Devon, United Kingdom

The Collective at Woolsery

Price per night from$231.47

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (GBP183.33), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Style

Culinary cottage-core

Setting

Pocket-sized Devonshire parish

The Collective at Woolsery may be rural, tucked away in England’s southwest corner, but it draws a rather cosmopolitan crowd. In fact, discerning diners flock from far and wide to sample the goods of this gastronomic getaway spot, with its farm-to-fork spin on British classics. Speaking of which, when’s the last time your lodgings came with their very own fish and chip shop? ‘Cause they do here…along with a vintage-style village store selling local, artisanal produce. Get nostalgic in the 1940s-themed rooms or hunker down in one of the Collective’s quintessential country cottages, where the only thing sweeter than the local cider is the gentle hum of life in this postcard-perfect town.

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A welcome drink at the Farmers Arms pub

Facilities

Photos The Collective at Woolsery facilities

Need to know

Rooms

Seven, including five suites.

Check–Out

11am. Earliest check-in, 3pm.

Prices

Double rooms from £220.00, including tax at 20 per cent.

More details

Rates don’t include breakfast, but room service is available.

Hotel closed

The Farmers Arms will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8 January to 13 March 2024 and Woolsery Fish and Chips will be closed from 30 December 2023 to 30 January 2024; rooms will be available as normal.

At the hotel

Birch farm, fish and chip shop, village store, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: Sage coffee machine, underfloor heating, Rako lighting, minibar, TV, sound-system, and Land & Water toiletries.

Our favourite rooms

We love the nostalgic 1940s decor of the Shop Rooms, but the cottages are great for a little extra space. While the four-bedroom Hillside cottage is ideal for families, with a large garden that little Smiths will love, the more intimate Old Smithy has all the contemporary comforts for a romantic weekend away.

Poolside

There’s no pool, but there’s a beach just three miles away should you fancy a splash.

Packing tips

Bring a board if you’re that way inclined, the nearby coast is known for its world-class waves.

Also

Unfortunately, the Collective at Woolsery is not suitable for those with mobility issues.

Pet‐friendly

Dogs can stay in the cottages but not in the shop rooms or suites. The charge is £15 a night, just contact the hotel directly to let them know they're coming in advance. See more pet-friendly hotels in Devon.

Children

Welcome. Extra beds and cots cannot be provided, so families are best in Rosehill cottage (with two bedrooms and a sofa-bed) or the four-bedroom Hillside cottage. The Shop rooms and suites are adults-only.

Sustainability efforts

The Collective at Woolsery are in the process of planting hundreds of trees on their farm, which is nurtured through bokashi-composted food waste straight from their kitchen. You’ll be hard-pressed to find any single plastics on site, amenities are organic and cruelty-free, and the hotel takes part in a monthly scheme where they match all donations for a sponsored local charity.

Food and Drink

Photos The Collective at Woolsery food and drink

Top Table

There are plenty of cosy nooks and crannies to settle in, but we love being right beside the restaurant’s blazing log fire.

Dress Code

Best of British: don your Westwood flats, McCartney dress and a classic Burberry trench.

Hotel restaurant

The Farmers Arms is the hotel’s modern British pub, where the large majority of produce is sourced directly from its own grounds, and the focus is on heritage breeds and sustainable agriculture. The eatery has earned itself a reputation for its elevated take on hearty British cuisine, which includes dishes like winter chanterelle with lentils, potato dumplings and pickled shallots; Birch Farm pork with crown-prince squash, smoked paprika and fennel; or the classic fish and chips, with cider-battered cod. Don’t miss the family-style Sunday roast where local meats (or veggie options) are served with all the trimmings: roasties, cauliflower cheese, seasonal vegetables, Yorkshire puddings, gravy – you name it. The rest of this food-forward collective includes Woolsery Fish and Chips, so you can get the goods to-go; a village shop with produce from local makers to be cooked up in your cottage.

Hotel bar

As well as hyper-seasonal pub grub, you’ll find local ales, ciders and a seasonal rotation of six serious cocktails. Serious because, not only do the Farmers Arms make their own cordials and tinctures, they also macerate and flavour their spirits in-house. We love the rustic flavours of the crab-apple cider margarita (Honeywood Haze, all spice and mezcal), and their rum and hazelnut old fashioned (brown-butter rum, ginger and chestnut).

