Occombe Farm Shop is about an hour’s walk away, via the thatched village of Cockington so if it’s nice weather then it’s worth a stroll, particularly if you plan to stop off in Cockington with its craft centre, pub, tea rooms and so on. However, if you think you might buy lots of shopping then it may be worth popping along in the car as it’s only a ten minute drive when you go via the dual carriage-way towards Paignton. We walked, purchased a few items, and enjoyed a trip to the café but then had to go back a few days later for a “big shop” in the car.
I have to confess, it’s taken us nearly eight years of living here to discover Occombe Farm. We’ve seen leaflets for it before but as a working farm, it was promoting its interaction with farm animals like lambs for children so we didn’t bother to look any further. Had we done so, we’d have realised there was much more to it. In our defense though, they’ve just completed a whole new rebuild of the shop, café and petting area, most of which was opened just before lockdown.
If you do drive, there’s a large car park and you can always have a walk round their nature trail whilst you’re there. It’s run by the Coast and Countryside Trust, a charity who are also responsible for the Berry Head nature reserve in Brixham which is great for walks and there’s a lovely café there which is run by friends, and also Cockington country park, just a mile from us and as discussed, as well as walking, you’ve got a craft centre and much more to see and do.
Here’s a couple of my other blogs you may find interesting:
A Day Out in Cockington
Cockington Village Walk
When I say farm shop, you may be imagining a small barn the size of a local newsagents, a bit like I imagine the village shop to be in The Archers. However, it’s more like a small Waitrose with lovely displays, fresh food counter and gift areas.
If you love our selection of West Country drinks on the tea tray from Miles (we have ten types of tea, regular and decaf instant coffee and their delicious hot chocolate) then Occombe sell a whole range of Miles drinks for you to enjoy at home.
If our usual supplier of things like fresh mushrooms and tomatoes for breakfast lets us down, we now have a back up as Occombe have a lovely selection of fresh fruit, vegetables and salads to choose from.
One lovely idea which is great for the planet is the variety of items you can purchase without packaging. For instance there are wholefoods and dried fruits, as well as frozen items like vegetables.
If it’s a gift you’re after, Occombe have a well selected choice of gifts, cards and books so you’re bound to find something for even that difficult to buy for person. If they’re a gin drinker, they’ve got that covered too with a good selection of mainly local craft gins so someone like me is spoilt for choice when adding to my expanding gin collection (though I do generally drink them as quickly as I buy them so it’s never more than two or three bottles!).
Julian is a real cheese addict so he was in his element at the fresh counter with an array of West Country cheeses to choose from along with pates, quiches, homemade sausage rolls and much more.
And even when you’ve done shopping, there’s a café serving all the usual treats. Julian and I couldn’t resist a slice of cake with a flat white. If you need to walk off the calories after, then you’ve got the nature trail so you needn’t feel guilty!
There’s many things to do in Torquay and the surrounding area that you’re never going to get bored. We had some regular guests staying with us earlier this week. They stay for four or five nights, three times a year and have been coming for several years. They are still finding new things to do!
Don’t forget the best deal is always by booking direct so book a room soon to experience all The 25 and the English Riviera has to offer.