TRAVEL GUIDE | CABANA TRAVEL | WORLD OF CABANA

A small, particular stretch between Plymouth and Exeter, "caught between the windswept vastness of Dartmoor and the softer, almost turquoise coastline" is where Paul Eldwin Glade's heart lies. The designer and creative director of Fowlescombe Farm, shares his favorite spots in this singular pocket of the English coast.

BY PAUL ELDWIN GLADE | CABANA TRAVEL | 28 JUNE 2026

My Favorite Place to Stay: Fowlescombe Farm

Opened recently but already feeling deeply rooted, Fowlescombe sits in its own private valley as part of a regenerative, working landscape. It’s a contemporary hotel without fuss, beautiful, but not showy, and what really makes it is the welcome. You’re genuinely looked after, fed and watered properly, and it feels more like being at home than being a paying guest. Although it’s been widely recognised, it somehow feels very personal.

My Favorite Restaurant: The Seahorse, Dartmouth 

What started as a project by seafood obsessive Mitch Tonks has quietly become something closer to a family institution. I’ve been going for years and still go back regularly. It’s fresh, generous, and unfussy, with a kind of consistency that’s increasingly rare. Best combined with a walk beforehand, or a ferry across the Dart, maybe even drifting over for an aperitivo before settling in. Simple, delicious, and reliably right.

My Favorite Cafés: The Curator and the Hairy Barista

I’d like to be more of a coffee drinker than I really am, I tend to microdose it occasionally rather than commit fully. In that sense, Totnes – a lively, slightly eccentric market town where independent spirit and strong opinions sit comfortably side by side – is the perfect place for it. When I am passing through I usually end up between two spots: The Curator, which is calm and considered, and The Hairy Barista, a bit more energetic. Between the two, you’re well covered for a good coffee, and something sweet alongside it.

My Favorite Pubs

I'd advise you to scour the cracks and crevices of Dartmoor for the perfect pint. It’s impossible to choose one without offending the rest, so I’d avoid the question entirely and suggest something better: Explore the pubs of the Dartmoor foothills.

These are the real thing, hidden in valleys, reached by narrow lanes, sitting just beneath the tors, and they range from lively and sociable to so small and tucked away it feels like time has paused. Places like The Rugglestone Inn, The Drewe Arms, Fingle Bridge Inn, The Rock Inn, or the Ring o’ Bells in Bovey Tracey. Best done slowly, on foot if possible, or over long summer evenings, moving from one to the next.

My Favorite Thing to Do: Sleep under the stars on Dartmoor

There are very few places left in England where you’re allowed to simply be, no fences, no permissions, no one telling you to move on, and Dartmoor is one of them. It’s the only place where wild camping is still allowed, and even if camping isn’t your thing, I’d urge anyone to try it once. You don’t need much, pick the right night and travel light, even skip the tent if you’re brave. There’s something about the scale of the place, the dark skies, the wind, the silence, that makes you feel both very small and very present.

My Favorite Place of Architectural Interest: Castle Drogo

The last castle built in England, designed by Edwin Lutyens as a kind of early 20th-century interpretation of what a castle could be. It feels rooted without slipping into pastiche, solid and grounded, but also surprisingly light and contemporary in moments. There’s a balance between revivalism and something almost modern, with beautifully handled materials and light-filled interiors.

My Favorite Insider Tip: The Millbrook Inn at High Tide

A bit of effort required, but worth it. Set along one of England’s most beautiful estuaries, The Millbrook Inn is one of those rare pubs that manages to fit completely in its surroundings, while still feeling quietly special. Start from Salcombe or Kingsbridge and make your way along the water, by boat, kayak, paddleboard, whatever works, timing it with the tide so you arrive just right, or come at it the more traditional way, down a narrow Devon lane. In summer it’s lively; in winter it becomes something closer to a small pilgrimage. If you’re particularly organised (or lucky), stay for one of their Sunday lunches, but it’s just as good at any time.

My Favorite Shop or Find: Ashburton

Not one of the obvious antique destinations, but that’s why it works. Ashburton is a bit of a hidden gem, and the things you find there tend to feel accidental. I once picked up a Lock & Co silk top hat (in my size, would you believe it) for £25, complete with a newspaper clipping about Scott of the Antarctic tucked inside the lining.

You don’t go with a plan, you just see what turns up, there might be some real treasures.

My Favorite Garden or Green Space: Wistman’s Wood

One of Britain’s last remaining temperate rainforests, and a place that feels far older than the rest of the landscape around it - because it is. Low, twisted oak trees covered in moss and lichen create something otherworldly, it’s easy to see why John Fowles chose to end The Tree here. The book is, in part, a meditation on our relationship with nature, on control, wildness, and the quiet loss of landscapes that once shaped us more deeply. Standing here, it doesn’t feel abstract. It feels present, almost urgent.