Last orders

Lunch is served from noon till 2pm (3pm on Sundays), while dinner runs from 6pm till 9pm, Monday to Saturday (closed Sunday evenings).

Location

Photos The Collective at Woolsery location
Address
The Collective at Woolsery
Post Office Cottage Chapel Street Woolsery
Bideford
EX39 5QS
United Kingdom

You’ll find the Collective at Woolsery tucked away in England’s southwestern corner just a stone's throw away from the cascading cliffs of Devon’s Hartland Heritage Coast.

Planes

Exeter Airport is the closest, around 90 minutes away by car. Alternatively, Bristol Airport is just over a two-hour drive away. Each has flights to and from most major UK cities and Europe. International travellers may be better served by London Heathrow airport, which is around a four hour drive away.

Automobiles

For exploring the coast’s best beaches, wheels will come in handy. There is a free off-street parking spot available for each room at the hotel.

Worth getting out of bed for

North Devon offers some of the best walking spots in the country with its jaw-dropping scenery, ancient woodlands, sheltered footpaths and open moors. One of the most notable (and the most arduous) is the South West Coast Path which starts just north of Woolsery in Minehead and traces the coast right round to Poole in the south. On the way, you’ll pass the Hartland Heritage Coast, a 60-mile stretch of rugged cliffs and wave-battered beaches which makes the area a hit with surfers – most of whom gather at the Sandymouth’s National Trust beach thanks to its tidal tendencies. But if it’s sunbathing you’re after, head to Crackington Haven, just south of Bude, where you can kick back along golden sands and let the little ones explore the rock pools. Elsewhere along the coast, Morwenstow is known for its distinctive twisted geology and razor-sharp black rocks. It’s also where you’ll find eccentric local poet ‘Parson’ Hawker’s grave, alongside those of shipwrecked sailors – after all, they don’t call it the ‘Wreckers coast’ for nothing. Speke’s Mill Mouth is a sight to behold – a dramatic 50-foot waterfall splitting the green cliffs. Further inland, take a stroll around Hartland Abbey, a Augustinian-priory-turned-stately-home with 18th-century walled and woodland gardens, historic interiors with architectural details from Mediaeval, Georgian, Regency and Victorian eras, and traditional tea rooms. Heading north, quaint village Clovelly makes for a great day out, with its whitewashed 16th-century cottages that sit on a clifftop overlooking the harbour. Cars are banned along the town’s high street due to how steep it is; instead, donkeys are employed to carry visitors to and fro. From here, catch a boat over to Lundy island – England’s answer to the Galapagos with its wild gazelle-looking Soay sheep, sika deer and local pod of dolphins.

Local restaurants

The Royal George at Appledore gazes out to sea, and has a hearty menu of chorizo stew, Indonesian seafood curry and steak with ox-cheek croquettes – definitely save room for the banana split. In Bude, Potters is a bijou eatery with lots of character in its dishes, say the Southern-fried chicken on a bacon-and-chive waffle drizzled in Cornish honey, Tandoori monkfish with coriander yoghurt, or sea-salt and Szechuan-pepper-dusted squid in a lime and red-pepper sauce.

Local cafés

Not a café as such, but if you’re partial to a milkshake then the self-service shed at Woolsery Milk Dairy Farm is the place to be, with farm-fresh milk and a rotating choice of delicious syrup flavours, from Irish cream or gingerbread to salted caramel or blueberry muffin. In Bude, recharge at the Electric Bakery, which makes rustic loafs galore but also the likes of venison kofta and miso-mushroom rolls, plus lots of sweet treats. They offer sourdough-making courses too if you want to up your bread-making game.

Local bars

The 13th-centuy Hoops Inn in the neighbouring village of Bideford makes a fine pit-stop on your Devonian adventures. Built in the 13th century, the antique pub and restaurant is Grade || listed and boasts a beautiful thatched roof, bustling beer garden and a great selection of regional ciders and ales. 

