Chuckle Too

Chuckle Too provides self-catering holiday accommodation for up to three people, plus a cot for a baby if required.  Situated in the heart of the South Hams, within easy reach of the beach and local pubs, it is well located for those wishing to enjoy the countryside or walk the area's beautiful green lanes, with or without a dog.  The accommodation is located in the centre of Blackawton, a small South Devon village four miles from Dartmouth and eight miles from Totnes.

Chuckle Too is a modernised, and completely self-contained wing of Chuckle Cottage.  It is approached by a few steps at the top of Castle Lane, through the garden and down to its own tiny patio, which is furnished with a table and chairs.  There is a barbeque in the garden.

The self-catering accommodation sleeps 2 or 3 adults, and a cot can be provided for a baby.  The large living room is comfortably furnished with a single sofa-bed and easy chairs, dining table and chairs and a colour TV, DVD and video players.  If you wish to entertain, more chairs will be provided.  There is a small and pretty cottage bedroom with 4'6" bed, duvet and four pillows and, of course, a dressing table and chair and somewhere to hang your clothes.  The sunny kitchen is fully equipped with microwave, electric cooker, toaster, cafétière, refrigerator and washing machine-dryer.  The pine-panelled bathroom includes loo, bath with handle and anti-slip mat, hand-basin, electric shower, electric towel rail and shaver-point.

All heating and hot water and all bed linen, towels and tea-towels, loo paper and washing-up things, icebox, picnic rug, and maps are provided and included in the rental - just bring your clothes and food ...

oh, and your own Beach Towels, please!

Blackawton is a small but lively farming village in the South Hams, tucked away from the main routes of this popular tourist area, but close to its amenities: Dartmouth, lovely Blackpool Sands and Start Bay are all just a few minutes drive away.  So, too, is Slapton Ley — a bird-watcher's paradise.  While a championship golf course, Woodlands Leisure Park, and stables are close by, the wilderness of Dartmoor and the cities of Exeter and Plymouth can all be reached in under an hour.

Situated in the South Hams — which is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty — Blackawton supports an agricultural community and is surrounded by the most beautiful countryside, which you are free to explore via green lanes, 26 public footpaths and four bridleways.

Blackawton has a magnificent 12^th century church, three good locals (The George Inn, The Normandy Arms and The Forces Tavern), a post office with general store, a children's playground, a football pitch and an all-weather tennis court.  The Forces Tavern and The George Inn offer Real Ales and serve good traditional (and some vegetarian) food, so you don't have far to go if you wish to eat and drink "out" yet remain within a short walking distance of your holiday home!

The village shop/Post Office carries a good stock, from stamps and milk to frozen food, free-range eggs and elastic, and there are supermarkets in Totnes, Dartmouth and Kingsbridge.  We suggest you drop in at Morrisons or Somerfield in Totnes or the newly opened Sainsbury's or Marks & Spencer Simply Food stores in Dartmouth en route for your stay here.  There is a BT phonecard-operated telephone kiosk just opposite Chuckle Cottage, so you can 'phone home to check on things, as necessary.  And if you wish us to order your daily papers or some food in advance of your arrival, please let us know a fortnight ahead.

Bookings are from 3 p.m. on Saturday until 10 a.m. the following Saturday, but we are flexible on this if other lettings allow — we will tell you if this is the case!  Please telephone us a couple of days before your arrival date and tell us when you anticipate/hope to get here, so that we can be here to show you in.

Although there is no additional charge, please also tell us if you plan to use the cot or sofa-bed so that we can ensure that suitable bedding is available and in place on arrival.

Dogs:  a supplement of £20 should be added if you wish to bring your dog.  He/she must be supervised when in the enclosed garden, but there are plenty of nice walks to keep a dog very happy.

Bookings:  after confirming availability with the proprietor, you can secure your booking by completing the Booking Form and returning it with a deposit of £50.  The balance of your holiday rental, please, six weeks before you are due to arrive.

Chuckle Too operates a non-smoking policy.

