On the contrary most people would picture a cosy little cottage with a warm fire and rose bowls, so thatched cottages in beautiful landscaped surroundings seem, for many, the perfect place for loving couples.
Rose Cottage in Devon is a charming Grade II listed property in the hamlet of Blackwell, near the coastal village of Strete, that answers all these points. On the market with agent Marchand Petit (marchandpetit.co. uk/01803 839190), with a guide price of £475,000, the cottage is in an area of outstanding natural beauty and enjoys views over the surrounding countryside.
The two-bedroom, Grade II listed cottage has been renovated, with an inglenook fireplace in the living room, beamed vaulted kitchen and dining room with modern appliances. Unspoilt Slapton Sands are near and the coastal footpath passes through the village.
Thatched cottage Fairby Lodge, also in Devon, was formerly part of the Knightshayes Estate. This fairytale home has a wood burning fire within a stone fireplace, masses of beams, two bedrooms and large gardens, including a vegetable patch, garage and wood shed.
Located in the Exe Valley, between the villages of Cove and Bolham near Tiverton, it is set in a typically West Country patchwork landscape of farmland and wooded valleys. Fairby Lodge is on the market with a guide price of £335,000 through agent Jackson Stops and Staff. (jackson-stops.co.uk/01392 214222).
The same agent has another property with a location that recalls the work of the great Cornish romantic writer Daphne du Maurier, author of Rebecca.
Merlin, one of the most dramatic coastal properties in Britain, is located at Pentire, near Newquay, (where it is known as Baker’s Folly after its first owner) and sits on a cliff with the Atlantic crashing at its feet. Now divided into apartments, this is the first time in 10 years that one of the properties has come on the market.
The largest of the 10 apartments at TPentire, it has that all-important fourposter in the master bedroom and a huge private terrace with a pool carved into the rock, ideal for intimate evenings watching the sun set. Merlin is on the market priced at £600,000. (Jackson-stops.co.uk/01872 261160).