Self-Catering and Glamping in the Dart Valley

Some holidays want a hotel. Most do not. If you are travelling with a group, a dog, small children, or simply the wish to cook your own breakfast and drink wine on your own terrace, self-catering and glamping in the Dart Valley gives you a stronger spread of options than the hotel scene does. The valley runs from the high moor down to the sea, and you can sleep in everything from a riverside fisherman’s cabin to a thatched cottage on the Dartington estate to a luxury treehouse with a hot tub above the river.

Here is how to think about it, with the operators worth knowing and the practical detail you need before you book.

Cottages in and Around Totnes

Within Totnes itself, plenty of holiday lets sit above the High Street shops or in the lanes off Bridgetown on the east side of the river. Expect to pay £600 to £1,200 per week for a two-bedroom flat in summer (£/££ per night equivalent), more in school holidays. The pluses: market on your doorstep, restaurants two minutes away, no need for the car once you arrive. The minuses: parking is a permit faff in some lets, and the pubs run late at the weekend, which is great or not depending on your sleeping habits.

Just outside town, the lanes around Berry Pomeroy, Bridgetown and Harberton hold farmhouse-conversion cottages of all sizes. Sleeps four to six, £900 to £1,600 a week peak, often with a garden and parking included. Original Cottages, Classic Cottages and Coast & Country all carry a strong roster here. Check pet policy carefully; many take dogs, some charge extra.

Riverside and Estate Lets

For a riverside stay, Dart Valley Cottages is the local agency to know, with properties from Totnes down to Dartmouth, plenty on the water and some with their own moorings or jetties. Two-bedroom waterside cottages typically £1,000 to £2,000 a week in season (££ to £££ per night). They book early. The riverside Dittisham and Stoke Gabriel properties go first; if you have flexibility, look at Tuckenhay or Bow Creek for similar feel at lower price.

On the Dartington estate, the Trust manages a handful of holiday cottages within the grounds. Sleeps two to eight, £700 to £1,600 a week. Staying on the estate gives you free access to the gardens, the White Hart for dinner, and a five-minute walk to the Cider Press Centre. Worth knowing if you want a proper estate weekend.

Glamping in the Dart Valley

The glamping scene in the South Hams has grown a lot in the past decade. The standout luxury operator nearby is Dittisham Hideaway, with treehouses, a shepherd’s lodge and a refurbished American Airstream tucked into a private wooded valley a mile from the River Dart, ten minutes by car from Dartmouth. All units have hot tubs. Two nights from around £400 to £700 depending on unit and season (£££). Adults-only on most units, dog-friendly on some. Book months ahead for summer weekends.

Closer to Dartmoor, you will find shepherd huts and bell tents on small working farms around Buckfastleigh and Ashburton. Pitchup, Hipcamp and Canopy & Stars all list local operators. Pods and huts typically £80 to £160 a night (££), bell tents £60 to £120 in season. Most run May to October only.

For a family option, look at Beverley Holidays at Paignton (just over the boundary into Torbay) for proper holiday park facilities, or the smaller, quieter River Dart Country Park at Holne, which has camping pitches, lodges and a swimming lake. River Dart is set on the edge of Dartmoor proper, with the river running through it; £/££ for camping pitches, £££ for lodges in school holidays.

What to Bring and What to Plan

Practical points that catch people out. Mobile signal is patchy in the deeper Dart valleys (Tuckenhay, Cornworthy, Bow Creek) and on the moor; download maps before you go. Most self-catering properties expect arrival after 4pm and departure by 10am, which makes the first day shorter than you think; bring a packed lunch for the journey down.

Stock up on the way in. The big Sainsbury’s at Buckfastleigh and Morrisons at Newton Abbot work for a weekly shop. For a proper local food shop, plan your arrival around the Friday or Saturday Totnes Market, or the first or third Sunday Good Food market, and buy your weekend in. Most cottages have decent kitchens; even some glamping units have wood-fired ovens or BBQs.

Bring proper walking shoes regardless of season. Bring a lead even if your booking does not specify; most pubs in the valley welcome dogs. Bring a couple of jumpers for the evenings, even in July; the river chills the air after dark.

Pairing Self-Catering With the Rest of the Valley

The advantage of self-catering and glamping in the Dart Valley over a hotel weekend is that you can spread out. Cook a long breakfast, walk the river from Totnes to Sharpham, drive to Sandridge Barton for an afternoon tasting, pick up fish from the market for supper, eat outside if the weather plays ball. Four nights gives you time to do all of that without rushing.

For inspiration on the eating and drinking side, our pieces on the Totnes Good Food Sunday market and the best cafes in Totnes are the obvious follow-ups.