Summer 2023

This year we managed to squeeze in a week at the very end of August down in Brixham, and in the process discovered a few more local attractions.

For starters, did you know there’s a (rather excellent) vinyard within a few minutes drive (or a rather longer walk) of Brixham? Neither did we, but having discovered Sandridge Barton and their wine tasting tours we’re sure we’ll be going back !

They’ve also got a fabulour-looking restaurant onsite too, which we didn’t manage to visit – so there’s a lunch date in the countryside in our calendar for next time we are here as well.

We of course also did the walk along the Coast Path to Broadsands and onto Goodrington – it goes without saying that Fishcombe and Churston coves were lovely as ever this summer, and that we saw a few seals along the way too.

Later in the week we took a ferry across to Paignton harbour, and then completed the walk round to Torquay.

Paignton Harbour is a bit of a hidden gem around these parts, with a scenic (and very tidal) boat-filled harbour surrounded by a lot of really nice pubs and restaurants, so when the Brixham-Paignton-Torbay ferry is running (on its round-robin route – we suggest calling them to check which time it leave Brixham as their website is a bit confusing!) it’s very much worth the trip, and doubly so as it makes the walk to Torquay a lot shorter when you start in Paignton!

This section of the coast walk is much better in terms of being a hard-standing “path”, but as it snakes under, over and around the Dartmouth Steam Railway track it doesn’t skimp on the “ups and downs” – the result being a whole series of stunning views across Torbay.

We were also lucky enough to be crossing a bridge over the railway tracks when a steam train came past underneath!

And, of course, we had a few evenings out in Brixham’s many pubs and restaurants too!

We hope you’ll be able to enjoy some of these stunning views, and take some even better photos of your own when you next come to visit us down in Brixham!

Lovely reviews

We’ve been getting some great feedback about the Captains Cottage from our guests this year. If you flick through theguestbook in our lounge you’ll also be able to pick up some handy tips about places to visit around Brixham, and the best restaurants to try too!

A couple of the recent reviews stood out though, firstly this one which was sent to Luxury Coastal, our booking agent :

“We would like to personally thank Luxury Cottages and the owners of the Captains Cottage for a truly lovely stay at the property. The interior and setting were amazing. And the updates and instructions provided by the company and owners were really useful. Thank you also for complimentary wine and treats on arrival

We also have an Instagram account, and one recent guest tagged us recently to leave this really nice comment:

Brixham Inner Harbour

We’re already pretty much full all through this summer, but there’s still availabillity for short breaks later in the year, so why not have a look at availability on Luxury Coastal’s site and see when you might be able to visit us down in Brixham this autumn too?

Exploring around Brixham this Summer

We always like to take advantage of at least one week in the summer to stay in Brixham ourselves, and 2022 was no different.

As well as all of our favourite haunts, this time we explored the area a little more, and found a couple of local gems to recommend visiting s part of your trip.

Greenway House

First up was Greenway – Agatha Christie’s summer residence on the banks of the Dart. It’s a lot more than “a house” – practically a stately home, and all preserved in the exact state it was in when she passed away complete with all of her writing materials, notes and the fax machine she sent manuscripts to her publisher on – the life of one of the world’s most famous authors preserved in aspic.

The house itself would be worth a visit even if it wasn’t for the Agatha Christie connections, and also has a huge amount of beautifully landscaped gardens to explore too – so next time you see that “Greenway” brown sign on the way into Brixham just before the railway, you now know what it is for!

Man Sands Beach was our other great find – a lovely secluded and sandy cove that you can find down a (steep and unpaved) turnoff on the road from Higher Brixham to Kingswear

Definately one to go back to with a picnic, bathers and beach towels next year!

Of course, we also spent plenty of time around Brixham, and took a few photos along the way too..

And, of course, we took full advantage of the view of Brixham Harbour from our balcony every time we could!

Luxury Coastal – a new website to book through

With our original managing agent (Brixham Holiday Homes) having been taken over by a huge national agency, we’ll be using a new local company from November 1st this year to manage bookings for The Captains Cottage – Luxury Coastal.

Luxury Coastal are a local agency who specalise in managing (what we think is) a sensibly-sized portfolio of luxury properties in the South West, as well as all working and living in the area too. The team at Luxury Coastal have really impressed us with their personal support, local expertise and knowledge – they certainly know the South West holiday market inside out, with most of the team having worked for many of the other agencies in their time too!

We’ve also conscious that “holiday rental” properties have become a bit of a contentious topic in some parts of the country in recent years, and so it’s always been really important to us that we make sure The Captains Cottage is contributing positively to Brixham and the local community.

Using local businesses based in the South West, employing people who live and have grown up in the area to market and manage our property has always been part of that plan, and so we’re really pleased to now be able to work with Luxury Coastal going forward.

(They’ve also taken a whole set of great new photos of The Captains Cottage too – you’ll see them on our new “Gallery” page as well as their own website!)

The Master Bedroom’s morning view

2022… up and running

With Easter almost upon us we’ve managed to squeeze in a couple of trips down to Brixham ourselves, both tidying up The Captains Cottage for this years summer season and also – of course – squeezing in some Brixham downtime ourselves too.

Here’s a few highlighths – and remember, these photos were taken a few months before the actual “Summer” !

Summer 2021 – only 3 weeks still available to book !

With the projected easing of England’s Lockdown allowing single-households to book self catering accommodation from April 12th, bookings have been brisk (to say the least!) over the last few weeks.

In fact, we now only have 3 solid weeks left between now and the back end of September !

If you are a single household and fancy a break with a view, we still (or more acurately, “only”!) have availability for full weeks and shorter breaks from April 23rd through to May 15th.

You can book online at Brixham Holiday Homes now – and we (of course) offer a full money back guarantee if your travel plans are interrupted by anything pandemic-related.

Rainbows over Brixham

We’ve just snuck in a few days down in Brixham ourselves this December, and were lucky enough to be here when there were some spectacular rainbows over the harbour, and over Berry Head as well.

Brixham always has some stunning views, even when the weather is less than perfect!

(Make sure to follow us on Instagram for more spectacular photos)

See what you’re missing out on – and you don’t need to take our word for it either!

We took a quick trip down to Brixham recently to check that everything was all in order (spoiler alert – our cleaners are doing a great job, everything was spotless!).

While we were there we had time to have a quick flick through the guestbook – and it seems that our guests so far this year have been loving both Brixham and The Captain’s Cottage!

September 2020 Guest Review of The Captain's Cottage
Guest Review : September 2020

With Devon currently (December 2020) in Tier 2, it’s still permitted (and very easy) for possible for anyone who doesn’t live in a Tier 3 area to take a break down in Brixham – as long as you keep within your household group you can visit all of the shops, restaurants and take-aways, as well as taking in the amazing views and brisk outdoor walks during your stay.

If you’re “working from home” at the moment, why not even grab a change of scenery for a days and “work from The Captain’s Cottage” instead?

The views – and the fish and chips – are guaranteed to be better than at home !

Professional photos!

We’re now looking to ‘go live’ for bookings in a week or so, and as part of that process the professional photographer came round earlier this week.

Knowing what you are doing, and having the right kit clearly makes a difference!