Hexworthy, Dartmoor Forest, Yelverton, Devon PL20

Thimble Hall is a picturesque Dartmoor stone house beneath a thatched roof, with its distinctive ‘eyebrow’ windows. It is believed to date back to the 17th century as a barn/woodstore and to have been sympathetically adapted and extended over the centuries into the charming four bedroom house, full of character, that exists today, and benefitting from many improvements carried out in recent years by the current owners.

The house is situated within the tiny cluster of houses, cottages and buildings which make up Hexworthy, off a quiet lane, and the entrance driveway leads into a gravel terrace area in front of the house.

The front door opens into the dining room with exposed beams and ceiling joists and fireplace with electric stove. Doors lead through to the spacious 28 foot sitting room, also with exposed beams and ceiling joists, as well as granite fireplace with wooden lintel and woodburner, and to the stylish fitted kitchen/breakfast room at the rear of the house and the boot room with back door.

On the first floor there is the large principal bedroom with fitted wardrobe cupboards, three further bedrooms with views over the gardens and recently modernised and upgraded shower room and bathroom.

The house faces essentially west and overlooks its delightful Dartmoor gardens with sheltered walled areas providing secluded and peaceful sitting places, lawns, ornamental shrubs and plant beds, fruit cage and greenhouse.

Within the gardens is the studio building with solar panels on the roof, a granite barn providing useful storage and the thatched double garage/workshop with an EV charging point and doors opening to the lane.

Hexworthy is a small historic hamlet in the heart of Dartmoor National Park, about 300m above sea level and consisting of a picturesque cluster of cottages, farmhouses and buildings at the foot of Dartmoor’s south moor, once inhabited by tenant farmers granted rights to graze livestock on the Royal Forest of Dartmoor.

Below, the West Dart River flows by on its way to join the East Dart River at Dartmeet, about a mile downstream, and become the River Dart. There are numerous sets of stepping stones on this stretch of the river, as well as Hexworthy Bridge, a stone triple arch bridge. About 200 m down the road is the popular Forest Inn pub.

The community is one of ancient scattered farmsteads and cottages and pretty villages and Dartmoor is renowned for its spectacular scenery with its heather clad moorland, rolling farmland, granite tors and wooded valleys bisected by rushing streams and rivers, as well as being a haven for wildlife. It is the largest and wildest open moorland in Southern England and is known for its concentration of Bronze Age archaeology with stone rows, stone circles and Neolithic tombs. There are excellent opportunities for walking, cycling, riding, fishing, wildlife watching etc. on the doorstep.

There is access, via Dartmeet and Poundsgate, to the popular moorland town of Ashburton with independent shops, cafes, restaurants, deli, bakery, greengrocer’s, health centre, dentist’s and community arts centre, as well as South Dartmoor Community College.

To the west, across the moor, is the historic market town of Tavistock, also with excellent range of independent shops, restaurants, supermarkets etc., as well as private education with Mount Kelly College and prep school.

The school bus collects from the Forest Inn for Widecombe in the Moor primary school, with additional buses available for Stover School, Plymouth College, Exeter School and Mount Kelly.

There are golf courses in the area at Tavistock, Yelverton and Bovey Castle.

The cities of Plymouth and Exeter provide a comprehensive selection of cultural, leisure, shopping and sporting facilities.

At Ashburton there is access onto the A38 dual carriageway leading east to Exeter, where there is access onto the M5 motorway and an airport. There are stations at Ivybridge, Totnes and Exeter with mainline connections to London (Paddington). From Plymouth there are ferries to France and Spain.