What to pack for your South Devon Holiday

I’ve put together a list of things of what to pack for your holiday at Anchor Cottage, Noss Mayo.

I hate it when I arrive on holiday to find the host has left me 2 dishwasher tablets for the entire week! So I’ve tried to make sure that the only things you’ll need to pack are purely holiday fare!

Your welcome basket will be stuffed with:

  • a bottle of local wine – do let me know if you prefer red or white – if white I’ll pop it in the fridge
  • a loaf of bread – fresh from one of our local bakeries with a generous slab of butter (that will also be in the fridge)
  • a pot of Simon’s honey – the best in Devon, believe me.
  • an award-winning pot of strawberry jam or marmalade – Clare makes the most scrumptious preserves!
  • crisps – Burts obviously.
  • cake/muffins/something delectable and sweet – after all everyone knows calories don’t count on holiday 😉

They’ll also be milk in the fridge – there’s something rather wonderful about a cuppa after your journey don’t you think – and there’s plenty of teabags, ground coffee & capsules for the coffee machine.

In the cupboard you’ll find some basics to cobble up a quick meal if you’ve been on the road for a while and just need to feed the troops. There’s also some herbs and sauces.

If you’ve ordered a food delivery don’t bother paying for dishwasher tablets, salt, rinse aid, washing-up liquid, washing powder or fabric conditioner; they’re all provided and topped up before your arrival. I only use environmentally and sensitive skin-friendly products.

All bed linen is freshly washed and ironed and I provide a bath & hand towel for each guest as well as bath mats in the bath & shower rooms. There will also be two tea towels in the top kitchen drawer.

And if you need anything else for your arrival just drop me a line,  I’ll always do my very best to arrange it 🙂

What to pack for your holiday – Kit

Anchor Cottage is the perfect location for anyone who likes to get outside and embrace a bit of nature. Malthouse has its own private slipway so you can access the river 2-3 hours either side of high tide (tide timetable on the bookcase), the water is always accessible from the Town Quay. We’re a South West Coast Path Waymaker providing accommodation to hikers on the most special line of coast in the country (I know, I’m biased!) The local yacht club is welcoming to sailors, the tennis courts can be booked by visitors and Noss Mayo is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). You’ve got lots of coves and beaches in easy walking distance and a ferry to take you across the Yealm in summer. So you’ll just need to think about bringing:

  • Paddle Board & Oars – if you’d rather not bring your own or simply don’t have room I can hire these for you locally and Chloe will drop them off & pick them up when you’ve finished. She also does lessons for beginners or can take you on a tour of the local area.

  • Kayak or Canoe – you’re very welcome to use our kayaks (1 x 1 seater & 1 x 2 seater) but there’s loads of space to store yours and launching from our private slipway is super easy.

  • Bikes – plenty of room in the garage for safe storage and so many great routes locally.

  • Tennis Rackets – there are two in the garage but you might prefer your own, just remember to put your name down on the list for the local tennis courts.

  • Wetsuit (Nov – Mar) – cold water swimmers might sniff at this inclusion but I’m all for anything that means I can stay in the water or on my paddle board for longer!

  • Wetsuit boots and gloves – game changer for the winter months in my very humble opinion.

What to pack for your holiday – Clothes and Shoes

This is slightly tricky as I don’t want to appear prescriptive and everyone has their own unique style and will want to relax on their vacation in their own special way but here are a few essential items for holidaying in Noss Mayo:

  • Swimsuit and/or Trunks – might be worth packing a couple of sets, there’s a lot of things to do on the water here and nobody likes putting on a damp cozzie!

  • Flip flops/Sliders – you’ll be trotting back and forth to the slipway and it’s so much easier with a pair of these.

  • Walking boots – you can do the South West Coastal Path in your flip flops in summer but you might not get the most out of it! There’s also a great boot room where you can dump muddy/sandy/salty boots/shoes.

  • Special dress/outfit – it’s pretty casual down here, nobody bats an eyelid if you paddleboard down to The Swan to sip a G&T in cut-off shorts & bikini top, but you might want to book a table at one of our gastro pubs/restaurants whilst you’re here, the food is pretty amazing and all locally reared/caught – your food miles will be minimal.

  • Trainers – see above for tennis, and you might fancy a jog, Revelstoke Drive will take you along the South Hams coast and is breathtakingly beautiful.

  • Coat – I know I should only promise nothing but bright sunshine & balmy evenings in Devon but if you do want to have a BBQ on the beach at sunset or a picnic on the Moor at any time you’re going to need something to keep you warm and – spoiler alert – it does rain here every now and again.

What to pack for your holiday – Toiletries

You will find Neals Yard Hand Wash and Hand Lotion in the kitchen and White Company shower wash in the bath and shower room along with Caffeine Shampoo. There are some spare essentials in the bathroom cabinet if you’re caught short.

I tried to predict loo roll requirements and failed dismally so now I provide two rolls in the bath and shower room and ask you to bring what you think you’ll need, there’s a Co-Op open until 10pm in Newton Ferrers (takes about 10 minutes to walk) as well as Community Post Office and Store, Pharmacy and Butchers.