About us

Bedrooms

There are 19 guest bedrooms, numbered 1 to 20 (but did you know there is no room 13? We’re unsure why the number was excluded when the centre was opened in 1996).

Bedrooms 1 to 9 open directly into the courtyard garden, whilst the remaining rooms open into a well-lit, carpeted corridor with handrails and easy access via stairs or lifts to the courtyard or level access to other communal areas.

• Each bedroom has a combination of one, two or three single beds (no double beds)
• Each room is designed, painted and equipped to be minimalistic and not overwhelming
• They all contain: a wardrobe, small chest of drawers, and single chairs
• Please note: bedrooms do not have TVs (however there are TVs in communal areas)
• Each has an en-suite shower room with toilet facilities and vinyl flooring
• All bedrooms are accessible and can be reached via step-free access
• Excellent Wi-Fi is free and available across our centre, including our accommodation
• Towels (bring your own), washing products, and kettles are not provided
• Being an older building, all the bedroom doors are locked and unlocked with a key and don’t lock automatically; they can also be locked/unlocked from the inside using a thumb-turn lock
• Smoking and vaping are not allowed anywhere on site other than the two designated smoking areas

Apartments

Experience unparalleled calm alongside accessibility at Calvert Devon’s well-equipped apartments, designed to ensure a pleasant stay for guests of all abilities. Each apartment provides a unique blend of convenient amenities and thoughtful design, catering to your needs whether you choose fully-catered or self-catered options.

There are four apartments with doors that open into the shared accommodation courtyard, each with bedrooms containing one, two or three beds, a dedicated kitchen (for self-catering or for those needing to provide care) and a lounge area with a sofa and TV.

There is also a fifth mini-apartment (above the sports hall, on the opposite side of the site), which consists of bedrooms and bathrooms.

Excellent Wi-Fi is free and available across our centre, including our accommodation.

Bray and Lyn

Stay in the Bray or Lyn apartments, both conveniently situated on the ground floor. Each sleeps four and features two bedrooms, including a pull-down bed in the lounge. Enjoy the convenience of a wheelchair-accessible shower room and a height-adjustable kitchen sink, making your stay effortless and comfortable.

Kinsford

For a different layout, the Kinsford apartment offers an upper-floor retreat, sleeping four within two bedrooms. Although not wheelchair accessible, this apartment provides a cosy and private setting for your getaway.

Heddon

Heddon is ideal for larger groups, accommodating up to seven guests across two floors, equipped with a Stannah stair lift. This apartment boasts three bedrooms, multiple accessible bathrooms, including an H-track ceiling hoist and shower trolley, ensuring a stress-free stay for everyone.

Watersmeet

Watersmeet, separate from the main building, offers tranquility and accessibility with two bedrooms, a wheelchair accessible wet room and a shower room. Located near the indoor riding arena, it combines convenience with serene surroundings.

What’s included in the apartments?

Dining

Enjoy homely food made with your needs and tastes in mind

We know how tricky it can be to find suitable choices for food, especially if you have specific requirements. Well, our kitchen staff are not only talented, skilled and passionate about anything food, but they’re also genuine, kind and caring, frequently going out of their way to make sure that everyone is accounted for and fed well.

We take dining requirements at the time of your booking and will do everything we can to ensure you have a choice of delicious food to fuel the fun-filled days you’ll be having with us.

Whether you’re gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan or even have particular sensory, texture or taste-based needs, we’ll discuss options and make sure you’re catered for.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided as part of your residential break. Throughout the day, there is unlimited access to hot and cold drinks, as well as fresh fruit.

Breakfast is served at 8.30 am:

• Fried breakfasts
• Cereal
• Dairy, vegan and other alternative milks
• Hot and cold drinks
• Fresh fruit

Lunch is served at 1 pm:

• Hot food – different options each day, examples being jacket potatoes with fillings or macaroni cheese
• Cold food – items such as sandwiches and salads can be prepared upon request
• Selection of homemade cakes
• Tailored food choices and vegan/vegetarian options are also available on request

Dinner is served at 6 pm, with a choice between two hot meals alongside salad, cakes and fruit. Example meal options:

• Spaghetti bolognese
• Fish and chips
• Pizza
• Chicken kievs
• Tailored food choices including vegan/vegetarian options available upon request

Please note: standard cutlery will be provided by Calvert Devon for each meal, so any further aids for eating need to be brought in by parents, carers or individuals.

The kitchen has the maximum Food Hygiene Rating of 5.

Reception and shop

The main entrance to the Calvert Devon centre includes space to relax and get your bearings. You’ll also find the main Reception Desk here, where the team are based for check-ins and helping you with anything during your stay, including booking swimming sessions.

The desk also acts as a shop, selling a small number of snacks, fizzy drinks, ice creams, practical and essential items, plus a limited amount of branded clothing and gifts like keyrings or fridge magnets showing the horses and ponies.

The Reception Desk is open 9am to 5pm every day.

Swimming pool

The perfect place for some water-based relaxation.

Our swimming pool:

• Is heated to a minimum of 30 degrees
• Includes large accessible wet rooms for changing, with hoists and beds
• Has a manual hoist and gentle steps for entry and exit from the pool
• Is available for hire to both guests and the local community
• Must be booked in advance – speak to the Guest Services team at reception

Please note: the pool is not directly supervised by our staff or a lifeguard, so safety requirments mean a minimum of three capable people over the age of 16 must be in the pool area at all times, who are all able to get in and out of the pool easily and raise the alarm in an emergency.

The barn and bar

The converted barn building is used as a social space throughout the day and into the evenings. Many guests love this space to build connections with one another.

