Driving east down the narrow road from Lewdown, on the edge of Dartmoor, nothing quite prepares you for the first sight of Lewtrenchard Manor, a magnificent 16C stone manor house, with some Victorian additions, approached by an avenue of beech trees and set in stunningly beautiful grounds which lead down to a lake studded with swans.
  The interior is equally impressive. The massive reception rooms are rich in ornate ceilings, oak panelling, carvings and large open fireplaces. Despite its size, however, the hotel has the warm and hospitable atmosphere of a much humbler building. The drawing room invites you to curl up with a good book.
  On the first floor, a splendid long gallery, full of famiy portraits and paintings, leads to the spacious bedrooms, all of which have extensive views through leaded windows and over the Devon countryside and make use of some gorgeous furniture - one bed was originally owned by Charles II's wife Henrietta.
  A former owner of Lewtrenchard Manor was the Reverend Sabine Baring Gould (who wrote, among others, Onward Christian Soldiers). Mercifully, he largely resisted the Victorian habit of embellishing an already beautiful building.