Devon holidays: Pickwell Manor near Croyde gives a taste of luxury in beautiful surroundings

On some holidays you see new places and new things, on some you have new experiences, and some people like the kind of vacation during which you are pampered. I’m not one for massage, essential oils or a spa but I would never turn down the chance to live like the other half do for a short time (ideally a long time, but hell, anything is great).

And after a blissful weekend spent at Pickwell Manor, it was confirmed to me that yes, I really could get the taste for a country mansion, thank you very much.

Pickwell is on the North Devon coast, a couple of miles from Croyde and within sight of the sea. It’s a wonderfully peaceful part of the world, and the manor house – the site of which dates back to the 10th century and is mentioned in the Domesday Book – is now holiday accommodation, divided up into apartments of various sizes.

We headed down from Hampshire on a Friday afternoon, being fairly lucky with the traffic jam lottery that is the A303 and reached Devon in about four hours (including a stop). Clutching our instructions, we found the door to our section, headed up the stairs and were all – for different reasons – instantly delighted by where we were staying. We were in an apartment called Constance on the top of the west wing. The adults thought it was beautifully done out, with plenty of space and we were really impressed by the double baths on the balcony. The children saw they would be sleeping in bunk beds in a cleverly hidden-away little alcove which had not a door but a curtain, and it turns out that if you are three and five years old then this is the best thing that has ever happened.

The next morning, in the light, we set about exploring. As well as main part of the manor house, which can accommodate 27 people across three apartments, there are also seven more smaller luxury self-catering spaces such as the one we were in. And there are also three fantastic-looking treehouses – The Hideaway, The Loft and The Den – within the grounds, wooden-framed structures that simultaneously look futuristic and yet blend into the woods.

We came across these as we walked round the grounds exploring. Other things we found included an area