After a four-hour drive from London, I wasn’t entirely sure we’d stumbled upon the right place when our Sat Nav told us we’d arrived at our destination. A lane petered out into a tangle of hedgerows and a scattering of barns and I could hear the low, impatient bellow of bulls in a nearby field. That was until a beaming trio wearing denim dungarees appeared, one handing me a chilled rosé, another pressing a pint into my husband’s hand. Welcome to Fowlescombe Farm.
A few days earlier, the guest relations team had phoned me to run through my itinerary. I had struck gold with a forecast of balmy August days for the stay, and together we sketched out a plan: stalking the farm dogs (the sole demand from our pet-deprived four year-old), plenty of lingering over farmhouse feasts and time to simply do nothing much at all. They offered up extras too: flower pressing in the greenhouse, early morning yoga on the lawn and a visit to meet the just-born piglets.
Since opening earlier this year, Fowlescombe seems to be part of a growing number of stylish farm stays luring the city-weary with an elevated rural offering of fine dining and chic rooms, all wrapped up in spellbinding surroundings.
Tucked away on a 450-acre working farm in Ugborough, South Devon, Fowlescombe occupies a site with roots tracing back to 1537. Since being taken over by Caitlin Owens’ family in 2019, the estate has been transformed. The former chintzy country aesthetic has been swapped for cool, clean-lined Swiss minimalism, masterminded by Caitlin’s architect partner, Paul Glade. He worked with Harry Gugger of Studio Gugger in Basel and Ryan Cook from London-based Channel Projects.
The original Victorian farmhouse and the scattering of stone barns have been pleasingly reimagined as a stylish Devon retreat — all chalky stone walls, hand-carved furniture and a palette of earthy neutrals. “Switzerland gives you precision, balance, and near-perfection; Devon gives you walls that lean, doors that stick, and the beauty of imperfection,” as Glade told me.
It’s not the Owens-Glade family’s first foray into hospitality either, they also own and run the nearby Millbrook Inn, a beloved country pub known for its inventive, ingredient-led cooking.
Staff are mostly locals, excited by the prospect of working on an estate so committed to regenerative farming with a focus on homegrown, estate-reared produce. Rates include all of your meals, alongside the roster of daily activities, plus there’s complimentary cake in the farmhouse every day and an honesty bar where you can shake up your own G&T.
But before you even think of comparing it to Soho Farmhouse (don’t), know this: no one’s here to pose or be seen. Fowlescombe offers a quieter kind of luxury, but plenty of attention to detail. They remember which wine you said you adored on that first night, and that your food-obsessed child loves pasta, and will produce a fresh bowl for an early supper before you’ve even asked. It’s service that feels instinctive, which is no surprise given Caitlin’s background in luxury hospitality, with years at Four Seasons and Relais & Châteaux properties under her belt.
Guests arrive from as far away as Korea and New York, and once here, they’re free to explore. Though those wanting to find their bearings can join daily tours with farm manager Rosie. She leads wanderers over the rolling hills, pausing to introduce inquisitive chickens, russet Tamworth pigs, shaggy sheep and the occasional goat that trots over to inspect the newcomers.
Most mornings, our son disappeared to collect eggs before appointing himself chief dog-cuddler, first with head gardener Shelly’s black lab, Basil, then sous chef John’s irrepressible golden retriever, Branston. It left us grown-ups blissfully free to do nothing, or to try a new hobby.
One afternoon, I joined florist Sophie for flower pressing; another morning, my husband tried his hand at breadmaking. There’s a steady carousel of other activities too, from history walks and barista workshops to bracing morning dips at nearby Bigbury beach.
We stayed in the two-bedroomed Long Barn, with tall stone walls and cool flagstone floors, softened with sandy linens, woven throws and sheepskin rugs. There was a woodburner to hunker down at on cooler nights.
Enormous beds were topped with wool-stuffed mattresses made from the farm’s own Manx Loaghtan flock, while full-height windows framed the wild flower meadows and sheep-grazing field beyond.
There was a slick compact kitchen tucked behind blonde-wood cabinetry (‘cook your own’ meals are available to order 24/7 if you’d rather give the restaurant a miss) and a fridge stocked with local fizz and jars of clotted cream fudge.
Thoughtful details quietly elevate the place — grape-skin Pelegrims toiletries in the bathroom, filtered water in glass carafes, and contemporary lanterns to loop around your wrist as you pad out into the dark to explore.
Food is the heartbeat of Fowlescombe. Executive Chef Elly Wentworth (fresh from The Angel in Dartmouth) steers the kitchen with an easy confidence, favouring flavour over fuss. There’s nothing stiff or showy here: just impeccably grown vegetables and slow-reared meat, handled with quiet precision.
Menus shift with whatever’s ready that morning — perhaps courgettes and apples lifted from the garden, spun into a delicate velouté, a slow-cooked hen’s egg and slivers of kohlrabi and garden radish; or halibut roasted in a silky shellfish bisque with pressed tomatoes warm from the vine; finished with a fermented blackberry and white chocolate pavlova, the berries picked that afternoon.
The refectory space hums with a kind of Nordic calm; there are pale wood tables, soft pendant lights and the gentle clatter of pans from the open kitchen. Yet meals can be taken wherever you like: a long communal table, a barbecue in the courtyard or barefoot on your barn terrace with only the birds for company.
Breakfast is rooted in the land: fluffy scrambled eggs from the estate’s chickens, thick Devonshire yoghurt with homemade berry compote served with still-warm croissants.
For all its grown-up polish, Fowlescombe never feels off-limits to children, ours was as happily folded into the rhythm of the place as we were. There’s an ease to it all, the sort that usually comes with years of practice, yet somehow it’s only been open a few months.
Caitlin and Paul are already dreaming bigger: more suites and dining spaces, plus a wild swimming pond and a sauna set to arrive next year.
This autumn brings their first collaborative supper clubs with local restaurant Horrell & Horrell, followed by a ‘food week’ over the October half-term where families can forage and camp-cook; learn preserving with Elly, and try their hand at fish filleting, butchery or pasta-making. It’s the kind of place that quietly gets under your skin and makes you want to come back as soon as you’ve left.
Rooms start from £415 per night based on two people sharing, including breakfast, dinner, snacks and on-site activities, book it here
