Cockington Village, Devon

We've had such a busy couple of weeks since I got back from London.  Not only had we decided previously to do a complete makeover on the kitchen, (more about that another time!), DH also started my Christmas present, which was a total overhaul of my sewing room!  This resulted in us emptying it completely (Oh My Goodness) painting walls, moving furniture, painting existing cabinetry and building more cabinets.  It's almost done, but I want to wait until it's finished before showing you. Suffice to say I am absolutely delighted with the result!  What a fabulous Christmas present.

We have now escaped the house and come down to Devon for some peace, relaxation, and no painting.  We are staying in a little village called Cockington, which is just outside of Torquay.  We spent the weekend visiting our favourite National Trust houses (I'll write a post about that in a bit) but today we left the car at home and explored Cockington Village.  What a delightful place it is, with traditional thatched cottages, tea rooms, and lots of walking opportunities for Daisy Dog.

We strolled up to Cockington Court, relishing the beautiful grounds on the way

In its heyday of being a private home, Cockington Court was visited regularly by a young lady, who would go on to find worldwide fame as Agatha Christie.  Nowadays the Court itself is managed by the Torbay Development Agency, as a craft and visitor centre, home to many artisans working at different traditional crafts including glass works, blacksmith, chocolate making etc.  

There is also the Parish Church within the grounds, which is serenely beautiful, with so much history to drink in, as well as a place for some quiet reflection.

Afterwards we had a delicious homemade lunch in the tea rooms at Cockington Court, which were created from the former library and drawing room.  

Daisy had been so good and well behaved and so we took her for a muddy walk through the water meadows.  She loved it!  She met lots of new friends along  the way and got wonderfully dirty!  It doesn't look too muddy here, but trust me, there was more around the corner!

We ended up at the seafront but the tide was in so Daisy wasn't able to go on the beach for a run.  It was lovely to look out though at Torquay this way...

...and Brixham to the right...

We came back to our cosy cottage, washed Daisy clean and then settled down for a cup of hot chocolate and some sock knitting, nestling in for a peaceful evening.  Total bliss.

Donna x