Holiday letting business with ongoing conservation project managing the countryside including a Site of Special Scientific Interest. 5-bedroom farmhouse with adjoining 1-bedroom annexe suite, four detached holiday letting lodges and a holiday letting cottage.
Holiday letting business with ongoing conservation project managing the countryside including a Site of Special Scientific Interest. 5-bedroom farmhouse with adjoining 1-bedroom annexe suite, four detached holiday letting lodges and a holiday letting cottage.
Land including several ponds, a lake with island, woodland and an open pasture field with potential to site glamping units, subject to gaining the relevant planning consents. The eco credentials include national recognition for sustainable tourism, a Site of Special Scientific Interest for wildlife, and renewable energy including 11kW wind, 4kW solar and a biomass boiler.
Outbuildings include a range of stabling, a workshop and traditional barns which have potential to be converted into additional holiday letting cottages, subject to gaining the relevant planning consents.
In all extending to 21.1 acres.
For sale as a whole by private treaty.
Location Wheatland Farm & Eco Lodges is located in a rural setting within 22 miles of the North Devon coastline. Winkleigh is the nearest village, 1½ miles away, providing a village hall, church, doctors surgery, post office, florist, cafe, village shop, sports centre, primary school, petrol station and garage, vet, and two traditional pubs including the Kings Arms, which is known for good food in the area.
Chulmleigh, 4 miles away, provides a secondary school, dentist, bakery and other local shops. Further facilities can be found at Okehampton, 12 miles to the south including shopping, golf club, supermarkets, Community Hospital, vets, leisure centre with indoor pool and Okehampton College Secondary School.
The property enjoys convenient access to Dartmoor National Park (15 miles) to the south. It is 1 mile from the A3124, linking North Devon, with its rugged coastline, and the university city of Exeter. The A30 gives access to Cornwall and to major cities.
The Tarka Trail is a popular cycling and walking route. The nearest access point from the property is at the Devon Wildlife Trust’s Meeth reserve, approximately 9.5 miles away.
Other popular tourist attractions in Devon include the city of Exeter, with its leisure-focused quay, canal, and historic cathedral, RHS Rosemoor at Great Torrington (11 miles away), the harbour town of Bideford, the picturesque village of Clovelly, Hartland Point with its lighthouse and rugged coastline and Westward Ho!
The Big Sheep and the Milky Way adventure parks are located just off the A39 for family entertainment. Sporting facilities in the area include golf courses at at nearby Chulmleigh, Torrington, Libbaton, Okehampton and Westward Ho!
The North Devon coastline is renowned for its excellent surfing beaches such as Woolacombe, Saunton Sands and Croyde, which are accessible. Close by are the scenic fishing villages of Instow and Appledore on the Torridge estuary which are popular, as well as the National Trust properties at Castle Drogo and Finch Foundry near Okehampton. Lydford Gorge at Lydford makes an ideal day trip.
Dartmoor National Park is easily accessible, known for its tors, open moorland and its enhanced public access for walking, cycling and horse riding.
The Business Wheatland Farm & Eco Lodges is surrounded by countryside and is currently managed primarily for wildlife, offering eco-friendly green holidays. The business has won sustainable tourism awards in the past including twice winning Visit England’s top award for sustainable tourism (2012 and 2015) as well as Bronze in the South West Tourism Excellence awards in 2020 and Silver in the Devon Tourism Awards 2019 (ethical, responsible and sustainable category).
The property has been in the same ownership since 2006 and is for sale due to retirement. The current owners have built up an established and profitable holiday letting business which encourages wildlife. Part of the farm is a designated SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) known as Popehouse Moor which is culm grassland, a type of species-rich moorland. The owners carry out traditional management techniques in consultation with Natural England and the Devon Wildlife Trust. Wheatland Farm has joined the Get Nature Positive campaign and is used as a case study on their website and in their literature.
