Summer 2019

We are getting booked up for Summer 2019, especially the school holidays but we do have some availability earlier in July and in our cottages for two. Enjoy our outdoor pool (open from Easter till the end of September). Explore the small seaside town of Bude and nearby beaches.

Summer 2019 school holidays

Our family cottages are almost fully booked for the main Summer 2019 school holidays. We now have just omne week in Swallow’s Nest available.

Swallow’s Nest cottage – a barn conversion with lots of character, sleeping 4. Available the week of 24 August, £900.

July 2019

If you are lucky enough not to be restricted to the main English school holidays, we do have some availability earlier in July. Come and explore the local beaches before they get busy!

13 July – last week available in our Cornish Farmhouse. Sleeps up to 11 in 5 bedrooms. The Farmhouse is great for a family holiday or a group of friends, with lots of living space and a private garden. NOW £1950.

29 June-13 July – we have availability in Parsons cottage. Parsons is a spacious, modern cottage with an open plan living space and private garden with hot tub. Parsons sleeps 7 . Popular with families and groups of friends.

29 June- 13 July – last weeks available in Pound cottage. Pound is really popular with families with young children as it is all on one level. Couples who want a bit of extra space also book Pound cottage.

Bude’s beaches: Summerleaze beach

We are spoilt for choice with beaches around Bude. There are plenty of beaches within a short drive. This is the first of a few posts with tips on Bude’s beaches to help our guests choose which ones to visit. First up, Summerleaze Beach in Bude town.

Summerleaze is one of our favourites all year round. It is a big sandy beach, great for kids and surfers. It is dog -friendly all year round (although dogs must be on a lead in the summer, check the notices for details). Summerleaze is good for sandcastles, maybe not so good for rockpooling as nearby Crooklets. If you walk along towards Crooklets at low tide, you will come to a rocky section which is good for exploring.

The beautiful Bude Sea Pool at Summerleaze Beach.

Summerleaze is home to the Bude Sea Pool, great for serious swimmers and children who want a safer swim than the sea.

Facilities on Summerleaze beach

Summerleaze has better facilities than some of the more remote beaches. There is a big car park and toilets and showers by the RNLI station. It is a short walk to the beach so access for pushchairs is possible. Beach wheelchairs are available to hire from the Beach Office in the summer (call
01288 352226). There are toilets and showers by the RNLI station. Life’s a Beach (up the steps) sells food to take away or eat in and ice creams. Lifeguard cover for the beach and sea pool is provided by the RNLI over the Easter holidays and May-September. Check the board at the entrance to the beach for lifeguard cover hours and any warnings.

Summerleaze is popular with surfers and body boarders and a few surf schools operate from the car park.

Summerleaze beach landmarks

As well as the Sea Pool there are a few landmarks to look out for. You will see Barrel Rock at the end of the Breakwater just over river from Summerleaze. Barrel Rock has become a Bude landmark. Named after the beacon at the end of the rock, there is also a micropub called the Barrel on Lansdown Road (check the website as opening hours are limited).

Summerleaze has a half tide cross – when the sea reaches the cross bar the tide is half way.

The half way cross on Summerleaze Beach.

Just next to the beach you will see the end of the Bude canal and the sea lock, one of only two working sea locks in Britain. You can cross over the lock to pick up the path along to the Breakwater. The canal itself was originally built to take sand inland. You can walk along the canal back to Marhamchurch. See our blog entry for details on the walk (scroll down to Bude Canal Walk.

What you might not like about Summerleaze

If you are looking for a quieter beach, Summerleaze is popular with families so it does get very busy in high season. There may well be queues for the car park in school holidays. Summerleaze is dog-friendly so if you would prefer a beach with no dogs, try Crooklets, just along the bay.

Easter 2019

We have cottages sleeping 2-11 available over the Easter 2019 holidays. Our spacious Cornish Farmhouse (available 8-13 April, £1000, sleeps 11) is ideal for family get togethers or a break with friends. If you are looking for a cottage for a smaller group, we have modern cottages sleeping 4, 6 and 7 or cosy barn conversions available. Pound cottage is ideal for families with young children. It sleeps 4 (plus cot) and has a spacious open plan living area. Pound is available from 20 April (NOW £630 per week). Manor cottage is a spacious modern cottage sleeping 6 – 4 nights from 23 April £550. See more details on our cottages here . We now have some short breaks available.

