Collaton St Mary: Little village with pub and church 2 miles from the seafront/sandy beaches at Paignton (the middle one of Torbay’s three towns, with theatre, cinemas, harbour, good shops, entertainments, main-line railway). Torquay, 3 miles; Brixham , about 5; golf, about 3. The beautiful River Dart at Stoke Gabriel (pubs), 2 miles; Berry Pomeroy Castle (evocative ruin), 2. Totnes (attractive old small town, boat trips to Dartmouth), 3 miles; Dartington (arts centre, craft shops), 5; Dartmoor, about 11. Good zoo (Paignton’s) and riding stables, 1 mile. Tremendous variety to see/do in the area.

Blagdon is a 16th cent. manor house,  mile from Collaton St Mary, about 300 yards from a public road, tucked behind a popular thatched pub (but completely hidden from it by high wall/trees). Caravan site nearby, partly visible from some upstairs windows (only). Through the vicissitudes of its history, the house’s main downstairs rooms remain very recognisably 16th cent. Once a hotel, it has now been converted to self-catering. In the garden, fine big heated (extra) swimming pool (20’ x 40’ x 4’ to 7’ deep, available 23 May to 12 September) with ‘splash pool’ (approx 2’ deep) at one end, wide paved border (chairs, tables, umbrellas), paved terraces (two barbecues), large lawn, flowers.

Front door from big walled and cobbled courtyard to the 16th cent. ‘great hall’ with high ceiling to the apex (ancient beams), big open fireplace breasted with heraldic emblems/swords/ shields, piano, comfortable sofas/tables; through to large, comfortable, living room (open fire), also little changed by the years. At the ‘great hall’s’ other end, door to big dining room with area for children’s toys/playing, leading to fitted kitchen (dishwasher, microwave, commercial cooker with double oven), utility room (washing machine, tumble drier, freezer), and separate loo.

Behind the ‘great hall’ a passage leads, past a downstairs loo, up 4 steps to a landing off which is a double bedroom with single divan (2’6), also an en suite shower-room (suite). Stairs on up to three more bedrooms - a large room (washbasin) with four single beds, twin (washbasin), and double with en suite bathroom (suite plus hand-shower) - and shower-room (suite). These bedrooms all look to the courtyard or trees (close).

From the other end of the downstairs passage outside the ‘great hall’, the main staircase leads up to another landing and corridor off which seven bedrooms: small double bedroom (washbasin, 4’ bed) with original Tudor window (old stained glass) and small double (four-poster bed), both looking to the courtyard, and off this double a small room with bunk beds (shower cubicle, washbasin); double with washbasin; another double with en suite shower-room (suite); twin with en suite shower-room (suite); double with en suite shower-room (suite).
All these have views over the garden and swimming pool. Across the corridor a bathroom (suite), a shower-room (suite) and a shower-room. Down an additional corridor, a family bedroom with double (zip-linkable beds) and two single beds, with barrel-shaped ceiling and en suite bathroom (suite).

So twelve bedrooms, ten bath or shower-rooms, two separate loos. On the wide ‘minstrels’ gallery’ overlooking the ‘great hall’ is a pool table. Table tennis, football game, darts available. Heating the swimming pool is charged for by meter reading.