Please check availability before making a booking.

Here is the printable booking form.

Cheques should be made payable to Jill Hanlon and sent to :-

Chuckle Cottage,
Blackawton,
Totnes,
Devon
TQ9 7BG.

All enquiries to the address above,
or telephone/Fax us on :-

01-803-712455

e-mail address :-

chuckle_too@jillyhanlon.plus.com

General Information

You may unload/load possessions from your car just outside the garden gate, at the top of Castle Lane, but parking is in the Main Street — please park sensibly at the side of the road as this is a farming village and we do not wish to inconvenience the drivers of tractors and harvesters who would otherwise have to squeeze by.  Your car and possessions will, in all other respects, usually be quite safe.

The garden is mainly for your use — the owner only passes through or occasionally visits it — with a mower, saw, machete and secateurs.  There are deck chairs in the garden shed and two barbeques — one big, one small — which you are welcome to use.  If you wish to take a small barbeque down to the beach, please ask for my third barbeque.

If you are bringing your dog (by prior arrangement), please also bring adequate throws to cover the upholstered furniture and, of course, his/her own feeding and drinking bowls.  Although we will supply copious numbers of plastic bags for your use, please also bring what you would normally use for the collection of their messes for placement into suitable receptacles!

When you arrive you will see that there is a full information brochure, with opening times of the local pubs and post office, an inventory and so on.  There is also a small brochure entitled Information for Walkers, which contains outlines of some of our favourite walks in the area and information of use to people new to walking in the South Hams.  If you would like me to give you any further knowledge of the area, I have lived here off and on since 1945, please don't hesitate to ask.

Have a lovely, relaxing holiday.

There is a £20/week supplement should you wish to bring your dog.

During the off-season I'm happy to offer special long weekend rates.

The delights of walking in the South Hams
An unseen skylark heard in the June sky, vivid bluebells and red campions in May, a powerful storm on a deserted winter beach, and many other inspiring sights and sounds are there for the walker of this part of the South Hams to appreciate. After a period of threat, efforts are underway to conserve the area's rural heritage, with its centuries old green lanes and hedgerows, rocky sea cliffs and high moors. It is one of the pleasures of being in Blackawton, to sense the quiet Earth and dissolve one's cares and stresses in a walk. So, in walking here I hope you come to enjoy and love the beauty and tranquillity of the South Hams, which remains a haven in a changing world.

The brief information on this page aims to assist you plan your exploration of this area of outstanding natural beauty, and in particular to plan your walks in and from Blackawton.

Walking in and from Blackawton
The rural parish of Blackawton, which covers an area as extensive as a moderate sized city, is a wonderful place to walk in its own right and an excellent location from which to explore the many other beautiful and inspiring walks in the South Hams and Dartmoor.

The various footpaths and bridleways within the parish of Blackawton are briefly set out in a leaflet of that name, which is purchasable from the village shop, and comprehensively in the Ordnance Survey map Explorer OL20. Slightly further afield, but including a walk in Blackawton, Valerie Belsey's small book Exploring Green Lanes in the South Hams : 24 circular walks www.greenbooks.co.uk clearly sets out some of the more interesting walks along the area's green lanes, as well as providing information on what can be seen along the way. There are also a number of National Trust (Long Wood, in the River Dart valley) and Woodland Trust www.woodland-trust.org.uk woods in the area, most notably the ones beside the River Avon at Woodleigh, which offer beautiful and tranquil walks for those wanting a gentle walk. Many other walks can be reached easily by car within an hour, or less easily by public transport.

Detailed information on walking the coastal path www.swcp.org.uk can be found in the National Trail Guide The Southwest Coastal Path : from Falmouth to Exmouth (originally published in 1990 by Aurum Press in conjunction with the Countryside Commission and Ordnance Survey), which can, or something comparable, be purchased nationally from any good book or camping shop, or locally in either Totnes (Dartington Book), Dartmouth (Harbour Bookshop) or Kingsbridge (Harbour Bookshop).

