Crabrock Cottage at Mansands Information Pack 2017 Season To make a booking e-mail Ian Chipperfield at mail@crabrockcottage.com
Crabrock Cottage has been in the Chipperfield family for fifty years. It is one of a row of three former coastguard cottages nestling on a rocky outcrop where two steep sided valleys meet at Mansands beach, almost half way between Brixham and Kingswear in beautiful South Devon. Ian Chipperfield has many childhood memories of endless summers spent on the beach, trekking over the cliff paths and messing about in boats. The small cove directly below the cottage, less than 50 metres away, is private at high tide. Both beaches have an abundance of sand although are pebbly above high water mark. The bathing is clean and safe. The hills to each side rise to about 450 feet. It is, in my very biased opinion, the most beautiful location in the world. All the land around is owned by the National Trust, is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and offers unspoiled natural beauty with glorious walking along the coast path to either Brixham or Kingswear. Well behaved dogs are welcome, but must be kept under reasonable control. There is an abundance of wildlife in the area. You are very likely to hear a fox barking at night and see rabbits, badgers, occasionally a weasel or stoat and, of course, garden birds. The Brixham side of the valley has a lake where the beach has closed off the stream. This is managed by the National Trust as a nature reserve and you will see ducks of various types, moorhens and many different species of migrating birds. In the bay you could see seals, basking sharks, cormorants, black backed gulls and, at the right time of year, porpoises following the mackerel shoals on their migrations. As a result of the unique location it is not possible to obtain the normal permissions for mains services. It is completely off-grid. Full details of the facilities available are in the cottage details Should you tire of the beach and the views Torbay, Dartmouth and Dartmoor are but a short drive away. Access This is important The lane to the cottage is a public road and has been improved in the last few years but remains officially a green lane. This means it is not maintained beyond a minimum standard to allow access for emergency and service vehicles. It isn t really intended for general public use. Most family cars, with the exception of those fitted with low profile tyres, manage the lane reasonably well when driven slowly. Of
course 4 x 4's have no difficulty. Almost all guests bring their cars down to unload, often leaving it at the main car park the next time they go out. If you prefer to leave your car at the Woodhuish car park I am happy to assist with your arrival and departure as I usually meet guests to hand over the keys and deal with anything that may crop up. There is parking, for four wheel drive vehicles only, in front of Crabrock Cottage. Most guests park in the turning area adjacent to the old lime kiln by the beach as the drive up to the cottage can get slippery in wet weather. This is a short walk, 100 metres, away from the cottage. The Accomodation Crabrock Cottage is fully double glazed and has 12 volt lighting lighting throughout. The accommodation consists of: Living Room The living room has views straight out to sea and a wood burner provides copious heating in cold weather. It is the largest room in the cottage and it is a real joy on a wild winter s night to sit in front of the fire with a good book and listen to the sea pounding on the rocks in the cove below. Trivial Pursuits, Mah Jong etc. are kept in the small dresser. Main bedroom This bedroom has views straight out to sea and another pleasure is to be woken with the sun streaming through the window prior to taking an al fresco breakfast on the cobbles outside with the sun sparkling off the sea. It has a double bed, vanity unit, chair, dressing table, hanging space for clothes and a balanced flue wall mounted gas heater. Second Bedroom This room is to the side of the cottage catches the afternoon sun and has views of the side garden to the hill beyond. It has a double bed, vanity unit, chair, small wardrobe and additional hanging space for clothes. It also has a balanced flue wall mounted gas heater.
