Location! Location! Location!
An absolutely magical position on the Torridge Estuary facing Instow across the river.
Take the steps down to the water at high tide for a swim or stroll down to the village for a drink in one of the local pubs and eat in one of the many restaurants. Perhaps take the Ferry across to Instow at high tide to explore. Appledore is very dog friendly with most pubs and restaurants being very welcoming.
Better still, sit on the terrace with a cup of tea or a glass of wine and watch the world go by whilst barbecuing you favourite food. Watch the fishing boats coming and going, the Gig boat rowers and the Bell Slip swimmers. Wave to the tourists on the Oldenburg on a day trip to Lundy. Enjoy the kayakers, kite boarders and sailors from the Yacht Club come and go. At low tide spot the flash of a kingfisher or the estuary birds probing the mud; sandpipers, redshanks, curlews, oystercatchers, cormorants, swans, ducks, geese and also crows, pigeons and the occasional hawk.
If the weather turns, come inside, sit in the sheltered conservatory and watch from the warmth or read a book.
For those cooler rainy nights relax in front of a log fire talking, playing games or watching your favourite TV programme. Good Wi-Fi enables you to access the outside world if you have to.
So, a bit more about the house. Parts of the house were built in the 1800s some a bit earlier and some much later. At one time it was owned by the Benson family who built the New Quay. Later by the Harris family who built up Appledore Shipyard.
There are 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, one with a bath/shower and the others with showers (two bathrooms are en-suite and one is a wet-room). Three bedrooms have fabulous river views across the tidal estuary towards the picturesque village of Instow and the green hills beyond.
A 5-minute walk takes you into Appledore with its quay, restaurants, pubs, supermarket, newsagent, craft shops, art galleries and the large car park with a slipway for launching boats into the Torridge.
Appledore has a small and regular (depending on the tides) pedestrian ferry across to Instow where you can spend time on the beach or go for a drink or a meal in the pubs and restaurants. From Appledore, sightseeing trips out to sea, up river and fishing trips are easily arranged in the village.
Dockside's fully equipped kitchen and dining area is spacious with a breakfast bar and a dining table seating 8 people. This leads through 2 arches into the living room with a large inglenook fireplace for warm, cosy evenings. A small conservatory on the riverfront beckons everyone for breakfast, lunch or evening suppers and barbecues, drinking in the breath-taking tidal views - or just a quiet place to hang out and read a book.
The layout of the house:-
The front door is on street level with parking for one car (otherwise yellow lines on the street restrict parking during the daytime, but additional free parking is available in surrounding streets). On this "ground" level there is a hallway, one bathroom (with bath/shower toilet and basin), the electricity/boiler cupboard, a bedroom with 2 single beds, wardrobe and window facing the car-port and the street. The other bedroom which is the largest bedroom in the house; a spacious room with a king-size bed, two armchairs, bookshelf, chest of drawers and a wardrobe. The window opens out to the stunning river views.
From the hallway there are stairs with a handrail leading down to the river-level of the house, kitchen, dining, living room and the wet-room (toilet, basin and shower) and a back door to a very spacious courtyard. The living room has a small alcove with a desk two sofas, an armchair, a window seat and an inglenook fireplace for real open fires, TV, games cupboard and a DVD player.
The living room leads onto a small river-front conservatory which is a great place to keep out of the wind and still enjoy the views. It works well for breakfasts, teas, quiet moments, evening suppers - just about anything when you want to enjoy the view and not be cold.
This conservatory leads onto the spacious patio with a round table, seating for 8, spectacular views, a small barbecue, flowerbeds, a grassy area with a rotary clothes airer, archway with a gate and small landing and iron steps to the river or "beach" below (depending on the tides).
From the living room another set of stairs appear which lead up to two more bedrooms. Up 6 steps to a very small landing, to the left the second bedroom with king-sized bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers, bay-window with a window seat and views from your pillow. The "en-suite" bathroom is actually just across this small landing on the right, shower, toilet and basin with a heated towel rail.
Continue up this flight of stairs to the room above to the "attic" room which has 2 single beds, incredibly stunning views and its own bathroom (toilet, basin and shower).