Public transport
Public transport in the area is limited, and is primarily accessed via the Dartmouth to Torbay number 111 bus, which runs between Dartmouth, Totnes and Torbay, in both directions at hourly intervals. Details of this reasonably priced service can be found in the current bus timetable (available from the Totnes or Dartmouth Tourist Information Centres www.discoverdartmouth.com) or by phoning Traveline (0870 6082608 www.traveline.org.uk www.devon.gov.uk/devonbus). This service, which can be accessed by the request stops at The Forces Tavern and Woodlands Leisure Park, links to various other bus and coach services serving Plymouth, Exeter, Newton Abbot and Dartmoor. The 111 bus also stops at Totnes mainline railway station, where trains can be caught to Plymouth and further west (including to Calstock, for the Tamar valley and the National Trust premises at Cotehele www.nationaltrust.org.uk) and Exeter.

Many visitors to the area take a trip on either the Totnes to Buckfastleigh www.southdevonrailway.org or the Kingsbridge to Paignton www.paignton-steamrailway.co.uk railway. Both lines are very scenic. Although a little pricey these lines can be used as stepping-stones to other interesting areas for walking.

The local West Dart bus service, which is run by volunteers, makes occasional return trips for shoppers from Blackawton to Dartmouth and Totnes. Although of limited use to the walker the service may be used to get out of the village in the morning, without having to walk the mile to the main road. Please ask us me for the times of the buses as they vary. On schooldays First Bus runs early morning and mid-afternoon school buses between the village and Totnes and Dartmouth, which may be used by the public (details in the bus timetable).

And finally, some walkers use a taxi on one or more legs of their walk. Phone numbers for a very limited number of randomly selected taxi operators (we cannot vouch for the quality of their service) based in the area are (Totnes - Anna's Taxis 01803 782272. Totnes - AP Taxi Co 01803 84040. Dartmouth - Bluebird Taxis 01803 833522. Dartmouth - Kestrel Taxis 0800 317858). Given the distances involved, I strongly recommend walkers using any of these services to get an estimate of the price of the journey from the driver before booking or embarking in the taxi.

Eating out
Although the Normandy Arms is really a sit-down restaurant in a pub, most of the pubs in the area cater for walkers. The award winning Venus cafés www.venuscompany.co.uk at Blackpool Sands and other beaches offer an excellent range of traditional, vegetarian and vegan food for people using the respective beaches as well as walkers. There are other facilities at Dittisham, Sharpham, Ashprington, South Milton sands and most National Trust houses (some seasonal). Finally, I would be pleased to pick up stuff, such as good bread, from the shops for those staying in Chuckle Too, if I am in Totnes or Dartmouth and you are off walking. Please ask before setting out.

Preparation and other measures
Before setting out on a walk in the area it is worth being mindful of the following.

Some people maintain that the area has a distinct microclimate and in any case conditions can vary markedly over the course of a day. They certainly differ either side of the watershed that coincides with the main Dartmouth to Totnes road, particularly in winter. As eating facilities can be far flung for those relying on public transport I would encourage anybody walking in the area to set out well prepared with appropriate food and clothing for warm and cold, wet and windy conditions. Dehydration can be of particular concern for much of the year, in which respect, however, I would discourage you from drinking the water from streams, given the reported risk of liver flukes in some areas of the UK where sheep are reared. I recommend taking plenty of tap water with you in your rucksack.

Ticks, small blood-sucking insects that usually look like black dots on one's legs, can be picked-up whilst walking along the coastal path, on Dartmoor and other areas of the UK. For more on ticks and their removal, together with other walking advice, go to www.ramblers.org.uk.

General weather information for the area can be obtained from CEEFAX on the TV or www.metoffice.com.

In this hilly region, mobile phone reception can vary markedly over a small area, so by walking around a bit or going to high ground, you may find a signal.

And, lastly, if you are attempting an especially remote walk, let somebody who can respond if you don't return know where you were planning to walk.