Third Bedroom Ideal for children, this room is at the rear of the cottage and looks out into the cobbled courtyard. It is equipped with two bunk beds, chair and a small chest of drawers. Kitchen/Diner This room has dual aspect to the rear and to the side. It is equipped with a large welsh dresser, table and chairs, gas cooker, full size 12 volt fridge and acres of work-top. There is a wood burning stove which keeps the rear part of the cottage warm in cold weather. Shower Room Here you ll find the usual washbasin, shower and loo. This is where things get interesting. As the cottage does not have mains running water the loo is a Separett Villa no flush composting type. Contrary to uninformed opinion it does not smell, is perfectly hygienic and is just as pleasant to use as a normal flush loo. If you have any doubts check out the Separett web-site, http://www.separett.com, for more information. The shower, wash basin, kitchen and vanity units in the bedrooms have hot and cold running water provided by a rain water harvesting system. Linen Bed linen is provided as are tea towels and a hand towel in the kitchen. A hand towel is provided in each of the the front and middle bedrooms. Two larger towels are provided in the shower room. Fuel You will be provided with sufficient fuel, briquettes or logs, for the wood-burners appropriate for the time of year to a maximum of 4 bags for full week lettings and 2 for weekends. I can provide more for a small charge if required. Mains Devices Mains devices to a maximum of 150 watts may be powered from an inverter. There is a small 3kVA petrol generator available, if required, for higher powered devices but it is not usually kept at the cottage. There is also a Solar Gorilla which will enable you to recharge laptops, DVD players and mobile phones from the sun.
Nearby attractions Brixham: - Historic fishing port and landing place of William of Orange. Dartmouth and Kingswear historic sea port and fishing village. Paignton and Torquay the main towns of Torbay hosting a wide variety of tourist facilities. Totnes Historic market town Dartmoor fabulous area of granite moor land. Coleton Fishacre - National Trust. Formerly the d Oyly Carte summer residence. Greenway - National Trust. Former residence of Agatha Christie. A ferry service operates from Torquay, Brixham and Dartmouth ot Greenway Quay. Sharpham Winery and Vineyard - Excellent walks round this award winning vineyard next to the River Dart. Tickets are available that include wine tasting. Occombe Farm - Organic farm run by the Torbay Countryside Service with a farm shop and countryside and wild-life walks. Paignton Zoo - Internationally renowned for its conservation work. Torbay Steam Railway offers a round robin ticket offering a boat trip from Kingswear to Totnes, bus link from Totnes to Paignton and a steam train ride from Paignton to Kingswear. A bit further afield but still possible for a day trip: Plymouth and Exeter Devon's historic cities. Lost Gardens of Heligan together with it's sister attraction, the Eden Project, this is well worth the day out. Restored Victorian garden. Eden Project needs no explanation National Trust properties Castle Drogo, Saltram House, Killerton, Knightshayes. Some Local Events BMAD Festival, Paignton Early May bank holiday Dartmouth Music Festival mid May Kingswear Regatta Last Week of June Brixham Carnival Last Saturday in July Marldon Apple Pie Fayre Last Saturday in July Torbay Carnival Last week of July Steam Rally First weekend in August Cockington Fayre First Wednesday in August Paignton Regatta second week of August Brixham Regatta third week of August Dartmouth Regatta last week of August Fishstock Food & Music Festival, Brixham First or second Saturday in September
Tariff for 2017 Arrival dates (per week) Change over day is normally Saturday. Before 30th March 31st March to 15th April 22nd April to 20th May 27th May 3rd June to 15th July 22nd July - 26th August 2nd September to 14th October 21st October 28th October to end of year Weekends (Fri & Sat nights) off peak - available all year Weekends (Fri & Sat nights) peak season (20 th May - 9th Sept) 310 545 425 545 485 565 425 495 310 180 220 Extra Nights (off peak) Extra Nights (peak) 90 105 To secure your booking a 50% deposit is required. The balance is due 30 days before your holiday. If you have to cancel please do so at least 30 days before your holiday so as to receive a full refund. If you cancel after this time I can only make a refund if your weeks are re-let. For this reason you are strongly advised to take out suitable travel insurance for your holiday. 5% discount is available for bookings for 2017 confirmed before 24 th December 2016. I prefer that weekend bookings are paid in full at the time of booking. I accept payments via Paypal, the account identifier is: chipperfield.ian@virginmedia.com, By Internet banking: Lloyds TSB Bank Sort Code 30 98 67, Account Number 00944077 Or for international customers: BIC: LOYDGB21353, IBAN: GB50LOYD 3098 6700 9440 77