A La Ronde

A la Ronde is the 16-sided house that cousins Jane and Mary Parminter built above the Exe estuary in 1796 after a Grand Tour of Europe, its wedge-shaped rooms filled with souvenirs and handcrafts of their travels: feather friezes, sand and seaweed pictures, and the Shell Gallery high in the central octagon, now too fragile to enter and seen by virtual tour instead. Guided estate tours are offered, visitors may play the Music Room piano, and the grounds hold an orchard of old Devon apples, figs and medlars, a wildflower meadow with a level bench trail and picnic tables on the ha-ha lawn. Dogs on leads are welcome outside. Reviewers rate the well-informed volunteers, the views and the cakes from the trailer that stands in for a cafe. Tips from visitors: allow two or three hours, as the house is bigger than it looks, and approach by the Exeter Road end of Summer Lane only.