There is lots to do on site, with our heated outdoor pool (opens for the Easter holidays), tennis court, hot tub and a play area and games room for children.

Take in stunning views on site over the countryside towards the coast. — Great views over the tennis court

Explore the area around Bude, voted the UK’s Best Coastal town in 2018. Bude is just 10 minutes’ drive away. There is a choice of beautiful beaches within a 10-20 minute drive. Try walks with breathtaking views along the coastal path or amble along the canal tow path into Bude. Hilton is just a few minutes from the A39, ideally located for exploring North Devon and North Cornwall.

Walk along Bude canal from Marhamchurch to Summerleaze beach. — Bude canal, ending by Summerleaze beach. Walk along the tow path from Marhamchurch to Bude.

Happy Christmas!

Happy Christmas to all our past and future guests!

Late availability offers for July 2018

We have a few late availability offers for July 2018 at our self catering cottages near Bude. Are you planning a break in July before the summer rush? Our comfortable cottages are on a rural site with great views 10 minutes from the coast. We have a heated outdoor pool, hot tub, tennis court and games room. We are just a few minutes’ drive from the small seaside town of Bude with family-friendly beaches, the beautiful Bude Sea Pool and shops, cafes and restaurants. Hilton is close to Widemouth Bay, popular with families and surfers. Walk along the South West coastal path or try some of the watersports available locally on the sea, Bude canal or Tamar Lakes.

Badger cottage

Sleeps up to 6 in two doubles and a bunk room. 1 week from 14 July, £100 late availability discount – NOW £820.

Primrose cottage

Sleeps up to 5 in two doubles and a single room. 1 week from 14 July, £100 late availability discount – NOW £790.

Stable cottage

Sleeps 2 plus a cot in one double room. 1 week from 28 July £50 late availability discount – NOW £490.

Easter 2018 short breaks available

If you are looking for short breaks over the Easter 2018 school holidays why not try our self-catering cottages near Bude in North Cornwall? Our cottages are on a rural site with great views over the countryside to the coast. We are close to the small seaside town of Bude and the North Cornwall coast with Widemouth Bay and the beaches in Bude all around a 10 minute drive away. We have a heated outdoor pool, hot tub, play area and a games room on site so there is plenty to do.

Easter 2018 short breaks availability

Our pool looking inviting over Easter 2017 – wish the weather was always this predictable!

Contact us on 01288 361521 or email enquiries@hiltonfarmholidays.co.uk if you have any questions or if you would like to make a booking. Our minimum booking is 3 nights. Check-in is 3-8pm, check-out 10am.

Badger cottage; beamed barn conversion, sleeps 6. Available 10-13 April. 3 nights £300.

Farmhouse ; 16th century Farmhouse, lots of space and character. Sleeps 11, from 7/4/18, 12/4/18 or 13/4/18; £880 for 3 nights, £1045 for 4

Manor cottage; spacious modern cottage with the best views on site from the upstairs living area. Sleeps 6, available from 7/4/18. 3 nights £400, 4 nights £500.

Swallow’s Nest; beamed barn conversion, sleeps 4. 3 nights £265, 4 nights £325.

Pear Tree cottage; a cosy cottage for two overlooking our fields. . 3 nights £250, 4 nights £310.

Summer 2018

We are having such a wet January I am trying to cheer myself up by planning for Summer 2018, the pool and hopefully some better weather!

Hot tub with a view.

We will be opening our heated outdoor pool in a couple of months ready for the Easter holidays. The family cottages are booking up quickly for the summer holidays! Check availability at the end of this post.

Our pool looking inviting over Easter – wish the weather was always this predictable!

The pool is always popular with children and if it is sunny there is plenty of space to sit in the sun and relax. If not, well the hot tub is just next to the pool. There are lots of beaches to explore within a 10-20 minute drive. Widemouth and Black Rock beaches are a long stretch of sand about 10 minutes away.

A sunset at Widemouth.

These beaches are very popular with surfers. In Bude, Summerleaze with the sea pool is great for families.

The beautiful Bude Sea Pool at Summerleaze beach.

