Visiting The Collective at Woolsery in summer? Here’s how to embrace your wild side
There are so many ways to connect with nature when you stay at the suites and cottages of The Collective during the summer months. Here are some of our favourites:
1. Go wild swimming
Swimming outdoors feels incredibly enlivening. Here on the north Devon coast, many award-winning beaches beckon where you can throw yourself into pristine waters for an endorphin-boosting swim. Just nine miles away is the long beach at Westward Ho!, while Hartland Quay offers the opportunity for a gentle dip on calm-water days. For safety, Widemouth Bay (20 miles away) is a lifeguarded beach with an adjacent car park. Sandymouth (15 miles away) is another great wild-swimming spot and much quieter.
2. Walk the South West Coast Path
To experience nature in all its wild glory, hit the coastal path from Hartland (8 miles) to Speke’s Mill Mouth. The reward for this 20-minute coastal hike is the awesome sight of a plunging waterfall where butterflies and dragonflies flit and flutter, and the cries of wagtails and peregrine falcons fill the air. To turn it into a circular 4-mile walk click here.
3. Explore the moors
Exmoor and Dartmoor are within easy travelling distance of Woolsery and offer miles and miles of wild moorland to explore by foot. If you’re lucky you’ll encounter wild ponies and deer; spotting numerous species of birds is guaranteed.
Grab artisan provisions from our village shop for a picnic lunch to fortify you on your day’s hike.
4. Take a sea safari
To get up, close and personal with marine wildlife in their natural habitat, book a sea safari. The waters of the north Devon coast are home to a rich diversity of marine species, including seals, seabirds, dolphins and porpoises. There are several tour operators in the seaside town of Ilfracombe (30 miles away) that offer sea safaris for wildlife watching, including Ilfracombe Sea Safari.
5. Visit an outstanding garden
RHS Rosemoor (15 miles) near Torrington in north Devon is an enchanting place to connect to nature. The iconic Hot Garden dazzles with vibrant colour in summer, while the scent of hundreds of roses fills the air in its two rose gardens.
We’re also within driving distance of Clovelly Court Gardens (3 miles), Docton Mill Gardens and Tea Room (7 miles) and the formal grounds of Hartland Abbey (7 miles).
6. Go foraging
At our dining pub, The Farmers Arms, our kitchen team supplement the produce that comes from our nearby 150-acre farm, Birch Farm, with interesting foraged ingredients – such as sea vegetables from Hartland’s beaches. Those staying in the cottages can do the same thing, picking ingredients like marsh and rock samphire from the coast to use in their own cooking. Of course, there’s always the opportunity to dine at the pub and enjoy the fruits of the kitchen team’s labours instead.
Explore The Collective at Woolsery’s collection of cottages, rooms, and suites