwater.

A traditional country pub – certainly no bells and whistles – but the food was ample and seemingly home-cooked. They had “Jail Ale” on draft which is definitely one of my favourites.

Thursday we headed a short distance to Roadwater Lake. Don’t be put off by the term Lake, as this is most definitely a man-made reservoir. There are all kinds of water based activities here along with some nice walks and a cafe. We had lunch at the cafe, which we considered a bit pricy at £16.50 for two sandwiches, crisps and two tins of fizz.

It was a sunny day and evening allowing for the first BBQ of this trip at our personal pitch picnic table.

Friday we headed into Cornwall to the National Trust property at Lanhydrock. A magnificent late Victorian country house with gardens and wooded estate.

We explored the formal gardens and part of the 1000 acre estate and woodlands. We finished up on the banks of the very peaceful River Fowey. This National Trust property is a real gem and if it had been a bit quieter, I think we may even have ventured indoors for a look around the house.

Having learnt our hospitality lesson, we had already booked a table at the Arscott Arms at Campmans Well near Launceston. This turned out to be quite a find. The pub / restaurant had a really nice feel to it and the food was excellent.

The starter we shared was a mixed smoked fish platter served with sourdough toast. It was fantastic.

We’ve been to restaurants where you can choose your own Lobster from a tank but never before been to a pub where there are sheep wandering around the beer garden. We wonder perhaps if there is a similar “fresh and local” concept at play here!