Crooklets is a bit quieter and good for rock pooling. Further afield, Northcott Mouth and Sandymouth are both beautiful beaches to the north of Bude (about 15 – 20 minutes’ drive), with a mix of sand and rock pools as the tide goes out. If you would like something off the beaten track try Bossiney Haven at low tide. This is near Tintagel, about a 20 minute drive and a 15 minute walk down a steep rocky path.

Sometimes the sea is like this…

Or walk north from Crooklets in Bude at low tide towards Northcott Mouth, a long stretch of sandy beach. Just keep an eye on the tide!

The beach stretching from Crooklets to Northcott.

Summer 2018 availability

We still have lots of availability in early July. The week of 30 June is the last week left in our lovely Farmhouse (sleeps 11, £1840).

In the school holidays;

Week of 28 July; Manor cottage (sleeps6, £1530)

Week of 11 August; Pound cottage (sleeps 4, £1100)

Week of 18 August; Pound cottage (sleeps 4, £1100)

Week of 25 August; Manor cottage (sleeps6, £1530)

We have availability in our cottages for two throughout July and August.

Try a walk on the South West Coastal Path

The Times featured a walk along one of my favourite sections of the South West Coastal Path (The Times, 20/1/2018 by Christopher Somerville, or find the walk on Christopher Somerville’s website). This particular walk starts at Northcott Mouth, just north of Bude and follows the South West Coastal Path above Sandymouth to Duckpool. It then heads inland to Coombe Valley and back to Northcott Mouth though woods and the countryside. Northcott Mouth is a short drive from our cottages (about 15 minutes).

The views of the coast are spectacular along here.

The wreck of the SS Belem can be seen just north of Northcott Mouth at low tide.

In the Spring you get lots of flowers which are beautiful.

Spring flowers

Walking down to Northcott Mouth on a sunny day.

Even on a grey and murky day in the Autumn it is still worth walking along here. The craggy cliffs, waterfalls, the long run of sand and sheer drops to the sea are always stunning. There are some steep climbs on this stretch of the path and a long flight of steps up from Northcott. For an easier walk try walking from Crooklets in Bude to Northcott. This is an easier stretch of the South West Coastal Path. Time it right and walk one way along the South West Coastal Path and the other way along the beach, which is only possible at low tide. Check tide times online at Surf Reports.

Nortcott in the winter

One of the waterfalls at Sandymouth.

Stop for lunch….

The Times recommended the Preston Gate pub in Poughill for lunch. Definitely worth a visit, or try Margaret’s Rustic Tea Garden at Northcott Mouth in the summer or one of the many cafes or pubs in nearby Bude.

Margaret’s Rustic Tea Garden, Northcott Mouth.

February half term

Are you looking for a short break over February half term 2018? We have availability in our family cottages sleeping from 4 to 7 starting any day from Monday 12 February (minimum booking 3 nights). Our cottages are on a small peaceful rural site close to the North Cornwall coast. We are only 10 minutes drive from the coastal town of Bude and from Widemouth Bay, a popular surfing beach. Walk on the canal path, explore the rock pools, take in the sea views from the South West Coastal path and enjoy a cream tea or a hot chocolate in one of Bude’s many small cafes before heading back to relax in the hot tub. We have a play area, games room, tennis court and hot tub on site.

Family cottages

Pound cottage, sleeps 4, from £250 for 3 nights

Manor cottage sleeps 6, from £300 for 3 nights

Parsons cottage sleeps 7, from £320 for 3 nights

Bude canal, ending by Summerleaze beach. Walk along the tow path from Marhamchurch to Bude.

Walk from Bude along the beach at low tide to Northcott Mouth and hunt for the pieces of the wreck of the SS Belem which ran aground in 1918

Further afield you can explore the Eden Project and maybe try skating on their winter ice-rink before warming up in the tropical biome. Or try the indoor and outdoor activities at the Milky Way Adventure Park.

The ice rink at the Eden project

Happy Christmas!

Happy Christmas from all of us! Best wishes to past and future visitors for a lovely Christmas. Here is our lovely Farmhouse looking festive ready for this year’s Christmas guests.

We’ve had some beautiful sunny days and fantastic sunsets recently which has been a welcome change from the usual wintery murky weather. Bude is lovely in the winter sun!