Reviews

Photos The Collective at Woolsery reviews
Alex Head

Anonymous review

By Alex Head, Catering Queen

I couldn’t have been more excited – me, my husband and our dog Waffle were heading away from London, mid-week, for a stay at Devonshire retreat the Collective at Woolsery (or more specifically, the Collective’s award-winning pub, the Farmers Arms). I’d booked the trip months before and was now ready to simply read, eat, walk, relax and enjoy every moment. The setting for a well-needed break from running a busy catering company in London, the Collective – set over a very pretty village to the north of the county – promised to be heavenly from start to finish (and delivered), comprising of an additional gourmet fish and chip shop, traditional post office and corner store, and an 150-acre farm which grows 95 per cent of pub’s the food. 

Before we had even arrived, we were very well looked after; the hotel had organised a pick-up at Barnstable with friendly local taxi driver Vernon, who spent the journey explaining the numerous ways you can reach the hotel from London (a train from Paddington to Tiverton and a taxi from there to the hotel being the best way). 

Staff members Faye and Harry welcomed us into the cosy pub on arrival, and showed us around the beautiful dining room, garden and our cottage. Walking into our kitchen, I instantly felt at home and knew that we were in for a wonderful stay – and that I wouldn’t want to leave. Our cottage was stylish, with five-star features, and yet felt homey too. The fires were set and ready for us to light; the soft furnishings throughout looked invitingly cosy; and the well-laid-out bedroom and both bathrooms had period features, plus soft linens and towels – even the water glasses next to the bed were chic. There was a washing machine and dryer to hand too, and I’d forgotten our wash bags, but – lo and behold – there were ample bath salts and products, so we were covered.  

Throughout our stay it became clear that all the staff really care about the guests, local regulars and visitors from far and wide. A number of them have worked at the pub or wider retreat for more than five years and are fully invested in the concept, food and service. The whole team, headed up by Harry, were enviably energetic and passionate, and clearly loved their jobs, and we loved hearing stories from Faye about how brilliant the owners are and getting the fun and informative lowdown on the field-to-fork menu. 

Speaking of, the executive chef, Ian Webber, is the man behind the fantastic food. His dishes were clever and exciting, and you could instantly tell that they were, as advertised, crafted with skill and care. From the homemade cordials and locally sourced beer, to rare and heritage breeds from their Birch Farm, there was a heavy focus on quality seasonal ingredients. Be warned – while we like to mix it up – menus change from the first night to the second. One day, we braved a rainy run to the beach, and the only thing that got me through it was the thought of the steak to share we’d planned to enjoy for dinner; but, by the time we got to the restaurant, the menu was brand new. 

But this was a small hardship, because we spent two lovely evenings sat in front of the roaring pub fire, being waited on hand and foot, drinking good wines, and enjoying delicious food (going the full three courses for both). I can’t resist a chicken-liver pâté, so when I saw it on the menu it was a must-have. That; classic mussels served with lovely homemade bread, cultured butter and perfectly salty chips; and a scallop fishcake, complete with a poached egg and leeks, were definite highlights. Modern takes on the British classics are some of the many reasons this pub and its menu are being raved about – and rightly so. 

After such indulgent evenings, you wouldn’t think we needed any breakfast, but when it’s delivered to your door in a wicker picnic-hamper, how can you say no? And, so enticing was the menu we were presented with, I couldn’t resist ordering nearly all of it. Favourite picks included the potato cake with thyme butter and smoked dulse, the sweet clover and vanilla yoghurt with rhubarb jam, the whiskey and honey porridge with candied walnuts and smoked cashews, and the nettle and ramson fritter with spiced fermented vegetables. It’s worth a stay just to start your day like this. 

And this was all well priced and unpretentious, too – we left wanting more of everything and will definitely be back for more of the Collective’s good stuff. On our return journey, taxi driver Vernon even offered to drive us past one of the beach coves we’d not seen during our stay – this genuine kindness being the icing on the cake of a fantastic few days away. If you asked me what my favourite part was, it would be hard to choose between relaxing with a cup of tea and cakes we bought in the corner shop in front of the roaring fire watching Bridget Jones's Diary, the memorable meals with wonderful service, or getting to know the incredible team behind it all. Altogether it made for such a special break and – as promised – it was heaven from start to finish. 

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Price per night from $231.47