Tucked away in the spectacular Dartmoor National Park is Bovey Castle, a hidden gem swamped in spectacular views.

Picture tumbling countryside and an atmosphere of utter rest and relaxation…

As soon as you pull up into the grounds, your breath is taken away by the pure grandeur of the castle, its Elizabethan style a testament to a byegone era. Upon entering the doors, you are welcomed in with open arms and feel as though you are entering a home away from home. High ornate ceilings, beautifully decorated walls and vast roaring fires create the atmosphere for an ultimate break away. You can feel your stress and worries ebb away as the scents of burning wood and tumbling countrysides wrap themselves around you and make you never wish to leave.

Our Room

We were in a Valley Castle Room on the first floor of the Hotel. This was just up a set of beautifully grand stairs, and once we opened the door we were greeted with a beautiful, homely room. Large in size, it had a queen size bed,  wardrobe, desk, armchairs and television.  Ornate photos ordained the walls and beautiful airy furnishings made the opulent room feel light, airy and spacious. Some of the rooms are dog-friendly!

The bathroom was of good size, with a nice deep bath and truly breathtaking views beyond the window. For this was the real winner of the room. Throw open the decadently majestic windows and you are greeted with miles of rugged, bracken-covered wilderness as far as the eye can see.

Afternoon Tea

 Bovey Castle are notorious for their cream teas and if you have the chance to book one in, make sure you do.
In the package you get homemade warm scones with clotted cream and jam, delicate finger sandwiches (the contents vary according to season), homemade cakes and a selection of fine teas.

At £25 a head it’s well worth it for an added treat, and when the weather’s warm you can sit it out on the terrace and sip your tea whilst taking in the views. One tip- teas are served from 2pm so make sure if you have a dinner booking also to leave plenty of time for your tea to go down! We were so full we didn’t need our dinner until 7:30pm, and believe me, dinner is one thing you do not want to miss at Bovey Castle!

Dinner

Bovey Castle is home to two restaurants, the Great Western and Smith’s brasserie. Smith’s brasserie is for more casual dining, and although it looked delicious we went the whole hog and opted to eat in the Great Western for something a little more fancy.

Upon entering the Great Western you are greeted with the feel that you will be treated well and the food will be top class. The art deco style is warm and inviting and it’s a great chance to dress up in a shirt and tie or your favorite dress without feeling out of place.  Where possible the food is created with locally sourced ingredients and presented beautifully, and from the first bite of bread (bacon, cheese and onion) to the last morsel of dessert (the most sumptuous strawberries and cream you’ll ever taste) we felt like royalty.

The meal starts with  a selection of canapes and a choice of bread to be brought to your table; they bring a mini loaf over which is a nice touch and saves fellow bread-lovers like me from having to keep requesting more.

For starters there is a whole range to pick from and I selected the rabbit dish (‘Basil scented ballontine of rabbit & Serrano ham with Consommé of Heritage tomatoes, Parfait and toast). My partner went for the pigeon (“Roast squab pigeon, Red leaves, cauliflower, Macerated peaches & chutney sauce.”)
Both were presented and cooked perfectly, the vast variety of tastes and textures a perfect combination. They were light and filling enough to whet our pallets for the main course without leaving us too full.

Mains also offer a good choice, from Pan fried Dover sole to Celeriac and apple roulade as a delicious vegetarian option. I went for “Smoked rib eye of Devon red beef. This came with Beer braised beef cheek and maple roast squash and Violet potato gnocchi.”
My partner chose Old spot pork and crackling, Poached apricots, Black onion and salt caramel carrots.

The beef was cooked to perfection, (medium-rare) and was wonderfully succulent and tender and full of flavours. It was cooked over wood ambers and the smoky undertones added a real extra taste that really set the dish apart from other beef dishes I’ve eaten in the past. The violet potato gnocchi was also something entirely new for me, and I wasn’t expecting to like it quite as much as I did, it added a delicate sweet touch that set off the meat perfectly.

My partner’s pork and crackling was, again, cooked wonderfully, the meat falling apart tenderly when touched, full of flavours and set off by the salt caramel carrots-  a delicious contrasting taste.

Dessert was again, a tough choice- all of the dishes sounded tantalizingly delicious.

In the end I went for “9th Hole chocolate tree stump.” Ths came with Lime and cardamom and Milk chocolate wisps.” When it came out, I was pleasantly surprised by how artistically designed it was, from delicately created sugar mushrooms to a tree stump filled with delicious lime sorbet. The sharp tang of the sorbet blended perfectly with the rich chocolate and was a refreshing combination for an after-dinner dish. (It was rather comical trying to break the chocolate apart, having been frozen by the sorbet!)

My partner went for the “English strawberries and clotted cream.” This came with “Champagne and rose petals & Wild strawberry puree”. We were expecting nothing like the delicious dish that was presented- it was sweet, creamy and the best strawberries and cream we’ve ever tasted.

Other Facilities

Aswell as the above, the Hotel also has a spa with a pool, hot tub, sauna and steam room, surrounded by beautiful views of the grounds. We spent an afternoon in the spa and it was beautifully relaxing. The Hotel also has an 18-hole golf course and a whole programme of activities including tennis, cider and gin-making, croquet, petanque and a play park for children. The grounds are also a beautiful setting to spend an afternoon wandering round and taking in the surroundings.

Each morning there is also a falconry show- something well worth a watch to see some fantastic birds of prey.

I was hosted by Bovey Castle, a member of Pride of Britain Hotels – a consortium of 46 privately-owned independent British hotels.

The first phase of an ambitious five-year renovation project to restore Bovey Castle to its former glory has been completed with the transformation of two restaurants: The Great Western fine dining restaurant pays homage to the glamour of a bygone era and is named in tribute of the railway company which opened Bovey Castle as a golfing hotel in 1930, while the relaxed Smith’s Brasserie is named in honour of the estate’s 19th century owner, WH Smith. Rooms start from £160 per night (two sharing, on a room only basis). Afternoon tea costs £25 pp. Contact Pride of Britain Hotels (0800 089 3929 FREE, www.prideofbritainhotels.com) to book.

Bovey Castle
Dartmoor National Park
North Bovey
Devon
TQ13 8RE