Lower Idston

Lower Idston is a delightful family home in a much sought-after part of the South Hams. The property is approached down a quiet rural lane between Aveton Gifford and Loddiswell. It offers versatile and flexible accommodation with the principal 3 bedroom farmhouse (with Georgian origins and proportions), a one bedroom detached annexe and a two bedroom, two bathroom converted barn (known as Hope Cottage). It is within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and it occupies a peaceful and tranquil position with wonderful far-reaching rural views. About 6 acres in total.
The property is not listed and the origins of the main house date back to about 1750. The porch and front door lead into a lovely reception hall with a Danish Scan wood burner that, in turn, leads through both the kitchen and the sitting room. The sitting room has triple aspect windows and French doors leading out to the southeast-facing part of the garden. There is also a bay window with original sash windows and a separate window seat to
the window overlooking the front garden. The room has a built in Scan woodburner. A corridor links the reception hallway to the main living room and kitchen, off which are a boiler room (with an oil-fired condensing boiler), a computer room and a cloakroom/WC. The open plan dining/living room has a lovely high, vaulted ceiling and three sets of French doors that lead out onto the garden.
The entire room has an oak Junkers floor with oil-fired underfloor heating. There is a heat exchanger that gives a constant flow of warm, fresh air to the room.
The kitchen has a full range of appliances and LPS gas hobs and electric oven and maple wood units, cupboards and work surfaces. There is also a useful larder and the windows overlook the vegetable garden and the valley beyond. Beyond the kitchen is the utility room that has a second gas hob and sink and also underfloor central heating. The utility room also gives access to the loft and the heat exchanger itself. Stairs lead up from the reception hallway to the first floor landing corridor. Under the stairs is the wine cellar. There are a total of three bedrooms; one of which has an en suite wet room. The third small bedroom has stunning views out towards the east and currently has bunk beds. There are plenty of cupboards and a good size linen cupboard. The main bedroom has built in wardrobes and there is also a family bathroom with a bath and bidet. We understand that all the windows except the sitting room bay were replaced with double glazing within the last seven years and the property is linked to a private drainage septic tank and has its own private water supply and water reservoir from a bore hole.
Beyond the utility/laundry room is the Pump House. This is a detached annexe and consists of a shower room downstairs and a good sized double bedroom with a pitched roof upstairs. It also has a separate utility room for guests to use with access either from the Pump House or Hope Cottage.
Hope Cottage is a two bedroom detached converted barn that has been finished to a very high standard and specification inside. The cottage is currently let out for short holidays via the website loweridston.co.uk and supported by Coast & Country. All the ground floor windows were replaced with hardwood windows in 2021 and the cottage is hardwired for wi-fi.

Gardens, grounds and outbuildings
Bedside the parking area is a double garage with internal stairs leading up to a studio. There is also a large log store. Beside the house is an extensive vegetable and kitchen garden, beyond this is a more formal lawn that has been landscaped and has impressive manicured Yew hedges. The land falls away to the valley beyond, at the bottom of which is a stream and a drained pond, which could be reinstated by the new owner if required. In addition to woodland and an orchard, there are two paddocks, one that extends to about three acres and the other to just over two acres.

The South Hams
Arguably one of the most sought after waterfront locations in the UK with an uncommonly temperate climate and golden beaches; the South Hams is the perfect setting for this fantastic family home. Schooling: There are a number of schools easily accessible including the highly regarded Kingsbridge Community College, only 4 miles away, which
recently received an “Outstanding” OFSTED report.
Shopping: The two villages of Aveton Gifford and Loddiswell are both less than two miles away. The former has a pub, Post office/village store and an excellent primary school. The latter has a Post Office/general store, corner shop, primary school, playing field and community hall. Bantham (5.5 miles) has an excellent pub, 'The Sloop', and a village shop. The nearby village of Thurlestone (6 miles) has a thriving Post Office/general store, primary school and a 4 star hotel. Further shopping facilities can be found in Kingsbridge approximately 5 miles to the southeast. Exeter (1 hour away) has a fantastic selection of shops and amenities including a large John Lewis store. The popular town of Totnes is just under 15 miles away and has a variety of shops and a weekly market.
Sailing and Watersports: The South Coast of Devon has numerous sandy beaches, coves and sheltered anchorages, all of which make it an excellent base for dingy sailing, water sports, boating and long walks along the beautiful coastline. The internationally renowned Salcombe Estuary is just 6 miles away.
Golf and other Recreational Activity: There are a number of glorious walks in the area along the South West Coastal Path and along the banks of the River Avon. Bantham also offers a magnificent sandy beach, reputed to be one of the best surfing beaches on the south Devon coast. There are numerous golf courses in the area including the
spectacular 18 hole golf links at Thurlestone and golf course at Bigbury.
Travel by Car: Communications are good with the A38 to the north, at Wrangaton, providing dual carriageway access to the Cathedral City and county town of Exeter and links to the M5 motorway. Travel by Train: There are Intercity rail services from Plymouth and Totnes to London Paddington. Travel by Air: In addition, there are regular internal and international flights from Exeter Airport.

Marketed by: Knight Frank, Exeter