Hartland Abbey is a former abbey and current family home to the Stucley family. It is located in Hartland, Devon. The current owner is Sir Hugh George Copplestone Bampfylde Stucley, 6th Baronet.
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Great venue and lovely grounds, but it's misleading to state that the tea room is 'open.' The outdoor seating patio and a covered barn (which needed the heating on as it was torrential rain when we visited) is open, the actual tea room inside the building isn't due to the C-word... coronavirus! However the indoor exhibition area and shop is open (with masks) as the virus knows not to go in there.
Essentially the once great tearoom has been reduced to a sterile take-away service, which is fine, but it ought to be priced accordingly. I ordered a cream tea and everything came out in disposable plastic plates and containers, with the tea in a takeaway cup and cartoned milk.
No teapots as I'm assuming they're now classed as dangerous/not allowed due to Covid... but does the environment not matter any more? Our whole table was full of plastic throwaway plates and cups by the end. The tea room at Hartland used to be great, so I'm hoping that things have returned to some sort of normality in time for the 2021...
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I was really disappointed with my visit to Hartland Abbey. For the price of admission, I expected a lot more – it felt very poor value. The grounds are not at all accessible for prams or wheelchairs, which makes it very difficult for families or anyone with mobility issues.
Several of the advertised attractions, such as the wild gardens, are not actually within the main property but require a 15-minute walk just to reach them. The walled garden was another letdown, as the greenhouse inside was gated off and not accessible.
While the beach is technically available to visitors, it’s about a mile walk each way, which is not clearly advertised and not practical for many people. To make matters worse, the café stops serving well before the main site closes, which left us unable to get any refreshments after exploring.
Overall, the experience was frustrating, inaccessible, and overpriced. I would not recommend Hartland Abbey unless you are very fit, have plenty of time, and don’t mind...
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Beautiful hidden gem. The gardens are gorgeous as is the house. The little kitchen serves the most delicious homemade scones, cakes and light lunches. There are 2 exhibitions which are very detailed and interesting in the old servants quarters. One on all the different TV and movie filming which has taken place at the property, and another on William Stukeley and his discoveries surrounding stonehenge. Even our teenagers enjoyed the surprisingly diverse history of the house and were impressed with the displays. The other joy of a visit here is the easy walk down to the Hartland coastline, where you can stop and enjoy the scenery or pick up the South West Coastal path and walk another mile along to Hartland Quay if you want more of a challenge before returning for your cakey reward. The coastline along here is beautiful but rugged, so its lovely to have an easy walk where you still get to see some of the views! Be aware the gardens open at 11am but the house does not...
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