A terraced treasure on Exmouth’s southern coast

10 Bicton Place is a lovely B&B in a terraced Queen Anne town house in the coastal town of Exmouth with one – or maybe two – guest bedrooms. It’s a quiet part of town overlooking the parkland surrounding Trinity Church, but still only five minutes walk from the beach and close to all the town’s major attractions

Guests here have the house – apart from the kitchen – pretty much to themselves as your host has self-contained accommodation on the second floor. The master guest bedroom is on the first floor and is a large room with a kingsize double bed and a small  en-suite shower room. It is simply and comfortably furnished, with a comfortable mattress and quality linens, and its own TV – though of course there’s wifi throughout. There is also an overspill twin-bedded room – but that’s smaller and has a private bathroom reached by going down a few steps to a half-landing. This is probably best kept for children or friends travelling together. This is partly because there is only off-street parking for one car. A second vehicle would need to find street parking.

On the ground floor guests also have use of a comfortable sitting room and a pretty courtyard garden: sunsoaked and private this has various seating areas and is a lovely town-centre haven. Once more this is best suited to a couple or family: Queen Anne terraced houses aren’t huge and four strangers might find the experience cramped. For much the same reason dogs aren’t permitted.

Breakfasts are served in the elegant dining room. This is generally a continental breakfast and special diets can also be quoted for but cooked breakfasts can always be provided. The dining room is also the setting for home-cooked evening meals, by arrangement, which have been very warmly reviewed.

In all this is a lovely place to stay in one of the most charming destinations in the southwest
You will reach two miles of sandy beach with access to the south west coastal path within a short walk. You are near Bicton Arena for international horse events and the botanical gardens, not far from Otterton working mill, there are trips on the river exe, there are opportunities to go bird watching or you could go Mackerel fishing. Though it can have its quieter moments there’s nothing to match the excitement when your boat passes across a shoal. This is easy to arrange if you head down to the fishing boats in the harbour. If you have a good catch, ask politely and offer to share you can probably persuade your host to cook your mackerel fresh from the sea. Exmouth is full of cafes and restaurants and you can walk to the station with easy access to Exeter.

Pricing

Price per room per night based on two sharing including breakfast Master bedroom from £120 Master bedroom along with overflow bedroom (four guests) from £195 Dinner £25pp

Location

10 Bicton Place is five minutes walk from Exmouth Beach, two miles of golden sand with loads of space for kayaking, kitesurfing or paddleboarding. A coastal promenade and cyclepath make it easy to explore.  There are lots of cafes and restaurants within easy reach, as well as Exmouth's own Blackmore Theatre. The National Trust's A La Ronde stately home is two miles to the north. Exmouth Train Station is ten minutes walk away - or a two-minute drive - with frequent links to Exeter, 12 miles North, with stunning views along the way of the Exe Estuary. The South West Coast Path is on the doorstep so there's basically no limit to how far serious walkers can get to on foot. There is one parking space around the back of 10 Bicton Place but otherwise it's street parking. This isn't too bad as it's a Resident's Parking area, but this does mean you'll have to get a scratch card (your host keeps a handy stack of them) to avoid a ticket.