• Chairs, tables and space for wheelchairs
• With free use of the table football and the small pool table
• Decorated with old pieces of Victorian farm and water wheel pieces to highlight the origin of the building
• There is also a bar available to buy alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks in the evenings, with some snacks available too
• The venue for most evening entertainment such as the disco or karaoke

Acland room

The Acland Room is a stunning, naturally lit bright space with a selection of armchairs and sofas with coffee tables dotted around the room. Many guests enjoy some relaxing downtime in this room during their stay.

We have a wall-mounted flat-screen TV in here that guests can use and we often use for our Movie Nights for residential guests too.

The room boasts a stunning view of Wistlandpound Reservoir, with double doors that open onto a large decking where you can soak up the sun.

Stepping out of The Acland Room onto the uncovered veranda provides the perfect space for relaxation with breathtaking views of the horse fields, woodlands and reservoir.

TV room

Our TV room is a small, private space to relax and have some quiet time between activities, or if you need a more peaceful area to take a break. The room contains several comfy chairs and space in the middle for one or two wheelchairs.

The TV room features a normal television in the corner, showing standard channels. Subtitles can be added if needed. There are also books and games on the shelves and a small table to use.

Laundry room

The laundry room contains washing machines and a dryer and is found around the accommodation garden courtyard.

The machines are token operated, which can be purchased from Reception along with any required washing powder.

Sensory room

Our sensory room can be used to provide both sensory stimulation or a calming space. We suggest you talk to a member of the Reception team to book your slot for using the room, as this is also a space available to the general public.

The sensory room has various padded corners, floors and colourful walls, with options to use interesting lighting or have the room in darkness depending on your needs and preferences. We have a range of items on offer, including toys, fabrics, colourful mirrors and more!

Wheelchair charging room

We have a specific space where you can leave wheelchairs to charge. It can charge up to three wheelchairs at any one time and is accessible from the courtyard.

Please ask at Reception during your visit for further details.

High needs wet room

Accessed from the courtyard, we have a high-needs wet room that contains:

• An accessible toilet
• A sink
• A bench
• Overhead tracking ceiling hoist
• Non-slip flooring
• A shower
• A stretcher/changing table

Note: There are other accessible washrooms like this in the Swimming Pool area too.

Drying room

The Drying room is a hot room designed to quickly dry clothes, often used after getting caught in the rain or for drying off swimming costumes.

It contains metal bars to hang clothes over or off for quick and effective drying. There are also a couple of grated shelves for smaller items.

Our mission involves having stringent accessibility policies, insurance and an array of accessible equipment from which you, our guests, can benefit. If you’d like a more detailed explanation, you can phone the Guest Services team on 01598 763221

• Specialist abseiling wheelchair
• Accessible ‘Trigger bow’ in archery
• Optional accessible seating in canoeing
• A wide variety of accessible bikes
• An accessible carriage for wheelchair users in our Equestrian Centre
• Manual and electric hoists dotted around the centre, including by the pool
• Automatic doorways into main centre areas
• A lift between the ground and first floor in the reception area
• Wheelchair-accessible ramps to certain areas
• Accessible toilets across the centre
• Handrails down corridors
• Accessible cutlery, plates and other catering-related equipment
• High-needs changing areas – overhead tracking, non-slip flooring, shower stretcher changing tables
• H-track ceiling hoists over beds
• Electric profiling beds
• Adjustable height kitchen sinks in apartments
• Mattress elevators
• Bedside bumpers
• Kinderkey Bed
• Deafgard alarms
• And more – just ask when making a booking

How does funding work?

Through the hard work of our fundraising team and the generous donations of our supporters and benefactors, we have the ability to award guests who require financial assistance funding towards a break at Calvert Exmoor. If you’re interested in a funding bursary, please let our Guest Services team know at point of booking and they can talk to you about this in more detail.

What do we offer?

We can offer:

• 10-30% off the total tariff for families and individuals
• 5-15% off the total tariff cost for groups and schools/organisations

Make a booking enquiry

Applying for funding starts with your booking phone call with our Guest Services team. If you’d like financial assistance, mention it to our team and they’ll talk you through the process.

Submit application form

If successful…

Just a stone’s throw from the wilderness of Exmoor National Park, a short drive to famous beaches, and just an hour from the city of Exeter.

Calvert Devon is situated at the edge of Wistlandpound Reservoir, near Blackmoor Gate in North Devon. You’ll find green fields, beautiful pine forests and rippling streams on the doorstep.

It’s a stunning but remote location, therefore having a car or access to easy transport to the centre is essential. 

By Train

• Services such as Trainline will provide train tickets for Barnstaple, which is our nearest station
• From Barnstaple train station to the Calvert Devon centre it is at least ten miles depending on your route through the countryside, about 30 minutes or so by car or taxi
• On request, we can send you a list of local, accessible taxi firms that could collect and drop off to Barnstaple (BNP) or Tiverton Parkway Stations (TVP)
• The closest bus stop is Blackmoor Gate, where buses 309 and 310 between Barnstaple and Lynton stop. It’s then approximately half a mile to the centre, but please note, these roads are busy and narrow with no pavements or safe crossing spots.

By Car

The Centre is situated 2 hours from Bristol or Plymouth and just over an hour from Exeter

Directions from the M5:

• Leave the M5 at Junction 27, turning onto the A361 to Barnstaple
• Follow the A361 for 25 miles
• At North Aller Roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto the A399, this will be signposted to Blackmoor Gate, Brayford and Lynton.
• Follow the A399 for 11 miles
• When you pass Exmoor Zoo on your left, you know that you are a mile or so away
• Take a left turn (just after a parking layby on the left) – signposted Calvert Exmoor and Wistlandpound Reservoir
• Follow this road for approximately half a mile
• Calvert Exmoor is on your left

What3Words location: ///luggage.uptown.quoted