Down to Earth: The Quiet Cool of Fowlescombe Farm

By Tansy Kaschak on 10.22.25

Tucked into the folds of Devon’s rolling hills, Fowlescombe Farm feels like the kind of place time forgot — and then gently remembered. A 450-acre working farm and retreat rooted in regenerative agriculture, design, and slow living, it’s where the pace of life drops to the rhythm of the seasons. The air hums with birdsong, the fields glow green and gold, and the invitation is simple: pause, breathe, and reconnect with the quiet magic of the land.

Here, sustainability is the baseline and everything, from the free-roaming English Longhorns to the wildflower-rich kitchen gardens, moves in a graceful, closed-loop dance. Meals are gathered, foraged, and imagined on the spot. The hospitality feels warm and familial.

Opened in the spring by Caitlin Owens and Paul Glade, Fowlescombe is the natural evolution of the family’s beloved village pub, The Millbrook Inn in South Pool. What that pub did for conviviality, this retreat does for calm: a home away from home for anyone craving meaning with their meadows.

THE LAND AND ITS LIGHT

Set between the wild beauty of Dartmoor and the salt-streaked coast of South Devon, Fowlescombe sits at the heart of one of England’s most quietly spectacular regions. Patchwork fields spill into ancient woods and narrow lanes lead to hidden beaches, with Totnes, Kingsbridge, and Salcombe just a short drive away. You could be in another century, if it weren’t for the fact that London is only a 2.5-hour train ride away.

The landscape dictates the mood: rugged yet nurturing, humble yet cinematic. That duality defines the entire experience here.

SPACES WITH SOUL

The retreat’s ten suites unfold across beautifully repurposed farm buildings dating back to 1537, their weathered stone walls and timber beams now framing serene, light-filled spaces. The design, spearheaded by Creative Director Paul Glade, with Harry Gugger of Basel’s Studio Gugger, Ryan Cook of Channel in London, and Sophia Gomm in Bristol, is guided by “beautiful utility.” Lime-washed walls, reclaimed wood, wool from the farm’s own Manx Loaghtan sheep, and handcrafted furniture by Konk create interiors that are tactile, timeless, and deeply Devon.

The art collection, curated by Claudia Kennaugh of Art & People, carries that same sense of place. Works by over thirty regional artists—think earth pigments, woven textiles, and reclaimed wood—evoke the textures of the land without depicting it literally. You’ll find pieces by Ben Risk, Lisa-Marie Price, and Ines Fernandez de Cordova, whose works are as much a conversation with nature as they are with the rooms they inhabit.

FROM SOIL TO PLATE (AND GLASS)

At the heart of Fowlescombe is The Refectory, an intimate, open-kitchen restaurant seating just eighteen. Led by Elly Wentworth, the menus shift daily, sometimes hourly, based on what the garden and fields decide to offer. Breakfast might mean pastries with farm honey and eggs collected at sunrise; dinner, a four-course ode to the season: cured John Dory with Granny Smith, fillet of Shorthorn beef with Cavolo Nero pesto, or cucumber and lime granita with berries and white chocolate curd.

The cocktail list, naturally, follows suit: apple tree to Cider Daiquiri, soil to Hedgerow Sour and the wines lean small-batch, biodynamic, and local. It’s elegant without ever feeling effortful.

A WORKING FARM WITH A BIG HEART

This is not a hotel disguised as a farm. Fowlescombe is a genuine, thriving regenerative operation that’s been organic for over two decades. Native breeds — English Longhorns, Shorthorn cattle, Tamworth pigs, Boer goats, and that impressive flock of Manx Loaghtan sheep — work symbiotically with the land. The team’s guiding mantra is simple: leave the earth better than you found it. And they do.

SLOWED AND SEASONED

Days here unfold in rhythm with the land. One morning might begin with yoga in the greenhouse, the next with a cold dip at Bigbury beach. Guests might learn floristry, sourdough, or sausage-making; or simply walk, nap, and read by the fire. Afternoons drift into garden teas, firepit evenings, or Sunday roasts and live music at The Millbrook Inn.

But Fowlescombe’s biggest promise, and the main reason I feel drawn to this places, is to offer an opportunity to return — to oneself, to the land, to being. A reminder that the most meaningful luxury is often the simplest: stillness, connection, and a sense of belonging to something that feels older and wiser than us all.

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