I'm glad I wasn't trying to find Weeke Barton at night. On a gloriously sunny day I shot straight past the turning for it. Back on the right track, the only indication that the winding unpaved lane might lead to a boutique B&B was a discreet and tasteful sign at the side of the road.
The oldest part of this listed longhouse on the edge of Dartmoor national park dates back to 1440. But step inside and you're firmly in the 21st-century. Sam Perry and his wife Jo Gossett moved to Devon from London in 2007 to transform another nearby longhouse into a self-catering holiday home. With Higherwestcott Farm up and running successfully, they bought Weeke Barton and spent a year deep in renovations, blasting thick black paint off beams to reveal the original wood, relandscaping five acres of garden, and filling the interior with bang-up-to-date decor: a cow-hide rug, a chrome bull's head light fitting, Sonos speakers, a SodaStream and animal skulls on solid wood shelving. The country-cool vibe continues in the five bedrooms with limestone bathrooms and sheepskin rugs. But the on-trend styling is tempered by the original features; there is character here and the overall effect is warm and relaxing, rather than coldly modern.
With the sun shining, I was tempted to settle into a deckchair in the garden, but instead headed out for lunch at the Nobody Inn in Doddiscombsleigh. This excellent pub offers a more trad take on country living, its wonky-floored, low-ceilinged interior filled with tankards and brass pots, fairy lights and candles. On the menu are steak-and-ale or fish pies and roast Dartmoor beef. If that's not warming enough, there are 250 wines and 262 whiskies on sale. I went for the trio of "third" pints of local ale and a chicken terrine and potted shrimp.
Back at Weeke Barton, the wine list is more modest. In the snug bar, guests can help themselves to spirits or bottles of biodynamic wine. In her former life, Jo was a restaurant manager and now offers evening meals. A crab salad starter and chicken-and-chorizo pie with perfect pastry were rounded off by homemade brown bread ice-cream.
After a night in a deeply comfortable superking bed, it was back down the winding staircase for a breakfast of home-made granola and local apple juice.
A walk was in order. The village of Dunsford is a 20-minute stroll away, along the river Teign. But the moor beckoned. I drove to Haytor and walked to another granite outcrop, Hound Tor, for a blast of Devon air. The last time I was on Dartmoor it was a freezing winter's day, and my bed for the night was in a shabby bunkhouse. This time, the landscape, of course, was just as wild, but the accommodation couldn't have been more different.
• Accommodation was provided by Mr & Mrs Smith
