Southern Cross Devon Guesthouse and Tea Rooms

Southern Cross is an 18th-century cob-walled, thatched cottage on the High Street in Newton Poppleford, a village three miles inland from Sidmouth and the Jurassic Coast. It's run as a guesthouse and tea room together rather than one propping up the other: traditional, comfortable rooms with TV, tea-making facilities and WiFi upstairs, and cream teas served below or out in the walled garden when the weather allows. Hosts Tim and Andrew have built a reputation for warm hospitality and homemade breakfasts, with marmalade among the things guests mention by name.

The tea room does a proper Devon cream tea - warm scones, local clotted cream, homemade jam and marmalade - and gluten-free options are available alongside the standard menu. Dogs are welcome and off-road parking is on site, which matters on a High Street with limited kerb space. It's a small, family-run operation rather than a chain B&B, and the building itself, listed for its cob walls and thatch, is as much a reason to stop as the tea.