It wasn’t long before I’d settled into life at Bagpark.
Once the morning cuppa was done, it was time to put on my stout boots and head out to the garage, hop on the quad bike and up the hillside where herds of red and fallow deer were waiting to be fed.
Then the dahlias needed trimming and the last batch of redcurrants had to be picked.
I can see why being here on this estate in the heart of a tranquil valley near Widecombe-in-the-Moor could easily capture your heart.
If I had a £5.75million I’d be doing this full time. Bagpark is up for sale. It’s one of those rare Devon property treasures that stays hidden for decades until a change of circumstances brings it into view. Lots of views, in fact.
So when the chance came along to see it in the flesh, what could a nosy Devon Life journalist who likes lovely houses possibly do?
The only slight caveat was that the owners were happy to show me around but didn’t want to be named. We talked about it and decided that Bagpark was worth doing, even if it had to be anonymously.
It wasn’t long before I was crunching along the gravel driveway.
‘Up there is Honeybag Tor and just there, through the trees, that’s Hameldown,’ he says. ‘Our boundary goes to the edge of the moor on both sides. The public can’t cross but we can.’
As a family, we often spend time ‘out Widecombe’ and this feels like a backstage pass to one of the most impressive valleys on this eastern edge of the moor.
‘You can walk from the top of that hill right across to Tavistock or else you can go that way to Lustleigh and beyond,’ says the owner. ‘Rather untypically for Dartmoor, it’s not at all bleak. When you get into these river valleys, it’s actually quite lush.
Bagpark has been under the care of its current owners for 17 years but a change in family circumstances means it’s time for them to move on.
They’re not going because they’ve fallen out of love with the place – that soon becomes clear. But the kids are having grandkids and, quite rightly, priorities have shifted.
It means that whoever buys Bagpark will have a beautiful home, which includes a stylish television and cinema room with feature wallpaper, an impressive 24ft-long panelled dining room and seven double bedrooms, four with en-suite.
Christmases will be fun (22 people have sat around the dining table before) and there are plenty of places for quiet contemplation. There’s a library and a fabulous central reception hall where I would read magazines in front of the fire, pretending I couldn’t hear anyone tell me that the deer needed feeding or the veg patch weeding.
Because outside is a big part of what Bagpark is about. The land and its rich variety of wildlife, including otters, buzzards, stoats, cuckoos and more have to be looked after all year round – being here is a lifestyle choice.
There is scope to have help. Two stone cottages on site could provide ample accommodation for a live-in groundsman (or woman).
‘It does require attention,’ he says, as we head outside again. ‘If you’re an outdoorsy sort of person, it’s a real privilege to live here.’
He wants to show me some of the estate’s history. The site was once thought to have included a tin mine before many were closed in the 17th century.
At the northern end of the deer park, you can still see what’s left of a stone building, believed to have been the mine’s stamping house.
Bagpark’s more recent history is possibly even more interesting.
‘It used to be an illicit nightclub, apparently!’ says the owner. He goes on to explain that people from the village have told him they used to come here to party the night away in the 1960s and 1970s. One Widecombe resident says she was proposed to here.
‘Yep, I think I’ll take it,' I say to the owner. He laughs. I’m clearly not a convincing buyer. There has, however, already been some serious interest and the no doubt the right person will come along soon. Then maybe I can come back for another visit.
See savills.com
