Splendid sporting estate in Devon
A fantastic sporting estate near Brayford in north Devon with fishing and shooting has come to the market


Bears Rock is bordered by the Rivers Bray and Holewater and boasts salmon and trout fishing on both, with the addition of a spring-fed, stocked trout lake. There is a pheasant drive, which is part of a local syndicate as well as Red and Roe deer.
When the current owners moved in eight years ago, their vision was to let all the land go back to it natural habitat. They had no livestock, took down all the fencing, cleared the riverbanks of dead trees. The fields were left to grow wild which encouraged new flowers to seed including an abundance of wild orchids.
The trout lake has become a wonderful haven for wild life: otters, dragon flies and masses of toads and frogs. Swallows feed at dusk and bats at night.
In May, the ancient wood (which extends to about 30 acres) is a carpet of bluebells and wonderful ferns.
Furthermore, the land joins the Tarka Trail and one can walk for miles through woodland and often see Red deer and huge stags during the rut.
The main house is a four-bedroom Devon long house and there is a secondary converted barn with two bedrooms and a terrace. In addition, there are three stables and tack room.
For sale through Stags 01271 322833; www.stags.co.uk
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
380 acres and 90 bedrooms on the £25m private island being sold by one of Britain's top music producers
Stormzy, Rihanna and the Rolling Stones are just a part of the story at Osea Island, a dot on the map in the seas off Essex.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
'A delicious chance to step back in time and bask in the best of Britain': An insider's guide to The Season
Here's how to navigate this summer's top events in style, from those who know best.
By Madeleine Silver Published