Customers are attracted to the site due to its rural location and its eco credentials. The lake is used for wild swimming and has a boat and paddleboards guests can use. There is scope to add additional ponds or lakes.
The present owners promote the business via their website www.wheatlandfarm.co.uk along with Responsible Travel, Booking.com, Airbnb, Pitchup.com, Visit Devon, and TripAdvisor, and couple this with social media posts on Facebook.
There is potential to build additional lodges or to diversify the business into a glamping facility, subject to the gaining the relevant planning consents.
The business regularly rents out the accommodation to groups of up to 12 people or to larger parties sleeping up to 26 guests. The business specialises in families and is dog-friendly.
Each property has access to a fire pit, and there are bikes to borrow. The two largest lodges, Bale Barn and Beech, have electric hot tubs. There’s also a mown badminton court and a barn which has been converted into an open fronted play area with an outdoor chess table and pizza oven. On site there is a Pod point electric charging station for guests’ electric vehicles.
The established lodges have good repeat business and provide a profitable business with a gross turnover of £75,756 year ending March 2024 with a profit of £42,740 from the four lodges and the holiday letting cottage. The business is not VAT registered. Previously the gross turnover year ending March 2023 was £64,959 with a profit of £44,475 and in the year ending March 2022, a turnover of £80,731 with a profit of £45,631. Trading information can be provided to bona fide purchasers.
Wheatland Farmhouse A detached, two-storey farmhouse with rendered elevations under a pitched tiled roof providing accommodation on the ground floor of an open plan, contemporary style kitchen/diner with modern wood burning stove and beamed ceilings, a window overlooking the gardens and a glazed door leading out to the front gardens. Stairs leading to first floor accommodation.
From the kitchen/diner there is access into the sitting room with wood burning stove and a window overlooking the front gardens. Door leading into the former kitchen which is currently used as a utility room for the business which has a range of wall and base cupboards and a door leading into a uPVC double glazed conservatory.
At first floor there is a landing, primary bedroom with en-suite shower room, four further bedrooms and a bathroom providing a white suite of Victorian style low level WC, bidet, wall mounted wash hand basin, corner shower cubicle, central cast iron bath with ball and claw feet, extractor fan and spotlights.
Outside is a front garden with a gravelled path with stone stepping stones, a pond and a greenhouse. The rear of the property can be accessed from the kitchen/diner or the conservatory which leads out onto a patio area with steps leading up onto a lawned area with polytunnel. This area is used as the gardens to the farmhouse.
On the ground floor of the farmhouse is a self-contained annexe/guest suite which has a door from the sitting room and its own entrance door to outside.
The accommodation provides a hallway, shower room with walk in shower, bedroom with a glazed door leading out onto the front gardens and a further door from the bedroom leads into a storage room which could be converted into a sitting room/kitchenette, subject to the necessary consents.
The driveway wraps around the property to a parking space on an asphalt driveway with steps leading down to the entrance door of the annexe.
The Holiday Letting Accommodation The wooden eco lodges face south onto a wildflower meadow managed for wildlife and guests’ enjoyment. They are of open plan Nordic design. All run on 100% renewable energy, mostly generated by the 11kW wind turbine, but with full grid connection. Hot water is provided by solar thermal arrays, with an immersion back up.
Bale Barn Lodge Bale Barn Lodge is a lime-rendered, straw bale insulated lodge, developed in 2009 from former outbuildings. Single storey and with wide doors, it has been designed with accessibility in mind. Accommodation comprises an open plan sitting/dining room and kitchen with wooden floor and glass sliding doors onto a large decking area overlooking the lake. Panoramic views take in the countryside. There are four bedrooms, a bathroom and an additional shower room. A hot tub is secluded to one side of the lodge on the outside decking area. Bale Barn Lodge has both solar PV and solar thermal systems.
Parking is immediately to the rear on a concrete yard. Stabling around the yard could be developed as further accommodation, subject to relevant planning consents. (Sleeps 8).
