The Old Vicarage
Shaugh Prior
The Old Vicarage at Shaugh Prior is a beautiful Victorian house. Built around 1875,
it was home to the vicars of this important South Devon parish for a century.
A gateway to Dartmoor, Devon and Cornwall.
Don and Liz Nicolls look forward to welcoming you to this peaceful family home.
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ABOUT
The Old Vicarage's situation is as beautiful as the house. We have a large garden surrounded on all sides by fields where cows, sheep, Dartmoor ponies and deer graze. We are visited by a range of beautiful birds including owls and jays. For visitors interested in the night skies, we are in an area of near-zero light pollution and on clear nights a fantastic number of stars/planets are visible. Guests are welcome to use the house telescope. The open moor also surrounds Shaugh Prior and there are beautiful far-reaching views from all rooms. The city of Plymouth is 6 miles away and the sea at Plymouth Sound and Penlee point can be seen from a number of rooms.
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We are in an ideal spot for walking, cycling, horse riding or just relaxing, and have many repeat bookings to do all these activities. We are also ideally situated for a one night stop on the way to or from Brittany ferries at Millbay, Plymouth, if you are travelling to or from France or Spain
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There is ample parking on-site; if you wish to arrive by train for a walking holiday we can collect you from Plymouth City or Ivybridge and deliver you back at the end of your trip. The laundry adjacent to the enormous kitchen provides drying space for wet clothes and boots. There is also under-cover cycle accommodation and tools are available.
OUR ROOMS
Our three lovely boutique rooms have en-suite or sole-use bathrooms with complementary toiletries, and beds range through king-size, double or twin. Tea/coffee making facilities and hair dryer in each bedroom, and free WiFi throughout the house. Please be warned that the exceptional peace and quiet, and the fact that no alarm clocks are provided, results in guests regularly oversleeping.
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Guests have sole use of the lovely Byrnell Lounge, named after John George Byrnell a popular vicar of Shaugh Prior in the 1960s. This dual aspect room gives views over the garden to the moor and across to the sea and far horizon. Visitors take breakfast (also dinner if required) here, and can relax in comfortable sofas at any time of the day. A wide range of books, games, jigsaws and TV are all available in this room. Afternoon tea can also be served here.
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From £90 per room per night (2 sharing) including Breakfast .
Children under 5 free if sharing parents room.
Children 5- 10 £15 per night if sharing parents room.
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We offer dinner for £20 per person for two courses, followed by cheese and biscuits, and a complementary drink.
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GALLERY
Our lovely home retains many High Victorian features e.g. stained glass windows, interior shutters, original working fireplaces in most rooms, an "ecclesiastical" entrance porch, and the original Victorian laundry room, complete with boiling copper and fireplace used for heating flat-irons.
SEE AND DO
The Old Vicarage is located at the east end of the lovely village of Shaugh Prior, within the 368 square miles of the Dartmoor National Park. This is the largest area of open land in Southern England, famed for wide vistas of hills, rushing streams and granite tors, along with a great diversity of plants and creatures.
The White Thorn Inn in Shaugh Prior, just 5 minutes walk from The Old Vicarage. This lovely country pub, complete with woodburner, is a cosy and friendly place for an after dinner drink.
Dartmoor has also provided literary inspiration through the ages, such as to Arthur Conan-Doyle, who located "The Hound of the Baskervilles" here. Film and television companies have used the ever-changing backdrop of Dartmoor in their productions - for example Michael Morpurgo's "Warhorse" was filmed nearby - and amateur and professional photographers regularly use the moor for location work.
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The Old Vicarage is an excellent base for exploration of Dartmoor, and of wider Devon and our close neighbouring Cornwall. The lovely moorland town of Tavistock is easily reached (11 miles). Visitors can enjoy its ancient and varied Pannier Market in a covered hall, and the Victorian architecture of the Duke of Bedford's many impressive buildings in the town. Small, independent shops and live music at the Tavistock Wharf are other attractions. In the historic town of Ashburton (22 miles) visitors can enjoy an afternoon browsing the antique shops.
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National Trust properties abound - Buckland Abbey (4 miles), the long-term home of Sir Francis Drake; the Georgian mansion of Saltram (4 miles), and Cotehele House near Calstock, Cornwall is only 8 miles distant as is Anthony House near Torpoint. A particularly enjoyable day out can be had taking the train from Plymouth to Calstock and walking 1½ miles to Cotehele along the beautiful Tamar Valley.
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Lovely walks can be taken direct from the house, for example to Shaugh Bridge (under 1 mile) where you can follow the rivers Plym and Meavy, Cadover Bridge (1 mile), Plymbridge Woods and the Dewerstone Rock, a popular attraction for experienced climbers.
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National Cycle Route 27 (also known for this stretch between Tavistock and Plymouth as Drake's Trail) passes nearby offering superb views of the moors and uses sections of the former railway trackbed taking you through tunnels and across viaducts built by Victorian railway engineers.