Beech Lodge Detached lodge on the meadow with open plan sitting/dining room and kitchen area, with patio doors leading out onto a deck overlooking the meadow. Three bedrooms, with the main bedroom having patio doors to its own veranda. Bathroom with basin, toilet and bath with shower over. Separate WC. There is a hot tub to the side of the lodge. Parking is within a communal car park. (Sleeps 6).
Nuthatch Lodge Detached lodge opening onto the meadow with accommodation comprising an open plan sitting/dining room and kitchen area with patio doors leading out onto a decking area. Two bedrooms and bathroom providing a short bath with shower over. Parking within a communal car park. (Sleeps 4).
Honeysuckle Lodge Detached lodge opening onto the meadow with accommodation comprising an open plan sitting/dining room and kitchen area with patio doors leading out onto a decking area with sunken bathtub. Two bedrooms and shower room with walk-in shower. Parking within a communal car park. (Sleeps 4).
Otter Cottage Two storey traditional stone-built holiday letting cottage with slate roof, overlooking a fishing pond. The accommodation on the ground floor comprises an open plan sitting/dining room and kitchen with quarry tiled floor and wood burning stove. Stable door leading out onto an enclosed rear patio area with pergola overlooking the pond. At first floor, a landing, two bedrooms and shower room. Hot water is provided by solar thermal arrays with an immersion back up. Parking is to the side of the cottage. (Sleeps 4).
Outside Adjoining the farmhouse is a traditional stone barn, currently used as a workshop, with metal clad mono-pitched roof with skylight providing good natural light. The barn houses the biomass boiler and has potential to be converted into an annexe to the farmhouse, or an additional holiday letting cottage, subject to gaining the relevant consents. Next to the workshop is an additional workshop used by the business.
Detached stone barn with a slate roof and a walled cobbled courtyard which was previously a cart house. It has potential to be converted into a detached holiday letting cottage, subject to gaining the relevant planning consent.
Single storey outbuilding with a glazed roof and cobbled floor, used as a greenhouse area with exposed natural stone walls and a water feature. There is an open fronted barn with a concrete floor, currently used to house guests’ play equipment. Further single storey open fronted barn, opening onto the meadow, which has been converted into a play area with outdoor chess table and pizza oven, used by the guests.
Further single storey barn sitting amongst the trees in the corner of the lodge meadow. Profile metal clad roof with skylights, currently used for storage, this barn offers potential additional accommodation, subject to gaining the relevant planning consents.
Next to the lodge meadow is a field where the wind turbine is located and accessed from the lodge car park. There is a track that could be upgraded to give access into this field so this area of the site could be developed into further lodges, or to add glamping units, subject to gaining the relevant planning consents.
Method of sale The property is offered by sale by private treaty inclusive of trade inventory to include furnishings, equipment, fixtures and fittings in relation to the business, excluding any personal items.
Tenure & Possession The freehold interest is offered for sale with vacant possession available on completion.
Planning Bale Barn Lodge planning reference number: 1/0190/2009/FUL with the proposal: Change of Use from disused cattle shed/stables to one unit of holiday accommodation was approved in May 2009.
Services The property is serviced by mains electricity, a mains water supply and a new private drainage system installed in 2025. The farmhouse is centrally heated via the 25kW biomass boiler installed in 2014, providing hot water and central heating. The electricity is supplemented by the 11kW wind turbine installed in 2011, along with the solar photovoltaic panels installed in 2012.
EPC Ratings The Farmhouse: C Otter Cottage: C Bale Barn Lodge: B Beach Lodge: D Nuthatch Lodge: D Honeysuckle Lodge: D
Wayleaves, Easements & Rights of Way There is a right of way over the driveway providing access to the adjoining property.
Council Tax Band E.
Rateable Value According to the Valuation Office website, the premises has a rateable value of £10,125. Interested parties are advised to make their own enquiries.
Local Authority Torridge District Council
What Three Words /// importing.spike.sliding
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